CORONA, Calif. (January 9, 2012) - Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray led the way for Mitch
Payton’s squad at the opening round of the 2012 Monster Energy
Supercross season, landing on the podium with a runner-up finish in the
first Supercross Lites Class Main Event from Angel Stadium, in Anaheim,
Calif. Rattray and his Pro Circuit teammate Dean Wilson battled for the
position for the majority of the race, until Wilson suffered some bad
luck and finished sixth following a crash on the last lap. Broc Tickle
made history for the team by becoming the first Supercross Class rider
in history to pilot a Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki machine,
working hard to fight for a 12th-place finish after an early crash.
Rattray started the night strong in Heat 1 and finished with a
solid second, setting him up with a good gate pick for the main. The
South African rode smooth and stayed confident throughout the 15-lap
Main Event, making big improvements from his rookie effort during the
2011 season.
“I've been training really hard and preparing a lot for this season,
(and) I'm feeling really good this year.” said Rattray. “I was confident
and hoped it would be a successful night for me. It's good to know hard
work pays off and I hope to keep it going for Phoenix.”
Coming in as an early title favorite, Wilson was excited for
Anaheim, but rode a little tighter than he had hoped. Never being one to
give up, he stayed strong and went bar-to-bar with his teammate for the
majority of the Lites Main. His last-lap misfortune led to an
unfortunate ending for Wilson, but the result will motivate him even
more to do well at the next round in Phoenix.
"I'm completely gutted,” said Wilson. “I've been putting in my
training hours and I'm definitely confident that I'm really prepared for
this year, but it just didn't come together for me tonight. I'm glad I
got the jitters out of my system, though. All I can do is learn from the
experience and move forward to Phoenix."
Following the Anaheim opener, should a trivia question relating
to the first rider ever to race in the Supercross Class for Mitch
Payton's Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team come up, the industry
can think back to Tickle’s start to the 2012 season. After winning the
2011 Supercross Lites Western Regional Championship and pointing out of
the class, Payton decided to complete his rider’s two-year contract by
offering Tickle the historic 450cc ride. Anaheim marked Tickle's debut
effort on the big bike, and he definitely proved that he's tough enough
to run with the big boys. The Michigan native looked strong the entire
night, but ended up nearly landing on fellow Kawasaki rider Jake Weimer
in an odd turn of events. The incident caused a collision between the
two, sending Tickle to the ground and to the back of the pack. He
remounted and fought hard to finish just outside the top 10.
“I'm bummed that I didn't finish where I had hoped, but I couldn't
control what happened,” said Tickle. “I'll just have to bring it even
harder next week in Phoenix. The Supercross Class is so packed this
year. Getting a win will be tough for everyone, but it just motivates me
even more to work harder. I'm feeling good on the Kawasaki 450F. It's
going to be a good season."
The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team heads to Chase
Field in Phoenix, Ariz. this weekend for the second round of the 2012
Monster Energy Supercross Championship. Rattray currently sits second in
the Supercross Lites Western Region with 22 points, while Wilson leaves
Round 1 in sixth, with 15 points. Tickle heads to Phoenix 12th in the
standings, with nine points in the Supercross Class.
1/9/2012 2:51pm
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