Windham Wins 450’s! 250 Championship tightens up at Steel City!
Kevin Windham had the kind of weekend that most people feel that he would have had for most of his career if not for riders like Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath and more recently Ryan Dungey. Windham has always been a fan favorite and has always been able to compete at the highest level but hasn’t been able to claim the top spot as often as many had hoped.
This weekend Kevin got the break that he needed when Ryan Dungey crashed in the first moto and was unable to continue. Brett Metcalfe and Andrew Short continued their battle for second over-all in the series with Short claiming another holeshot and battling with Metcalfe for several laps. Metcalfe worked his way past Short and looked to be on his way to claiming the moto win but stalled his Honda. Windham had also worked his way past Short and took advantage of Metcalfe stalling to claim the lead and ultimately the moto win. Lucas Oil rider Ben Townley also worked his way past Short to claim third in the moto with Justin Brayton rounding out the top five on his JGR Yamaha.
Ryan Dungey was not going to be denied in moto two of the 450 class. Ryan rode like the champion that he is and reminded everyone that if not for the crash in moto one he might have had another sweep. Short claimed another hole-shot to start moto two but was soon passed by Windham who was determined to win an over-all at Steel City. Dungey followed Windham as he made the pass on Short and quickly moved into the lead. Brett Metcalfe also worked past Short to claim third place in the moto with Justin Brayton finishing fourth. Andrew Short rounded out the top five in moto two. Ben Townley was caught up in a first turn crash and was unable to ride the second moto.
Kevin Windham finished first over-all at Steel City with 1-2 moto scores ahead of Brett Metcalfe with 2-3 scores. Justin Brayton rounded out the podium with 5-4 motos. Shorty finished fourth with 4-5 scores ahead of Mike Alessi in fifth with 7-7 moto scores. Ryan Dungey was sixth over-all for the day with 40-1 motos.
Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Tyla Rattray grabbed the holeshot in moto one of the 250 class ahead of team mate Christophe Pourcel. Pourcel worked his way past Rattray on the first lap while Trey Canard worked his way from outside the top five to second at the end of the second lap. Canard and Pourcel would change places several times at a pace that the field could not keep up with. The two title contenders literally battled to the finish line with Canard taking the win. Pourcel was second about 20 seconds ahead of his team mate Tyla Rattray in third. Trey Canard’s Geico Powersports team mate Eli Tomac was fourth with Lucas Oil Honda’s Wil Hahn in fifth.
Dean Wilson rode his Pro Circuit / Monster Energy Kawasaki to the lead at the start of moto two ahead of Tomac, Izzi, Rattray and Hahn. Canard and Pourcel both started outside the top five but both worked to the front by the half way point of the moto with Dean Wilson staying strong throughout the race. The leaders once again stayed very close for the second half of the race with Canard holding on for another moto sweep and the over-all. Pourcel finished second in the moto ahead of Wilson, Rattray, Tomac and Barcia.
The over-all results for the day found Canard on top with 1-1 moto scores ahead of Christophe Pourcel’s 2-2 and Tyla Rattray’s 3-4 scores. Eli Tomac was fourth with 4-5 scores and Broc Tickle rounded out the top five with 7-8 scores for the day.
The points battle for the National Championship will go down to the final round at Pala next weekend. Christophe Pourcel is the current leader with 443 points ahead of Trey Canard with 436. Tyla Rattray is in third place with 403 ahead of his team mate Dean Wilson with 387. Pourcel can win the Championship with two second place finishes behind Trey Canard but would lose the title if he cannot stay within one spot of Canard. The Geico Powersports Honda and Monster Energy Kawasaki teams will be in full force supporting their riders. I don’t expect Canard or Pourcel to get much sleep this week….next Saturday will be the most pressure that either rider will have been through at this point of their professional careers.
Please check back next week to find out which rider will claim the Outdoor National Championship in the 250 class.
