Metal Mulisha’s Nate Diaz will step into the cage this Saturday, May 5, 2012 and take on Jim Miller in Newark, New Jersey. Right now, Nate Diaz matches up well with any of the top five fighters in the division. Diaz is a straight-up warrior with great cardio, strong boxing techniques, extremely impressive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills, and a love for brutal fights.

With his brother Nick Diaz in his corner, this headline UFC fight will be something you definitely don’t want to miss out on. Dana White has said the man who wins is likely to meet Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar some time later in 2012.

We recently just released the Nate Diaz 209 Signature Metal Mulisha Walkout tee in 3 different colorways! Make sure to pick one up and tune-in for the Diaz fight this weekend!

Serco Yamaha / Metal Mulisha Racing team member Luke Styke has made it a hat trick of podium finishes in the opening three rounds after the Wonthaggi round of the 2012 MX Nationals was concluded over the weekend. After a third and a win at the opening two rounds, Styke took over the points leaders red plate and headed into round three at Wonthaggi looking to keep the consistency rolling and the red plate in his possession.

Styke achieved both goals, taking second place for the round on the back of his 3-1-6 results and maintains a 23 point lead in the championship. The win in race two was undoubtedly the highlight of the day as Styke snatched the holeshot and broke clear of the pack to take a wire to wire win. “Today was good. The first two races went well and I felt like I had the speed and fitness to get the job done, but my start in the last race wasn’t great so I just had to get as many points as possible. My plan is to be fast and consistent at every round and so far things are on track after the first three rounds.” – Styke

Team mate Kirk Gibbs faced some challenges at Wonthaggi but still managed to pull down sixth for the day. Gibbs found himself picking up his YZ250F more times than he would care to remember as small crashes proved costly. He rounded out the day with 5-13-4 results with the opening two motos both marred with falls. Despite the tough day, Gibbs currently lies in third place in the championship and with seven rounds remaining there is plenty of time to launch an assault on the championship leaders as the MX2 class heads towards the business end of the season. “It was a bit of a frustrating day where I made some small mistakes that cost me dearly. I would work my way into a reasonable position, only to fall and drop valuable points. I need to get that sorted ASAP.” – Gibbs.

Results
MX2 – Wonthaggi
1st Ford Dale – 69 (Honda)
2nd Luke Styke – 60 (Serco Yamaha)
3rd Josh Cachia – 57 (KTM)
4th Adam Monea – 55 (Suzuki)
5th Cheyne Boyd – 49 (Honda)
6th Kirk Gibbs – 43 (Serco Yamaha)
7th Kade Mosig – 43 (Kawasaki)
8th Errol Willis -39 (Suzuki)
9th Geran Stapleton – 36 (Honda)
10th Lewis Woods – 29 (Suzuki)

Championship Standings – After Round Three
1st Luke Styke- 192
2nd Ford Dale – 179
3rd Kirk Gibbs – 162
4th Josh Cachia – 149
5th Kade Mosig – 140
6th Cheyne Boyd – 136
7th Adam Monea – 135
8th Errol Willis – 115
9th Justin McDonald – 110
10th Ryan Marmont – 91

Back here in the USA and coming off a win last weekend, Star Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes got a great start in his heat race, only to go down while leading. Sipes managed to recover and finish fourth. In the main, unfortunately, Sipes suffered some bad luck and wound up 16th. Already looking ahead, Sipes is focusing on the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas. He won the season-ending event last year and is eager to defend his title next weekend. “This was not the weekend I was hoping for but I feel like I was riding good. I should have had the heat win, but I had a little tip-over. In the main, it was the craziest thing, I got taken out pretty hard on the parade lap. The bike was all bent up and there was no back brake, but by the middle of the race I was putting in some good laps. Then I mistimed a section and made a mistake that hurt me. Now, I’m just looking forward to defending the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas next weekend. I’ll be there and I’ll be strong.” – Sipes

In the Supercross class, Bobby Kiniry continues to charge hard! After transferring to the main by winning the LCQ, Kiniry made the most of his gate pick and gave 100 percent for all 20 laps. Kiniry worked his way through the field to finish ninth and pick up his third top-10 result of the year. “I got the Rockstar Yamaha out to a pretty bad start in the main event, due to my qualifying. Then I just chugged along and came from about 18th to ninth. So I got a solid top 10 for the night, and I moved us up a spot in points. My Rockstar Yamaha felt great and I’m just trying to stay in the top 10. Las Vegas is next weekend and I’ve done well there in the past, so I’m looking forward to it.” – Kiniry

Weston Peick turned in a respectable performance at Salt Lake City. Peick overcame a fraught first lap in his eight-lap heat race to pick up the final transfer spot to the main.

There, Peick rallied after a less-than-optimal gate pick and worked his way through the field to 12th. “In the heat race, I got a great jump off the gate but then I spun really bad right past the finish line and got pinched off. Then I worked my way from about 17th to ninth. Obviously, in the main, I had almost the last gate pick so I was basically last off the start. But I just worked my way up the best I could with how fast the track was. For Las Vegas next weekend, I’ve got to have my game going. I’ve got to walk out of there close to the top five to get up in the points. But anything can happen, it’s Supercross.” – Peick

Gareth Swanepoel is still recovering from injury and did not race in Salt Lake City, nor did Nico Izzi, who qualified well but suffered a practice crash and was unable to race.

The next event for the Rockstar Energy Racing teams is the 17th and final round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, May 5th, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

Download (QuickTime 15.1MB)

It was reported last week on our website, that the Metal Mulisha team was shoveling in new sections at Jimmy Fitzpatrick’s compound. Between the vineyards of Southern California’s Temecula wine country, Fitz has constructed a prime spot of property known to many as “Fitzland” which is laid out on 54 acres of land.
Fitz started digging years ago with some 50 foot jumps, which evolved into 120-foot ramp to dirt jumps, bigger natural terrain jumps reaching 160 feet, ramps, and a full-pull 5th gear wide open ramp to dirt jump that launches you across his property. With the course freshly prepped, new sections in place, and some down time before tours or upcoming races, Brian Deegan, Wes Agee, Julian Dusseau, Jimmy Hill, Larry Linkogle, Derek Garland, and Ronnie Faisst, came out to do what they do best, put in a solid ride, hang out, and fire up the bbq with some of Fitz’s homemade recipes and a good time.

Ryan Sipes took a visit to the Metal Mulisha headquarters to catch up and discuss his recent win in Seattle. Check out the video update…

Download (QuickTime 15.1MB)

The Star Valli Yamaha Rockstar Metal Mulisha Racing team got their ride on in Seattle, WA, on Saturday night for round 15 of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship at CenturyLink Field. As the series switched back to Western Region Supercross Lites rounds, Star Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes returned from injury and made the most of the opportunity by capturing his first win of the season.

Sipes took advantage of the recent down time afforded the Western Region Supercross Lites riders to fully heal from his early-season injuries. As a result, Sipes came back stronger, healthier and faster than ever. Sipes finished fifth in his six-lap heat race, and then dominated the main by getting out front immediately and leading all 15 laps to take the checkers.

“I’m happy to get the win. I ended up in first coming around the second corner, and I just put my head down and tried to focus on the track. I just kept bringing my focus back to race the track, tried not to look back, and tried not to think about anything. I’m so happy for the Star Valli Yamaha team. We’ve all been working hard and it’s all been worth it. Now I just want to try and get another one at Salt Lake City next weekend.” – Ryan Sipes

In the Supercross class, Weston Peick just keeps getting better. Seattle saw him continue to focus on consistency and he was well rewarded. Peick won the LCQ and transferred to the main, where he clicked off 20 solid laps to finish ninth. This marks Peick’s fourth-consecutive top-10 result.

“I had a good weekend at Seattle, I’ve had some bad luck with crashes here in the past, but this weekend I turned it around and had a solid race. I ended up having to go to the LCQ, but I pulled the holeshot and won. I went into the main event around 13th, but stayed consistent and worked my way up to ninth place. I’m pumped on that and looking to take that momentum into next weekend at Salt Lake City.” – Weston Peick

Bobby Kiniry struggled a bit at the Seattle event. He finished seventh in his heat race and transferred to the main, where he suffered some bad luck and wound up 12th. Likewise, Star Valli Yamaha teammate Nico Izzi fell victim to bad luck, stalling his bike while running in a transfer spot in his heat race and ultimately missing the main.

“This was just an off day. I got in the main and got a mediocre start, and was battling with some people. Then another rider endo’d in front of me and I had nowhere to go, so I went right into him and his bike. We both got up OK, and I salvaged 12th out of the night. I’ve got two more rounds and I’m looking forward to that. I just need to put it together for 20 laps and get back in the top 10 again.” – Bobby Kiniry

Gareth Swanepoel did not race at Seattle. He had minor surgery during the break and unfortunately developed an infection that delayed his recovery. He hopes to be back before the season’s end.

Big congrats to Ryan Sipes and the next event for the Star Valli Yamaha Rockstar Metal Mulisha Racing is the 16th round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, April 28th, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT.