The Star Valli Yamaha Rockstar Metal Mulisha team took on the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Freestone National in Wortham, TX, on Saturday. Both 250 and 450 riders gave 110 percent in the hot, humid Texas climate, and the outcome was a host of impressive results that included top-10 finishes in both classes.
Kyle Cunningham racing the 250 class continues to fight threw sprained ankle and is making progress which led him to a 13th place finish in the first moto and 12th in the second with a overall result of 10th.
“I felt all right this weekend, I twisted my ankle last week and I got the swelling down, but it still hurts pretty bad. I rode conservatively and salvaged points for a decent overall. Now I’m focused on next weekend. It’s still early in the season and there are a lot of moto’s left. I just need to keep working at it and the results will come.” – Kyle Cunningham

Kyle Peters enjoyed a good run in the first Freestone moto in the 250 class, finishing ninth. In the second, he was taken out in a nasty pile up and did his best to get back into the fight. Peters came back to 23rd, and he finished 14th for the day.

“The first moto was good, I got a pretty bad start but I came up to ninth. In the second moto, I got a great start but I got hit in the first turn and fell over and had to come from behind. Now I’m just ready for Colorado. I’ve never been there so it’ll be a new experience.” – Kyle Peters

Also riding 250′s, Gareth Swanepoel carded a solid 10th-place result in his first moto, but a second-moto crash damaged his bike and he retired for the day.

In the 450 class, Nico Izzi ran in a podium position for most of the first moto before finishing fourth. In the second moto, Izzi was up in the battle with the frontrunners and got taken out. Izzi got back on his bike, and continue to fight till the finish coming in 25th but ended the day with 9th overall.
“I had a great first moto, I got an awesome start and was running third for about 20 minutes. But then I got a solid fourth and was happy with that.

That’s a big improvement for me. In the second moto, I again got a good start and was running fourth. We got past the halfway mark and I was pushing hard and I ended up going down. But I got back into it and still finished in the top 10. Now, we go to Colorado, and I love that track. Hopefully next weekend, we’ll have two great motos. I was kind of dreading Texas, just wanted to get through it because it’s so hot, the tracks tough and you never know what’s going to happen, especially on a 450, not knowing what to expect. I just tried to come in prepared. I knew I had to get a good start and sure enough I almost had the holeshot. [Kyle] Regal got it, but I was right there. I was pumped, knowing I was going to have a clear track.

“There’s nothing better than having that feeling because you can kind of break away. Regal went down. I was in the lead for a little bit, but I knew Stewie and Dunge were on another level. Stewart cam by pretty quickly on the first lap. I held off Dungey for a little bit, but he eventually got around me. I held onto third forever, and thought I was going to hold the spot, but Weimer was pretty strong. I held him off for about 25 minutes but he ended up getting me and pulling me a little bit. But it was good confidence builder for me and I know I can get to the box.” – Nico Izzi

Ryan Sipes also finishing in the top 10 in the 450 class with a eighth place finish in the first moto. In the second moto, Sipes was looking for another front position and fought hard to make a move, but got held up and finished 17th with 10th overall.

“My first moto was pretty good, I ended up eighth. In the second moto, I just got hot. Heat’s always been my Achilles tendon; I don’t know why, but I’ve always had trouble in the heat. So I went from about ninth to 17th. Now I’m working hard to get ready for Colorado and give it all I’ve got.” – Ryan Sipes

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Bobby Kiniry also put in a commendable effort in the 450 class. With a 17th-place finish in the first moto and an 11th-place result in the second, Kiniry’s final take for the day was 12th overall.

“I had a decent day, I fell in the first moto in the first turn, so I made it really hard on myself, but I kept my Rockstar Yamaha moving forward. I passed a lot of people at the end, moved up to 17th and salvaged some points. In the second moto, I got a decent start and ended up battling for 10th right to the end of the moto. Next, I will be racing at the Canadian Nationals and won’t be back here until Red Bud in July.” – Bobby Kiniry

The next event for the Rockstar Energy Racing teams is the third round of the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, June 2nd, at the Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, CO. Make sure to check back for the full update and sign up to have the chance to win Izzi’s replica team bike! Click on the photo below.