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Rain Halts Practice at AMA Toyota Motocross in Mount Morris
Mother Nature was the story of the day on Saturday at the 32nd Annual
Kawasaki/Monster Energy Motocross National from High Point Raceway,
round four of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF.
Scattered showers delayed the morning practices, forcing AMA Pro
Racing officials to limit the day's activities to four 25-minute
sessions in the early afternoon. The AMA Motocross Lites riders were
able to get in two, rain-soaked sessions before a steady rainfall caused
AMA Pro Racing to cancel the AMA Motocross class practices.
In AMA Motocross Lites practice, Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto topped the charts with a time of
2:43.253, taking advantage of the only opportunity to get on the track
for the day. MDK/KTM's Ryan Sipes followed with the day's second-fastest
time at 2:43.960 while Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey rounded out
the top three with a 2:44.369.
"The track wasn't too bad until it started to pour down during
our practice," said Villopoto. "During the first 10 minutes of
practice the track was fine, but our times didn't count. When the green
flag flew for the final 15 minutes (of timed laps), I only got in one
lap before it started to come down. If it clears up, we should be
looking good for tomorrow."
Even with the scheduled AMA Motocross practice, many of the class'
top riders selected to forego going on track. Thanks to the AMA seeding
rule, the top-10 riders in the standings are guaranteed a spot in
Sunday's motos. As a result, points leader James Stewart chose to keep
his Monster Energy Kawasaki under cover while several other riders also
decided to stay dry.
""We decided as a team that it would be best not to go out
in the rain," explained Stewart. "The conditions aren't
supposed to be like this tomorrow so it would have been us going out
with a bigger chance of getting hurt for no reason. I went around to
look at the track and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Sunday's weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and
temperatures in the mid 80s, with a 20 percent chance of rain. The race
day schedule will adjust to accommodate Saturday's cancelled practices
and consolation races, beginning at 9 a.m. Opening ceremonies are set
for 12:30 p.m., with race day finals scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Click the following link to view AMA Pro Racing's revised race day
schedule for tomorrow's Kawasaki/Monster Energy Motocross National at
High Point Raceway: http://www.amaproracing.com/08mx/mtmorris/index-links.html#schedule.
Motocross Lites Saturday Practice
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash.,
Kawasaki, 2:43.253
Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., KTM, 2:43.960
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki 2:44.369
Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Kawasaki, 2:44.370
Matthew Lemoine, Pilot Point, Texas, Yamaha, 2:45.232
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 2:45.639
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 2:45.786
Jake Moss, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha, 2:46.414
Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM, 2:48.292
Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Yamaha, 2:48.299
For more information on the AMA
Toyota Motocross Championship, presented by FMF, log on to www.amamotocross.com
for live timing and scoring at @theWireLIVE!. Racer X Illustrated will
host a new and improved webcast on www.motocross.com,
with live racing action hosted by Jason Weigandt. The Racer X Motocross
Show on Motocross.com has also been added on Saturday night of each race
weekend, featuring practice footage and interviews taken earlier in the
day.
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