Round 8 of the 12 round AMA Toyota Motocross Championship was at Washougal, Washington this morning for. Ben Townley, before a crowd of 26,342, out dueled his Monster Energy/ Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team-mate Ryan Villopoto to claim his third consecutive win of the season with a 2-1 moto finish. After wining the first moto, Villopoto was in position for the overall win before a terrible start in Moto 2 placed him at the back of the pack whilst Townley sprinted to the lead.
Villopoto (1-3) turned in an inspired ride but could never catch Townley and wound up finishing 2nd overall. Suzuki's Ryan Dungey finished 3rd with a 3-2 moto finish. Townley claimed his fourth AMA Motocross Lites overall victory of the season now leads Villopoto by two points, 357 to 355, in the AMA Motocross Lites standings.
In the Motocross Class Kawasaki's Timmy Ferry, picked up his first win in six years. Ferry used two 2nd finishes and some fortunate happenings in the close of the second moto to capture his first overall victory since a 2001 win at Glen Helen. With Yamaha's Grant Langston, safely out front in Moto 2, Ferry's Kawasaki teammate James Stewart was in position to capture the overall win before a late-race crash ended his day and handed the win to Ferry.
Langston, who finished 4th in the first moto, wound up finishing 2nd overall whilst Honda's Andrew Short, was 3rd with a 3-4 moto finish. Stewart was carted off the track by the medical crew with an apparent injured knee. His status was unknown at the time of this release.
"I was doing the math (on who was going to win the overall) as we were getting close to the end but still didn't realise that I had won when we came off the track," said Ferry, who now trails Stewart by just seven points in the AMA Motocross class standings. "(The point's race) is definitely something to think about now. I've never been in this position before but I'm confident and looking forward to the final four races of the season."
The AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF will break for one week before heading to Millville, Minn., for the Honda Spring Creek Pro National Presented by Unbound Energy and Scott USA, on August 11-12.
Motocross (Moto Finish)
Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-2 Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha, 4-1 Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 3-4 Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 6-3 Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 5-7 David Vuillemin, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 8-6 Ivan Tedesco, Montgomery, Texas, Suzuki, 10-5 James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 1-35 Kyle Lewis, Henderson, Nev., Honda, 11-8 Troy Adams, Homosassa, Fla., Suzuki, 12-9
Motocross Class Point Standings
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 290 Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 283 Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 275 Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha, 256 Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 254 Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 241 Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 238 David Vuillemin, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 192 Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 186 Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 148 Gavin Gracyk, Blissfield, Ohio, Honda, 129
Motocross Lites (Moto Finish)
Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-1 Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 1-3 Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 3-2 Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 6-4 Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 5-5 Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., KTM, 7-6 Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 8-11 Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 13-8 Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 4-35 Joaquim Rodrigues, Temecula, Calif., KTM, 15-10
Motocross Lites Point Standings
Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 357 Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 355 Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 286 Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 258 Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 254 Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 162 Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 141 Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 132 Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 128 Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 127