The 2013 AMA Supercross season kicked off in front of a sold-out crowd at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday night, Jan. 5. And the racing action began just as furiously as it finished last year – with every practice session, heat race and final literally up for grabs. Flying the Yamaha colors in the premier 450cc Supercross class were Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Justin Brayton and Josh Grant, who finished the 20-lap main event in 9th and 11th, respectively, along with Velocity 3 Racing’s Kyle Chisholm, who finished 13th.
Chisholm, Grant and Brayton all filled out the top half of the Supercross field in qualifying. Aboard his YZ450F, in his heat race Grant grabbed the holeshot before ceding the early lead to rivals James Stewart and Trey Canard, ultimately taking fifth to transfer to the main event. But even more spectacular were Brayton and Chisholm, who commanded the field with a 1-2 sweep of the 450-class LCQ, also getting into the main event. Finally, 45,050 fans jumped to their feet when the gate dropped for the feature Supercross race. Once again, both Brayton and Grant were strongly inside the top 10 by the halfway point, with Grant slipping one spot in the final laps. A fourth YZ450F rider, Chisholm’s teammate Bobby Kiniry, finished 19th.
Making the evening more special for Yamaha was the presentation of The Mickey Thompson Award Of Excellence to Racing Division Manager Keith McCarty. Keith began with Yamaha as Bob “Hurricane” Hannah’s motocross mechanic, increased his responsibilities over 35 years, and is now in charge of all racing programs at the company. Congratulations Keith!
The AMA Supercross series next heads to Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. on Saturday, Jan. 12.
| 450 Class Results |
| 1 |
David Millsaps |
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| 2 |
Trey Canard |
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| 3 |
Ryan Dungey |
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| 4 |
Chad Reed |
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| 5 |
Jake Weimer |
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| 6 |
Andrew Short |
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| 7 |
Justin Barcia |
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| 8 |
James Stewart |
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| 9 |
Justin Brayton - YAM |
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| 10 |
Kevin Windham |
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| Standings |
| 1 |
David Millsaps |
25 |
| 2 |
Trey Canard |
22 |
| 3 |
Ryan Dungey |
20 |
| 4 |
Chad Reed |
18 |
| 5 |
Jake Weimer |
16 |
| 6 |
Andrew Short |
15 |
| 7 |
Justin Barcia |
14 |
| 8 |
James Stewart |
13 |
| 9 |
Justin Brayton - YAM |
12 |
| 10 |
Kevin Windham |
11 |
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In the 250cc Lites West class, MyPlash/Metal Mulisha’s Kyle Cunningham finished 11th and Valli Motorsports Yamaha’s Travis Baker finished 15th in the finale.
During the Lites West action, Cunningham and Baker both qualified inside the top 15. While Cunningham transferred to the main event with a strong third in his heat race, Baker had to ride the last-chance qualifier, which he dramatically won aboard his YZ250F. Then came the Lites final. Baker kept the momentum going by running in seventh place early, before clawing his way up to sixth on lap six. Although he subsequently dropped downfield, the performance served notice that Baker and his YZ are on top of their game for 2013. For his part, Cunningham rode steadily in 11th for most of the 15-lap race.
| 250 Class Results |
| 1 |
Eli Tomac |
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| 2 |
Ken Roczen |
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| 3 |
Cole Seely |
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| 4 |
Jason Anderson |
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| 5 |
Malcolm Stewart |
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| 6 |
Ryan Sipes |
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| 7 |
Zack Osborne |
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| 8 |
Tyla Rattray |
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| 9 |
Max Anstie |
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| 10 |
Michael Leib |
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|
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| Standings |
| 1 |
Eli Tomac |
25 |
| 2 |
Ken Roczen |
22 |
| 3 |
Cole Seely |
20 |
| 4 |
Jason Anderson |
18 |
| 5 |
Malcolm Stewart |
16 |
| 6 |
Ryan Sipes |
15 |
| 7 |
Zack Osborne |
14 |
| 8 |
Tyla Rattray |
13 |
| 9 |
Max Anstie |
12 |
| 10 |
Michael Leib |
11 |
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