Grant podiums in moto one, but suffers a crash in moto two, and is third in championship points. Cooper moves up to eighth in points after round three of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
JGRMX Toyota/Yamaha Freestone Results
DAVID EVANS
Jun 7, 2009
Contact: David Evans
JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha Team Media Relations
(704) 293-3745
JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha Freestone Results
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (June 7, 2009) – The newest track on the circuit, in only its third season as a stop on the tour, Freestone Raceway in Wortham, Tex. was host to round three of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The track is already notorious for its heat, tricky sand whoops, and sharp right hand first corner. Interestingly, the winner of the Freestone event has always gone on to win the championship.
In the first moto, Cody Cooper started the race in fifth position, with Grant in sixth. The JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha riders changed positions on the first lap, and Grant started moving forward. He made a pass into podium contention on lap seven, where he remained to the checkers. Cooper moved into fifth for several laps before again dropping back to sixth, where he finished the moto.
The second moto proved more challenging for the JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha riders. Both Grant and Cooper had difficult starts, with Grant around 15th and Cooper 23rd. Grant went down on the first lap while mired in traffic working his way through the treacherous sand whoop section. Grant remounted in 32nd and attempted to stage a charge, but his motorcycle was damaged in the fall and it was not able to perform as it had in the first moto. While he was able to move as far up as 20th, the crash inflicted damage would ultimately take its toll and relegate Grant to an uncharacteristic 25th place finish. Cooper was able to steadily move toward the front and salvage a 13th place finish. Grant’s 3-25 moto finishes earned him a hard fought 11th overall, and Cooper’s 6-13 moto finishes credited him with eighth overall.
After three of twelve rounds, the 450 Class series points are:
1. Mike Alessi 142 6. Daniel Reardon 68
2. Chad Reed 111 7. Thomas Hahn 68
3. Josh Grant 94 8. Cody Cooper 60
4. Andrew Short 93 9. Justin Brayton 57
5. Ivan Tedesco 70 10. Ryan Villopoto 55
The next round of the series will be on June 13 at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pa. The first motos of both the 250 and 450 classes will air live on www.allisports.com starting at 1:00 p.m. (EST). The second 450 moto will air live on NBC Sports starting at 4:30 p.m. (EST).
