Motorcycle Racing

Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo held off Marc Marquez to win the 2013 British MotoGP at the famous Silverstone circuit by just 0.081 seconds.

The momentum will carry him to another overall title.

Not only did Lorenzo stifle Marquez’s winning streak, but he was also able to draw closer in the points standings. The Spanish star now has 194 points, just 39 points behind overall leader Marquez (233) and nine points behind second-placed rider Dani Pedrosa (203).

This victory was huge for Lorenzo as he had recently been struggling to put together a consistent stretch of solid finishes. With his last win coming in June at the Catalan Grand Prix, the two-time MotoGP champion is on the right track to win his third championship.

While Lorenzo has four wins this year, he needed to ensure a strong start to one of the toughest portions of the schedule. The difficulty level for the final six races of the season will separate the best in the sport from the pretenders.

Lorenzo’s team is in a good position heading into the final stretch, but it’s the previous success on the courses on the homestretch that will give the riders in the Yamaha programme supreme confidence in their teammate.

Over the last four seasons in the final portion of the year, Lorenzo has finished in the top three in 15 out of 23 possible races, with five victories. That’s an impressive resume to close the season.

The history of success starts in two weeks as the San Marino and Rimini's Coast Grand Prix is next on the schedule. Lorenzo has two wins and two second-place finishes in his five seasons at the track.

With momentum firmly on the side of Lorenzo and the Yamaha team after a huge victory at Silverstone, expect the defending champion to make a late push for yet another MotoGP championship.

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Preventing Marc Marquez from claiming a fifth successive MotoGP triumph, Jorge Lorenzo rose to snatch his fourth win of the season and keep his fellow Spaniard within some reach in the riders’ standings.

Silverstone’s Hertz British Grand Prix included some last-minute adrenaline, including an incredible final lap between the two Spaniards and fellow countryman Dani Pedrosa.

Looking at just who ended up where, some riders will have profited more from their respective finish than others, whereas a below-par performance could mean massive disappointment from some of the race’s bigger stars.

Jorge Lorenzo

The biggest and most evident winner from the meeting in Silverstone is, of course, its actual victor: Jorge Lorenzo. He closes the gap on Marc Marquez to 39 points.

BBC Sport's Twitter feed showed just how pleased the world champion was with his victory:

Although Marquez is still the clear favourite to go and claim this season’s MotoGP final, Lorenzo couldn’t have done more in overcoming the 20-year-old, who begun the day in pole position.

Although still third in the standings, Lorenzo will have received a major confidence boost in claiming his first win since June, doing battle with the sport’s poster boy this Sunday and emerging triumphant.

Andrea Dovizioso

For the first time this season, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso was forced to retire after crashing on the penultimate lap of his race.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JaRo1wjwvo

As a result, the Italian has lost a yard in his pursuit of Alvaro Bautista, currently seven points ahead of him in the standings, as well as allowing Nicky Hayden to creep up on him.

Having not finished outside the top 10 of a race all year long, Dovizioso was enjoying some good momentum prior to the British Grand Prix that he may find difficult to regain.

Repsol Honda

Continuing what’s already been a highly successful season for the engineering team of Repsol Honda, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa did well to claim two of the three places at Silverstone.

So far this season, Honda’s two best riders have claimed 19 podium finishes from a possible 24. Incredibly, Marquez and Pedrosa are yet to finish a race this season without at least one of them in the top three finishers.

Thirty points apart in the standings yet dominating matters with some security, the omnipotent powers of Marquez and Pedrosa could continue for some time to come if 2013 has been much to go by.

The Monster Energy Supercross Series made its way to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego for its final stop of the season in the state of California.

Overnight rains on Friday made for some slippery conditions in certain spots on the track, which placed a premium on the riders' abilities as they made their way around the facility that also serves as the home of the NFL's San Diego Chargers. 

Chad Reed came into this event having won an unprecedented six times at this venue, but it would be a first-time San Diego winner who would claim the top prize by the end of the evening.

After an intense battle at the front of the field, two-time Supercross champion James Stewart won the first qualifying heat race for the 450cc bikes over series points leader Davi Millsaps.

Ryan Villopoto had built a somewhat comfortable lead in the second-heat race after early front-runner Justin Barcia literally fell off his bike and then took a detour through the mechanics area. However, the race was briefly halted by a red flag when safety crews had to tend to injured rider Jake Browne.

By rule, the second heat was restarted in a single-file manor after Browne had been assisted out of harm's way. Villopoto maintained the lead after the green flag waved and went on to win the qualifying race over Andrew Short and Reed.

Browne was reported to be conscious but was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

Josh Hill and Kyle Partridge made it to the main event by claiming the top two spots in the Last Chance Qualifier race.

Millsaps got out to the early lead once the gate dropped for the 20-lap main event with Reed following close behind. In the meantime, Ryan Dungey, Villopoto and Stewart were further back trying to make up ground.

Three laps into the race, Millsaps had pulled away from the pack with Reed and Barcia also putting some distance between themselves and those behind them.

Reed began to close on the lead bike by Lap 7 and appeared poised to take the top spot and ride away to his seventh victory in Qualcomm. However, the Australian rider's hopes were dashed when he went down just after the halfway point of the main. As a result of the fall, he dropped all the way back to seventh place.

Reed's misfortune left Millsaps and Barcia to fight it out for the win. On Lap 15, Barcia closed right up behind Millsaps but the points leader responded by clicking off some of the fastest laps of the race over the final five circuits.

Millsaps went on to claim his second win of the season ahead of Barcia, Dungey, Stewart, Reed and Villopoto.

This is the first time since 2008 that Millsaps has had a multi-win season. And, this was the first-ever win in San Diego for Suzuki Motorcycles. Millsaps now holds a 19-point lead over Dungey in the standings as the Monster Energy Supercross Series heads to Arlington, Texas next Saturday.

Eli Tomac just edged a fast-closing Ken Roczen for the win in the 250cc class main event. Roczen continues to lead the standings in that class over Tomac.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. For the latest NASCAR news and views please visit his RacingWithRich.com site. And for dirt late model action please visit his TennesseeRacer.com site.

Fans of Monster Energy Supercross know Ryan Villopoto as a intense competitor who relentlessly pursues main event wins and championship titles. And when he's on track, that is an accurate portrayal.

But "Ryan Villopoto: A Champion," a CBS special presentation set to air this Sunday(noon ET) will offer fans a glimpse of the personal life of this two-time and defending champion.

During a telephone interview conducted on Thursday afternoon, Villopoto indicated that his career path on the high flying dirt bikes had been laid out before him for some time. "My grandpa raced and my dad raced," he said. "They got me into it when I was young. I was brought up in it."

But even with all of his trophies and other accolades, life has not always been easy for Villopoto. The hard work required to reach the sport's top level meant that sacrifices were made along the way.

"You have to mature way quicker than the average kid," the resident of Poulsbo, Wash. explained:

Growing up in this sport, you're getting paid when you're 16, sometimes $100,000 or $200,000 or whatever you're worth. You're really more like a 21-year-old when you're 16. But you miss out on a lot of things growing up. But the great thing is that I'll be able to go back and make up for a lot of that because I'll be able to retire at an early age.

In the video trailer made to promote the CBS special, Villopoto admits that there were times when practicing on his bike was not always his first priority. His father, however, pushed him to continue working toward the ultimate goal of becoming a top rider.

So considering those struggles early in life, where does this now 24-year-old find the drive that has made him the sport's best. "It's my job," Villopoto explained. "It's how I make my money so I always want to do it well.

"There's a lot of work and time that goes into doing this. And after putting in all that effort, to not win can be devastating."

As the lead rider for Monster Energy Kawasaki has shown in previous seasons, this is a very physically demanding sport. A badly broken leg suffered in St. Louis back in 2010 ended that season and sidelined Villopoto for weeks. Then, a crash in Seattle cut his 2012 season short just after he had clinched the season championship.  

So how much longer does he hope to continue? 

I have some goals I want to reach. Right now, the focus is on getting my third Supercross championship in a row then moving on to outdoors (AMA Motocross) and winning that championship as well. I missed outdoors last year and really want to win that. I have some plans but plans don't always go as planned.

Then comes the question of what someone so young will do after he has retired from Supercross. Unlike former champion Ricky Carmichael, Villopoto does not foresee NASCAR in his future.

I have some things in the works inside the sport I'd like to do. I always have my eyes and ears open and am looking for things I can do with the right people. But I'm fortunate enough to be in a position that if something comes up and I don't want to do it, I don't have to do it.

As far as the current season and his quest for a third-consecutive title, Villopoto concedes that there have been stumbling blocks but he believes he is still on the right track to achieve his goal.

The first Anaheim was a rough deal and last week I was in good shape until Chad (Reed) had a problem and that put me behind. You know, it was just a racing deal. But I have won two times [Oakland and Anaheim 2] and had a second [Phoenix] so when you take away last weekend it's been pretty good.

The Monster Energy Supercross Series will race this Saturday night in San Diego. That event will be aired live on SPEED.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. For the latest NASCAR news and views please visit his RacingWithRich.com site. And for dirt late model action please visit his TennesseeRacer.com site.

The Monster Energy Supercross circuit made its third and final trip to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday night. A quirk in scheduling due to renovations being made at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles caused the series to race at this location three times in one year.

Nonetheless, an enthusiastic crowd was on hand to witness Ryan Dungey overcome tremendous adversity to score his first main event win of the 2013 season.

Davi Millsaps, winner of the season opener earlier this year in Anaheim, took the win in a star-studded first heat race for the 450cc bikes over Justin Barcia and Chad Reed. Ryan Villopoto, who had won two consecutive main events coming into this round, got off to a poor start but recovered to finish fourth just behind Andrew Short in the qualifier.

Justin Brayton and Josh Grant led a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep as they took the top two spots in the second heat over James Stewart and Trey Canard.

Dungey was unable to even start his heat race when the rear shock on his bike failed just as the gate was set to drop.

Jimmy Albertson and Dungey transferred to the main event by finishing first and second in the Last Chance Qualifier race but not without even more drama for the eventual winner.

The 2011 Monster Energy Supercross champion was in danger of failing to qualify for a feature race for the first time in his career on a 450cc bike after being involved in a massive pileup on the first lap of the LCQ. However, he made a bold charge through the field to take the second and final transfer spot on the last lap of the preliminary race.

A light rain shower moved over the stadium at the start of the 20 lap main event. But once the gate dropped it was Mike Alessi who found the most traction and bolted to the early lead. Dungey, Canard and Millsaps followed close behind in a fierce battle for second.

Dungey went to the lead on the second lap as Alessi took a tumble. He then went about the task of trying to hold off Millsaps, Stewart and Canard as the riders completed one-quarter of the race. Meanwhile, Phoenix feature winner Justin Barcia closed in quickly on the leaders from his fifth position.

Stewart charged by Millsaps for second on lap seven but found himself almost three seconds off the pace of Dungey.

At the halfway point of the race, Dungey had built his advantage to over four seconds while Millsaps and Barcia applied pressure to Stewart for the runner-up position. Eventually, Millsaps would get around Stewart on lap 13 while Barcia moved passed the two-time champion for third on lap 18.

With five laps remaining, Dungey's lead had gone up to six seconds.

From that point, the KTM rider cruised to what earlier in the night had seemed to be an unlikely victory.

Millsaps was second across the finish line followed by Barcia, Stewart and Reed rounding out the top-five. Millsaps was able to hold the Monster Energy Supercross points lead with his solid finish.

Villopoto, who had won the most recent Anaheim race, tumbled early in the race and then got tangled up with Alessi, which dropped the defending series champion well back in the running order.

"This one means a lot," Dungey declared in his winner's interview. "Today there was a lot going on. Practice was good but in that heat race we had a malfunction with the shock, but we regrouped. That LCQ was a squeeze. I can't tell you what a great victory this is.

"The last four races have been a little up and down but this is a step in the right direction," the victor added. "It gets tough when you're not winning. The whole team starts looking at you like 'What's the deal?' but they believe in me and I believe in them."

Ken Roczen won his second consecutive 250cc main event over Martin Davalos and Eli Tomac. Roczen added to his points lead in that class.

With the recent tragic death of X Games snowmobile competitor Caleb Moore, injuries in extreme sports are getting a great deal of attention. Supercross is a sport that has had its riders frequently sidelined by injury.

Two weeks ago, it was revealed that James Stewart had a torn ACL in his right knee. The injury originally described as a "tweak" during warm-ups for the season opening race in Anaheim has now been diagnosed as a bit more than that. As of now, the two-time Monster Energy Supercross champion says he plans to complete the remainder of the series schedule, but there are 13 more races to go and to do so will certainly call for a monumental effort.

Stewart has not been able to complete a full Supercross schedule in two of the last three years due to injury.

So far in 2013, Honda rider Trey Canard is experiencing a remarkable comeback season. Canard has rebounded from a horrific accident suffered in 2012 at Dodger Stadium when another rider actually landed on top of him on a section of the course that placed multiple jumps in close proximity.

Canard suffered broken vertebrae in his back that threatened to result in more than just a few missed races. The 22-year-old has scored a top-five finish in each of the four Supercross events held this season, including a pair of second place results. That has him currently ranked second in the overall standings behind leader Davi Millsaps.

Even the sport's most dominant rider over the past few years has not been immune to injury. Ryan Villopoto was not able to finish out his championship campaign in 2012 when he hurt his knee near the end of that season. Fortunately for him, he had amassed enough points so that no other rider was able to catch him in the standings despite his absence in the final two races.

Villopoto also suffered a badly broken leg that ended his season in the midst of the 2010 season.

Other well known riders such as Ryan Dungey and Chad Reed have missed significant portions of recent seasons due to injury.

Motorsports, by their very nature, are dangerous. Whether it be Supercross, NASCAR or snowmobiling in the X Games, competitors take on great risks as part of the participation. Perhaps no other form of sport offers such great reward, or such great risk. The thrill of high speed and intense competition will always be a lure for competitors and fans alike. The hope has to be that safety measures will continue to show improvement and injuries will be reduced as part of the evolution of these sports.

The Monster Energy Supercross series will make its third and final visit of 2013 to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. this Saturday night.

The Monster Energy Supercross Series made its second trip in three weeks to Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday night, and fans witnessed the return to the top step of the victory podium of a familiar face. Two-time and defending series champion Ryan Villopoto had won each of the last two season openers in Angel Stadium but failed on January 5 to score the three-peat. This time, however, the Kawasaki rider would not be denied.

This race had originally been scheduled for Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles but had to be moved as a result of renovations taking place at that venue.

The night got off to a bit of a surprising and sad note when longtime rider and winner of 18 Supercross main events Kevin Windham announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 34 just prior to race time.

Once the action got underway for the 450SX bikes, Justin Brayton scored the first win of the night when he took the checkered flag in an action-packed first heat.

In that first preliminary event, previous Anaheim winner and Monster Energy Supercross points leader Davi Millsaps dropped from the race after a crash on the initial start. Also, former series champion Ryan Dungey was briefly collected in an incident later on when Jake Weimer went down in the eight-lap qualifier. Both of those riders gathered themselves in time to salvage top-nine finishes and thus avoid having to run in the Last Chance Qualifier race.

Villopoto won a star-studded second heat over James Stewart and Chad Reed. Last week's main event winner in Phoenix, Justin Barcia, could only manage a 10th-place result after a hard fall in that race sent him to the LCQ along with Millsaps.

Significantly, it was revealed earlier in the week that Stewart, who had suffered what was originally called a "tweak" of his right knee during the first visit to Anaheim, actually has a torn ACL. He plans to continue racing in the remaining 15 events on the Supercross schedule.

Millsaps just beat out Barcia in the LCQ. Both of those riders advanced on to the feature race as a result of capturing the top two positions in that final qualifier.

At the drop of the gate for the 20-lap 450SX feature, it was Weimer who bolted out to the early lead ahead of Trey Canard, who had finished second here two weeks ago. But Weimer's lead would be short-lived, as Canard moved to the head of the pack on the race's second lap with Weimer, Barcia and Millsaps trailing behind.

In the early going, Villopoto fell as far back as seventh in the order, but he immediately began a charge toward the front. By lap six, he powered to the lead and would never relinquish it.

At the halfway point, Villopoto continued in the front with Canard just behind. Millsaps and Chad Reed commenced a heated battle for third which kept the crowd of just under 40,000 on their feet. Stewart went down just prior to halfway and dropped all the way back to 16th as a result of the miscue. He would move up to 12th by the finish.

At the finish, Villopoto won by seven seconds over Canard, Reed, Millsaps, Weimer and Dungey. The win made up for the disastrous 16th-place result Villopoto posted here two weeks earlier. 

Millsaps' fourth-place finish was good enough to allow him to hold the Monster Energy Supercross points lead by three over Canard and seven over Reed. Villopoto ranks fourth in the standings, 11 points back as he seeks his third consecutive title.

"The season didn't start off like we wanted it to," the winner declared in his post-race interview. "I had a decent race in Phoenix (second place), and the team made good changes to the bike this week. We've finally got the ball rolling in the right direction and are digging ourselves out of the hole. Once I got into the lead, I was just trying to click off the laps and keep it consistent."

In the 250SX main event, Eli Tomac continued his winning ways as he picked up his third consecutive victory in that class by beating out Ken Roczen and Cole Seely.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Follow along with his Chase for the Sprint Cup series by clicking on the driver of your choice Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.

The vast majority of the 17 race Monster Energy Supercross schedule is carried on live television by the Speed Network.

However, on five occasions in 2013, the high-flying, stadium-based series will have its events shown on a tape-delay basis by CBS. While these races which will not be shown live may frustrate hard-core fans, the added exposure provided from the more known entity offers the opportunity for a greater number of potential fans to see the action.

The second trip of the season to Anaheim this weekend will provide the first airing of Supercross on CBS in 2013. The race will be broadcast on Sunday in the early afternoon in an excellent time slot prior to the start of the NFL playoff games. Next week's event in Oakland will also be shown on CBS as well as races from St. Louis in March along with those in Minneapolis and Seattle held on back-to-back weekends in April.

CBS also produces four one-hour special shows during the season based on the sport of Supercross. A season preview, a midseason show, a year-end special and a feature on two-time champion Ryan Villopoto make up this additional programming.  

The season's first two races in Anaheim and Phoenix were shown live on Speed. Due to those western locations, the start times for the events were 10:30 and 9:30 respectively in the eastern time zone.

Casual fans may not be willing to see the races through to their conclusions due to the lateness of the airings. The early afternoon showings may very well catch viewers who can watch the condensed event at a more convenient time.

As a result, those newly exposed fans may reach the point that they would be willing to set aside time for the live airings. And more importantly, they may become so enthralled that they would be willing to purchase tickets and attend a Monster Energy Supercross event in person.

For those tuning in for the first time, the 2013 season has been filled with interesting storylines. Davi Millsaps surprised almost everyone with his win in the season opener at Anaheim. Further, an injury during pre-race activities to star rider James Stewart and a disappointing performance by Villopoto added to the intrigue.

The Phoenix race proved to be a coming out party of sorts for rookie Justin Barcia. The rider, who has piled up a number of wins in Supercross Lites action over the past couple of years, earned his first victory on a 450cc bike in the stadium that serves as the home for Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks.

Barcia had won the Monster Energy Cup last year in Las Vegas but this was his first triumph in a Supercross points paying event on the big bikes.

There are plenty of reasons to watch this weekend's Monster Energy Supercross event from Anaheim. And with the race being on CBS, there are more potential viewers who might see the action, even if that action is on a tape-delay basis.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Follow along with his Chase for the Sprint Cup series by clicking on the driver of your choice Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.

Chad Reed's 2013 Monster Energy Supercross season has not exactly gotten off to a spectacular start, but it has been a solid one. And after coming off a year in which the Australian rider spent much of his time recovering from injury, solid is acceptable.

Last year in Dallas, Reed came into the event second in the championship standings behind eventual champion Ryan Villopoto. However, a crash during that race caused serious injuries, including a torn ACL in his left knee, a broken left tibia and fibula, two broken ribs and a broken vertebra T6.

Needless to say, that incident ended the rider's 2012 Supercross season.

The severity of the injuries had been at least partially caused by the fact that Reed's left boot was entangled in the bike's foot peg as he flipped over the handle bars after having his front wheel dig into a sandy portion of the track. This accident came less than a year after he had been hurt in a Motocross crash in Minnesota.

After the Dallas wreck, Reed said:

This is bitterly disappointing. I felt like I had everything in my corner this time. I've never felt more comfortable, from the bike and team to my riding. I was genuinely in a position to fight for race wins week in week out and expected to be going to Las Vegas for a shot at the title.

It was actually a twofold disappointment for Reed when he was unable to continue. Not only is he a rider, but he also is the owner of his TwoTwo Motorsports team. So not only was he kept from riding, but his team's effort ground to a halt as well.

Reed recovered enough to compete on and even win in the Australian Supercross Championship Series near the end of 2012.

This aided him in not only getting back into racing shape but also to log laps on the newly re-engineered Honda CRF 450R bike.

That extra work seems to have paid off as Reed has posted two good runs so far in this year's version of the Monster Energy Supercross schedule. A pair of fourth-place finishes in the season opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California and the second race at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona have Reed in fourth place in the overall standings. He is just nine points behind leader Davi Millsaps.

While neither of those were podium finishes and probably not the results Reed was hoping for going into those first two main events, two top-fives are certainly worthy of note considering what the 30-year-old rider has had to recover from over the past couple of years.

It's still very early, but the leader of TwoTwo Motorsports has to be pleased with his position going into the third race of the season on the circuit's second visit to Anaheim this weekend.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Follow along with his Chase for the Sprint Cup series by clicking on the driver of your choice Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch.

The Monster Energy Supercross schedule took the stadium-based dirt bike series to Chase Field in Phoenix for its second event of the 2013 season. After an intense, storyline-filled opener in Anaheim one week ago, this event provided plenty of hard hits and a first-time winner for the big crowd that had assembled to witness the high-flying action.

Justin Barcia made it look easy in heat one on a track that had claimed a number of riders in the Supercross Lites heat races. The rookie 450 cc rider pulled away from the pack on his way to a relatively easy win in the qualifier over Anaheim main event winner Davi Millsaps.

In heat two, James Stewart bolted out to a big early lead and then held off hard-chargers Trey Canard and Ryan Villopoto for the win.

Former Supercross champion Ryan Dungey went down hard early on in heat one and was forced to race his way into the feature event by way of the Last Chance Qualifier. He went on to qualify for the main event by finishing second to Jimmy Albertson in the LCQ.

The feature race was seemingly determined just after the gate dropped on the 450 cc main event. Barcia bolted to the early lead and was never seriously challenged as he rode away from the competition from that point on. At times, the lead bike ran laps as much as one second per lap faster than his closest pursuers.

But meanwhile, the battle raged behind Barcia as Millsaps fought with Chad Reed, Trey Canard and Jake Weimer in the early laps for the runner-up position. Further back, former Supercross champions James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto raced furiously for sixth during the race's first half.

Somewhat uncharacteristically, Villopoto had trouble on his Kawasaki bike, as for the second week in a row he fell off in the early laps. However, this time he would come roaring back through the field as the race wore on.

At the halfway mark of the 20-lap feature, Barcia held a commanding seven-second advantage over Millsaps, Canard, Reed and Villopoto. With the leader out of sight, the trailing four riders were engaged in a tremendous battle for the right to lead the chase.

Eventually, Canard and Villopoto would emerge from that fight with the advantage and looked to settle the issue of podium positions among themselves. However, with less than a lap remaining and the series points lead within his grasp, Canard went down as Villopoto applied the pressure. That spill would cost last week's second place finisher several spots in the finishing order and the potential lead in the standings.

At the checkered flag it was Barcia scoring a dominating win in his first ever ride on the Phoenix course. Villopoto came home second with Millsaps, Reed, Canard, Weimer, Stewart and Dungey trailing.

This was Barcia's first ever points paying Supercross win, although he did claim the overall title in the Monster Energy Cup last October in Las Vegas.

Millsaps retained the Monster Energy Supercross lead by six points over Barcia with Canard, Reed and Dungey just behind.

"It was tough last weekend but I fought through it," Barcia said in reference to falling off the bike in the late laps of the Anaheim race. "I came in here strong and the track was really difficult today. I'm puimped about working with these Muscle Milk Honda 450 guys and I'm having a really good time.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Check his RacingWithRich.com website for NASCAR news and views as well as another story on Justin Barcia.