Mt. Morris, PA – Jagermeister/KTM rider Mike Alessi and FMF/KTM rider Tommy Searle didn’t have the results they wanted to see after each made a few mistakes at the third round of the series held at High Point Raceway but both riders put in two impressive charges in the final stages of their second moto to build confidence heading to the fourth round next week.
Alessi qualified second fastest in the timed practice earlier in the day. In the first moto he took a 4th place start and maintained that pace for the first part of the race. In the second half he made a few mistakes as the rain lightened up and eventually fell to 7th where he finished the moto.
"I rode a little tight in the first moto and felt tired. Between the motos I tried to rest as much as I could and better prepare myself for the second moto," commented Alessi.
His second moto was much stronger. This time around he earned a 3rd place start and quickly moved into 2nd. He battled with Ryan Dungey and Josh Grant early in the race. Alessi continued to battle with the top riders throughout the moto making impressive passes in the process. At the end of the race he finished 5th. His 7-5 scores earned him 5th overall.
In the 250 class Tommy Searle earned a 4th place start in the first moto. At one point he ran as high up as 3rd place which was a remarkable feat considering the continuous troubles he has been having with his shoulder. He pushed through the pain and finished a respectable 6th overall.
In the second moto Searle got a mid-pack start and charged hard to come up through the pack. At one point he was as high up as 6th place. It looked like he would continue to move forward until a big mistake over a corner double sent him to the ground hard. "The crash was so big that the wheels on the ground flag came out and I had to sprint over to the area to check him out," remarked FMF/KTM Team Manager Casey Lytle. Searle collected himself and decided to get back in the race.
Now on the fifth lap of the race, Searle returned to the track over one minute down from 20th position. "We were hoping he could catch 20th so he could get at least one point for the moto," commented Lytle.
Searle did more than that. He caught up to 20th with just three laps to go with no sign of settling. Over the next three laps he caught and passed five more riders and eventually put himself in 15th position. "The passes he was making were insane. The entire team is proud of him. I believe that once he watches the playback his charge through the pack will inspire a deeper confidence heading into the next round," said Lytle.
Searle’s 6-15 scores earned him 12th overall and the confidence to fight for a podium position at the next round.
Next Race: Budds Creek MX – June 19, 2010
Overall Results 450 Class:
1. Ryan Dungey (1-1)
2. Andrew Short (3-2)
3. Brett Metcalfe (6-3)
4. Ben Townley (4-6)
5. Mike Alessi (7-5)
6. Matt Goerke (5-7)
7. Thomas Hahn (11-4)
8. Josh Grant (2-24)
9. Ryan Sipes (10-11)
10. Kyle Cunningham (12-10)
11. David Millsaps (8-13)
12. Justin Brayton (14-8)
13. Kyle Chisholm (12-10)
14. Nicholas Wey (15-9)
15. Dan Reardon (16-14)
Overall Results 250 Class –
1. Tyla Rattray (2-2)
2. Christophe Pourcel (4-1)
3. Blake Wharton (8-3)
4. Blake Baggett (3-9)
5. Dean Wilson (5-6)
6. Broc Tickle (9-5)
7. Trey Canard (14-4)
8. Justin Barcia (1-21)
9. Martin Davalos (11-7)
10. Jake Weimer (7-11)
11. Wil Hahn (12-8)
12. Tommy Searle (6-15)
13. Nico Izzi (13-12)
14. Darryn Durham (16-10)
15. Alex Martin (13-15)
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