Ryan Villopoto collects his fifth win of the 2012 AMA Supercross season at St. Louis
Ryan Villopoto secured the highest spot on the podium for the fifth time in the 2012 Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Supercross series, an International Motorcyclist Federation (FIM) Championship, after putting on an excellent performance
at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Minnesota, on Saturday, March 3.
Finishing in runner-up place was KTM’s Ryan Dungey, while Honda’s Justin Brayton finished in third place to round out the podium.
Riding for Monster Energy/Kawasaki, the Washington-based rider extended his lead in the season standings even further with his latest win, moving one step closer to a successful title defence.
As the race got underway, Yamaha’s Davi Millsaps took the Holeshot, but Villopoto managed to get past him by Lap two. The Kawasaki rider began to build a sizable lead as the race progressed, riding cautiously and consistently while expertly navigating through
the challenging track.
While Villopoto remained well-separated from the rest of the pack, the battle for the second and third place remained pretty intense. Brayton stepped up in the eighth lap to edge pat Millsaps to move into second place.
Dungey, who had secured a spectacular win at Georgia Dome in Atlanta, pushed the Yamaha rider even further behind after replacing him in third place.
The KTM rider eventually managed to overtake Brayton to move into second place. Despite a determined effort, he was unable to get past Villopoto.
Villopoto eventually rode off to a convincing victory, courtesy of some exceptional riding which gave absolutely nothing to his rival to capitalise on.
Talking about the race track and result afterward, the Washington-based rider said, “The track was tough tonight. I tried to ride smart and consistent, paying attention to where [Ryan] Dungey was at. I was able to hold on for another win and my first-ever
in St. Louis.”
Dungey finished right behind him in second place, while Brayton finished in third place. Honda’s Kevin Windham and JGR/Yamaha’s James Stewart rounded out the fourth and fifth positions respectively.
With nine races of the 2012 AMA Supercross series gone, Villopoto leads the race for the Championship title with 205 points, while Dungey sits in second place with 192 points. Stewart moved to third place with 152 points.
The riders will continue their campaign at the 10th stop of series which will be at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida, on Saturday, March 10.
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