In just his second race back from injury, Red Bull KTM’s Mike Alessi showed up to round number four of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek looking to once again assert himself as a serious threat up front, and he did exactly that with a hard-fought fifth overall after consistent 5-5 moto finishes.
Known for its brutally rough circuit and hot and humid conditions, the Budds Creek National is as demanding as they come on the American Motocross tour, and Alessi looked well in-form as he continues racing himself back into winning shape.
When the gates dropped for 450 Moto #1, Alessi got a great jump and narrowly missed the holeshot as the pack crossed the stripe, but he wasted little time as he knifed under current championship points leader Chad Reed to grab the early lead.
After controlling the pace up front for the first two laps of the moto, Alessi reluctantly succumbed to the pressure of a hard-charging Ryan Villopoto, and dropped back to the second spot. Despite suffering from a mechanical issue midway through the moto, Alessi continued to charge hard and fight for position, eventually crossing the finish line in fifth.
"This place is really tough, so to battle up front for a few laps felt really good." -Alessi
In Moto #2, Alessi once again got the jump on his potent Red Bull KTM to immediately secure the holeshot and early lead. Mike looked quick and smooth up front as he held onto the top spot for the first four laps of the moto, but he would eventually drop back to fifth by moto’s end after fighting to stay in the top-three late in the race.
Showing great speed and consistency as he works himself back into winning form, Alessi was satisfied with his fifth overall performance at Budds.
“Of course I’d like to be battling for the lead all the way down to the checkers, but I’ve just got to take it one moto at a time,” Alessi commented after the race. “Sitting out the first two rounds and not being able to get any seat time on the bike definitely set me back, but I feel pretty good about a fifth here at Budds Creek. This place is really tough, so to battle up front for a few laps felt really good. I’m looking forward to fighting for a podium finish next weekend in Colorado.”
Top Ten for Shorty
Alessiʼs Red Bull KTM teammate Andrew Short matched his best overall finish of the series with a ninth-place result at Budds Creek. Shorty was riding strong in the sixth spot during the first half of Moto #1 before a crash sent him back to 13th, but he charged his way back up to ninth by the end of the race. In the second moto, Shorty got a decent start just outside the top-ten, and then worked his way up to eighth by the wave of the checkers.
Stay tuned as round five of the series lands in Lakewood, Colorado next weekend for the Thunder Valley National. Thunder Valley also plays host to round three of the Women’s Motocross Championship series, so don’t miss the return of Red Bull’s Ashley Fiolek and Tarah Gieger to the track.
Results
1. Chad Reed (3-1)
2. Ryan Villopoto (1-3)
3. Ryan Dungey (2-2)
4. Kevin Windham (4-4)
5. Mike Alessi (5-5)
6. Brett Metcalfe (6-6)
7. Davi Millsaps (7-9)
8. Jake Weimer (10-7)
9. Andrew Short (9-8)
10. Josh Grant (8-10)
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