Season-Best Finishes for Pirelli Racers at Hometown Race

Courtesy of Pirelli

ATLANTA (USA) February 28, 2016 – The eighth round of the 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, was held Saturday night inside the Georgia Dome. In addition to being Pirelli’s hometown race and the series’ first event inside of a dome, it was also the start of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship and the season debut for Pirelli racers Jimmy Albertson, Marshal Weltin and Matthew Bisceglia. Regular Western Regional 250SX racer Kyle Cunningham made the jump up to the 450SX Class for the first time this season.

BTO Sports/WPS/KTM’s Justin Brayton started his night off right with an impressive victory in the 450SX Heat 1, his first heat race win of the season.
Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Weston Peick qualified into the Main Event via a second place finish in 450SX Semi 1, followed by TPJ Racing’s Nick Schmidt in fourth.
Following his BTO Sports teammate’s lead, Davi Millsaps got off to a great start in 450SX Semi 2 and led wire-to-wire for his first semi win of the season.

After a slow start to the 450SX LCQ, Motorcycle Superstore Suzuki’s Cunningham got on the gas and sprinted all four laps to secure fourth place and a spot on the line in the Main Event.
In typical fashion, Brayton got out of the gate quickly, collecting his second 450SX Main Event holeshot in the process. His teammate wasn’t far behind and within a few laps the duo were racing side-by-side. 20 laps later and both Millsaps and Brayton took the checkered flag with season-best finishes of fourth and fifth, respectively.
The three other Pirelli riders in the 450SX Main Event all rode consistent races, with Peick finishing in 12^th, Cunningham in 18^th and Schmidt in 20^th. An unfortunate first-lap crash in 450SX Heat 2 collected both Andrew Short and Phil Nicoletti, marking premature ends to both their nights.

MAD Racing/Dirt Candy Graphics/Suzuki’s Bisceglia earned his spot in the Eastern Regional Main Event via a ninth place finish in 250SX Heat 1. Caro Motosports/JGR’s Weltin also transferred directly to the Main Event after garnering a seventh place finish in Heat 2. They were joined on the line by Motorcycle Superstore Suzuki’s Albertson who briefly led the 250SX LCQ before settling into second place and a transfer position.

When the gate dropped for the 250SX Main Event, Weltin led the trio of Pirelli riders around the sweeping first turn with a top-5 start. Albertson and Bisceglia followed running mid-pack. Weltin was riding well for the first half of the race before dropping a few spots near the mid-point. Albertson and Bisceglia both settled into a groove early, picked off a couple of riders throughout the 15-lap race and crossed the finish line in 10^th and 11^th, respectively. Weltin followed in 15^th.
The ninth round of Monster Energy Supercross takes place next Saturday, March 5^th from the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, where the riders will be presented with arguably the most challenging track of the season.

450SX Class Results
1.    Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
2.    Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
3.    Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha
4.    Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
5.    Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., KTM
6.    Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki
7.    Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
8.    Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
9.     Christophe Pourcel, San Antonio, Fla., Husqvarna
10.    Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda
- – -
12. Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
18. Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki
20. Nicholas Schmidt, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki

450SX Class Championship Standings
1.    Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 191
2.    Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki – 158
3.    Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna – 145
4.    Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda – 134
5.    Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha – 132
6.    Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 129
7.    Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM – 114
8.    Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 103
9.    Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., KTM – 98
10.  Jake Weimer, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki – 77

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results
1.    Martin Davalos, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
2.    Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda
3.    Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
4.    Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha
5.    Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM
6.    Rj Hampshire, Brooksville, Fla., Honda
7.    Darryn Durham, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
8.    Tyler Bowers, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki
9.    Alexander Frye, Huntingtown, Md., KTM
10. Jimmy Albertson, Shawnee, Okla., Suzuki
11. Matthew Bisceglia, Weatherford, Texas, Suzuki
15. Marshal Weltin, Ubly, Mich., Yamaha

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
1.    Martin Davalos, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 25
2.    Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda – 22
3.    Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 20
4.    Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha – 18
5.    Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM – 16
6.    Rj Hampshire, Brooksville, Fla., Honda – 15
7.    Darryn Durham, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha – 14
8.    Tyler Bowers, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki – 13
9.    Alexander Frye, Huntingtown, Md., KTM – 12
10.  Jimmy Albertson, Shawnee, Okla., Suzuki – 11
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