2014 AMA Supercross – Daytona Results

Ryan Villopoto was dominant in Daytona, leading all 20 laps to win his third race of the season. The Monster Energy Kawasaki ride strengthened his hold on the 2014 AMA Supercross championship lead, padding his lead over Red Bull KTM riders Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen.

The reigning three-time champion was far and away the fastest racer on the Daytona International Speedway infield, posting lap times more than a second faster than anyone else. Villopoto twice posted lap times faster than 1:04.200, while the rest of the field was led by TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki rider Dean Wilson who clocked a lap at 1:05.378.

Villopoto built up a lead as wide as 17.8 seconds, giving him enough of a cushion that a fall on Lap 13 made little impact on the final result.

“Whenever you have a fall like that, all that’s running through your mind is ‘Don’t stall the bike and get up as quick as you can and take off,’ ” says Villopoto. “Luckily I had a nice lead and I was able to get up and regroup.”

Villopoto’s effort was so strong, it’s hard to believe the win was his first in six rounds, his longest drought since an injury prematurely ended his championship 2012 season.

Wilson was impressive in just his second 450 race as a replacement for the injured Chad Reed. The class rookie sat in second place for the first 14 laps before the combined efforts of Dungey and Roczen proved too much. The two KTM riders passed Wilson on Lap 15 and held on to complete the podium.

Team Green continues to dominate in the 250 class, with three Monster Energy Kawasaki riders sweeping the podium.

Martin Davalos took the holeshot and led the opening lap but teammate Blake Baggett took over on Lap 2, running away the rest of the way for his first win of the season.

That left second place up for grabs between Davalos and fellow Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo, with Geico Honda’s Blake Wharton cemented in fourth place the entire race. Cianciarulo, a native of nearby Port Orange, Fla., would finish in second place and increase his lead in the 250 class East Regional standings.

The 2014 AMA Supercross season continues March 15 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Villopoto heads to the Motor City with a 28-point lead over Dungey and 29 points over Roczen. With seven rounds remaining, there’s a lot of racing left, but if Villopoto continues to race as he did in Daytona, he’ll be looking at his fourth-straight championship.

[Source: AMA Supercross]

By Dennis Chung