AMA Supercross: 2012 San Diego Results

Ryan Villopoto captured his second straight victory, winning the San Diego round of the 2012 AMA Supercross championship. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider now has three wins on the season, two more than anyone else, but his hold on the championship points lead has only increased to six points.

Villopoto took the lead on the second lap of the main event after overtaking Brett Metcalfe of Yoshimura Suzuki who took the holeshot, with Villopoto‘s teammate Jake Weimer also in the lead group. Meanwhile, the other top contenders, Chad Reed, James Stewart and Ryan Dungey, battled for position behind them.

TwoTwo Motorsports Honda‘s Reed emerged from the pack on the third lap and passed Weimer to move into second place. Weimer later also lost ground again to Metcalfe.

JGRMX Yamaha‘s Stewart passed Metcalfe and into the top three on lap five but a mistake in the whoops two laps later. Stewart was uninjured and remounted but finished a lap behind in 15th.

Villopoto battled Reed for the remainder of the race, briefly losing the lead on lap 18 but regaining it soon after. The two dashed for the finish with Villopoto coming out ahead by 1.488 seconds.

Red Bull KTM‘s Ryan Dungey rounded out the podium in third while Metcalfe finished fourth for his, and Suzuki’s, best finish of the season.

With the win, Villopoto reaches 133 points on the season, six points ahead of Reed’s 127 points. Dungey’s podium keeps him close at 123 points. Stewart salvaged six points to stay in the hunt at 101 points but the 15th-place finish was a disappointment.

The 2012 AMA Supercross season continues Feb. 18 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

[Source: AMA Supercross, photos by Hoppenworld]

By Dennis Chung