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Supercross & Motocross
SX LITES: East/West Shootout Notebook
Bragging lights are on the line as the best Supercross Lites racers in the world will battle in the East/West Shootout this weekend in Vegas.
(Photo: Hoppenworld.com)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Monster Energy Supercross Championship from Las Vegas will air LIVE on SPEED Saturday, May 5 at 10:00pm ET. #SXonSPEED
With all the championships in the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season decided coming into Sam Boyd Stadium, the spotlight on Saturday night shifts to the annual Supercross Lites East/West Shootout – the one and only opportunity for riders from each respective regional championship to go head-to-head. With so much talent in each region this season, the opportunity to take the coveted win is wide open.
In total, seven different riders have captured victories in the Supercross Lites Class this season. The Western Regional Championship featured a trio of riders atop the podium, while the Easter Regional season welcomed four winners. Standing above the rest was the GEICO Honda duo of Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac, who claimed the respective championships and helped their team sweep the Supercross Lites Class titles for the first time.
Barcia kicked off his title defense in the Eastern Regional Championship by winning the first four races of the season. While he experienced some ups and downs over the second half of the championship, Barcia was never challenged in the standings. In fact, the back-to-back Eastern Regional Champion finished on the podium in all but one race, posting a worse finish of fourth coming into Las Vegas. He’ll wear the number one tomorrow night, looking for his first shootout victory.
"It's going to be a great race and I'm going there to win," said Barcia. "I'm going to put my full effort into it, especially since there's no pressure with this race."
One year ago, Tomac had the Western Regional Championship in his grasp in Las Vegas. However, he lost valuable positions and points over the closing laps of the final main event of the season, ultimately falling short of the title. In 2012, he’s attacked the season and has been the most consistent rider in the Western Region. His three-race winning streak in the middle of the season was key in vaulting him to the top of the standings and despite a DNF in San Diego earlier this season, Tomac has shown an impressive resiliency. Following misfortune by his closest championship rivals last weekend in Salt Lake City, Tomac took his fourth win in 2012 and ended up wrapping up his first career championship in the process. He enters Las Vegas with no pressure, wearing a number one plate alongside his teammate tomorrow night.
"Vegas is going to be a lot of fun," said Tomac. "We'll have two GEICO Honda guys running with number one plates, so it's going to be a blast."
With all the championships in the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season decided coming into Sam Boyd Stadium, the spotlight on Saturday night shifts to the annual Supercross Lites East/West Shootout – the one and only opportunity for riders from each respective regional championship to go head-to-head. With so much talent in each region this season, the opportunity to take the coveted win is wide open.
In total, seven different riders have captured victories in the Supercross Lites Class this season. The Western Regional Championship featured a trio of riders atop the podium, while the Easter Regional season welcomed four winners. Standing above the rest was the GEICO Honda duo of Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac, who claimed the respective championships and helped their team sweep the Supercross Lites Class titles for the first time.
Barcia kicked off his title defense in the Eastern Regional Championship by winning the first four races of the season. While he experienced some ups and downs over the second half of the championship, Barcia was never challenged in the standings. In fact, the back-to-back Eastern Regional Champion finished on the podium in all but one race, posting a worse finish of fourth coming into Las Vegas. He’ll wear the number one tomorrow night, looking for his first shootout victory.
"It's going to be a great race and I'm going there to win," said Barcia. "I'm going to put my full effort into it, especially since there's no pressure with this race."
One year ago, Tomac had the Western Regional Championship in his grasp in Las Vegas. However, he lost valuable positions and points over the closing laps of the final main event of the season, ultimately falling short of the title. In 2012, he’s attacked the season and has been the most consistent rider in the Western Region. His three-race winning streak in the middle of the season was key in vaulting him to the top of the standings and despite a DNF in San Diego earlier this season, Tomac has shown an impressive resiliency. Following misfortune by his closest championship rivals last weekend in Salt Lake City, Tomac took his fourth win in 2012 and ended up wrapping up his first career championship in the process. He enters Las Vegas with no pressure, wearing a number one plate alongside his teammate tomorrow night.
"Vegas is going to be a lot of fun," said Tomac. "We'll have two GEICO Honda guys running with number one plates, so it's going to be a blast."
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