High Point: Kawasaki race notes

Monster Energy Kawasaki's Stewart Continues Sweep Streak at High Point

Mount Morris, Pa. -- Monster Energy Kawasaki's James Stewart maintained his perfect-season record by going 1-1 at the AMA Toyota National Motocross Championship at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pa. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto also kept a streak of his own alive with a 1-1 overall finish in the motocross lites class, claiming his third-straight victory. Teammate's Austin Stroupe and Brett Metcalfe finished just behind him in fourth and fifth, while Monster Energy Kawasaki's Timmy Ferry was also just off the box in fourth.

Proven Consistency
Stewart has been going out each weekend to prove he is the best and at High Point, he proved that point once again. Going 1-1 again this weekend, Stewart notched up his eighth-straight moto win and gained more ground on his first motocross championship. He currently leads by 45 points.

"In the first moto, I was able to get into the lead on the first lap and just have fun out there," said Stewart. "The second moto took me a little longer, but I felt strong this race. I'm really looking forward to Colorado in a few weeks."

Happy Father's Day
One of the first comments Stewart made when he finished his second moto was "Happy Father's Day" to his supportive dad, James Stewart, Sr. Stewart looked proud to win this race for his dad and walk away from another successful weekend.

Villypodium
Villopoto made his mark again on the competition as he went 1-1 for the third-straight week. Both motos he came from inside the top five to take the lead and set a comfortable gap on the second-place riders. With his win, he extended his points lead to 28 before going into the first off-weekend of the series.

"First moto I got a pretty good start and was able to get up into first pretty quick," said Villopoto. I just tried to get a gap as quick as I could. The second moto I got a better start and didn't have to take any rocks to the face."

Fat Lip
At the podium following the first lites moto, Villopoto removed his helmet to display a fat lip he received from a flying rock that hit him as he was making his charge to the front. Since he was in the lead for a majority of the race, he rode through the pain for solid 25 minutes.

Just off the Box
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ferry was able to spend father's day doing what he loves, while his family was there to cheer him on. He got decent starts in both motos and remained consistent throughout to finish just off the box with a 4-4.

"First moto was pretty good, but I felt a little tight," said Ferry. "I don't know if not getting to ride Saturday and only one practice before the race made a difference. The second moto was all right. I got held up for a little bit trying to get into fourth. I tried to close the gap on third but I didn't seem to have the advantages that I had the last few weeks. I've ridden really well at Colorado in the past so I'm looking forward to that race in two weeks."

Speedy Austin
After getting caught up in the first turn, Stroupe made a speedy charge to the front to finish inside the top 10 during the first moto. In the second moto, he got a great start and battled back and forth

"Overall I was glad to get fourth after the bad first moto," said Stroupe. "During the break, I'm going to stay on it and get my conditioning even better. I'm feeling really good and I just have to cut down the mistakes."

Holeshot McFarlane
Taking his Kawasaki KX™250F to his first holeshot of the season was Motosport Xtreme Kawasaki's Andrew McFarlane. He jumped off the start and led the pack of 40 riders into the first few turns.

Bit of a Break
Next weekend will be the first weekend in a month that the riders have off before returning for another five-straight weeks. Most of the Kawasaki riders will be at home relaxing before returning to the series in Colorado.

"The next five races are going to be tough since they are all consecutive," said Villopoto. "I'm going to just hang out and try to relax before we get going again."

Rain, Rain, Thank You For Going Away
Just as the teams had finished putting up their awnings, the skies opened up. The rain came and went throughout the day, but when it rained, it poured. This meant a well-groomed track suddenly went to a muddy mess. The practices were rescheduled to help preserve the track and by the first moto on Sunday, it was finally drying out.

"I thought the track was awesome," said Stewart. "It got a little rutted, but they did a really good job. I was proud of them (the track crew). They are finally listening so I feel the tracks are getting safer and better for everyone."

James Fans!
The "Bubba" fans were all over High Point Raceway, showing their support to the current motocross points leader in the series. There were signs all over the track and many of the fans came to show their support at the podium.

-credit: kawasaki.usa