The 2011 AMA Supercross Championship has witnessed some of the closest racing ever, and it has played out in front of packed stadiums from one end of the country to the other. Between the Supercross class and the Supercross Lites East and West Championships, there have been a remarkable 12 different race winners. The Lites East class has been particularly competitive, with a different winner in every race. No wonder stadiums are recording sell-out crowds; the 2011 championship chase has been one of the most competitive on record.
In the Supercross class, four different riders recorded wins so far this season. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto leads the championship chase, posting five race wins to grab the points lead. Team San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart has three victories and is runner-up in the standings. Chad Reed made his debut in the Supercross competition as both TwoTwo Motorsports team owner and racer this season, and his solid results each week, including recording his team’s first-ever Supercross win, put him third overall. While reigning champ Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey is winless so far this season, his consistent, solid string of podium finishes place him fourth in the title chase. American Honda Racing’s Trey Canard is also having a stellar season, clinching his first-ever Supercross victory in his first full Supercross season, and he is currently fifth in points.
In the Supercross Lites West competition, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Josh Hansen leads the series and has tallied three victories, while teammate Broc Tickle, also a race winner this season, is runner-up. GEICO Honda rookie Eli Tomac and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda’s Cole Seely both notched wins, and the pair hold down third and fifth in the points, while Rockstar Suzuki’s Ryan Morais is fourth.
The Lites East series has produced a different winner every race. GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia took the win at the season opener, and despite racing with a broken wrist, he leads the championship points. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson came out on top at round two and is currently fourth in points, while teammate Blake Baggett won the third race and is second in the championship. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes took the win at Indy and moved into third in the championship. GEICO Honda’s Blake Wharton rounds out the top five. Both Barcia and Baggett are graduates of Team Dunlop, our amateur support program that provides special assistance to select motocross racers coming up through the amateur ranks.
The Supercross season thus far has delivered an impressive tally for Dunlop:
—Dunlop riders have won every main event in every class so far in 2011.
—Dunlop riders also swept the podium at all rounds this year in the Supercross Championship and Supercross Lites West and East Championships.
—The top 20 riders in both the Lites East and West Championships are all on Dunlop tires.
—Eighteen of the top 20 riders in the Supercross Championship are on Dunlop tires.
—Combining all three Supercross classes, Dunlop tires were fitted to a remarkable 94 percent of the field of riders who qualified to race the main events.
“Week after week, the 2011 Supercross series has produced spectacular racing, with battles that go right down to the finish line,” said Broc Glover, Dunlop Senior Manager, Motorcycle Off-Road. “In the firmer conditions at Anaheim One, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta, Geomax MX71s proved the tire of choice in the Supercross class with the top three finishers all fitting the same MX71F tire, while at Daytona the MX51F was the preferred tire by the top finishers. What’s exciting for Dunlop is that after years of development and testing by the professional racers, those same patterns are readily available to the general public. We have a long history of supporting Supercross and are really proud to have the vast majority of AMA Pro Supercross teams choosing to ride on Dunlop tires.”
###About Dunlop
Dunlop is the largest supplier of original equipment and replacement motorcycle tires in the U.S. and the only manufacturer of motorcycle tires in North America. With North American operations headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Dunlop has been making and selling high-quality tires in the U.S. since 1923.
