Martin Davalos takes 250 SX East opener
By Team TMX on 28th Feb 16
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team made the trek to the east coast for the eighth round of AMA Supercross, held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
This round also saw the start of the 250 SX East championship, where Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team rider Martin Davalos dominated the field by taking the first victory of the series. Teammates Jason Anderson and Christophe Pourcel both earned top-10 finishes in 450, with Pourcel being the fastest qualifier in the class.
Martin Davalos made his 2016 debut at the first 250 SX East race in victorious fashion. After pulling second at the start in his heat, Davalos took the lead in the second lap and rode to his 20th career heat race win. The main marked his 71st start, where he quickly rocketed his Husqvarna FC 250 to the front of the pack, taking an impressive and well-deserved win.
"I'm so proud of all the hard work and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team that is standing behind me,” said Davalos. "We had a tough year in 2015 with my sickness. They believed in me. Everyone has been putting in so much work. I had awesome starts and rode my own laps. I didn't care about anyone else besides myself and it paid off. The biggest challenge was lappers around the 10th lap. I understand they're racing their own race, but I think they could be a little safer.”
Jason Anderson started mid-pack in his heat and immediately started making tricky passes aboard his Husqvarna FC 450 to finish third and transfer directly to the main. Anderson pulled second at the start in the main, but had an incident with another rider in the eighth lap causing him to go back to 11th. He focused on moving forward and finished seventh.
"Atlanta was decent for me,” said Anderson. "My heat race was mediocre, but my start in the main was pretty sweet. I ended up getting tangled up with a rider, but made my way back up to seventh where I finished. I think that one crash cost me, but overall I think I'm sitting pretty good.”
Christophe Pourcel was the fastest qualifier in Atlanta, and was hoping to make an impact after a successful ride last week in Arlington. Unfortunately, a bad start in his heat forced him to vie for a transfer position in the 450 semi. A fifth-place finish in the semi earned him a spot in the main. He got a mid-pack start in the main and started moving his Husqvarna FC 450 through a stacked field. He was 12th in the ninth lap, and started grinding away to finish the race in ninth.
"As long as I'm battling in the top 10 and improving every weekend I'm happy,” said Pourcel. "I still want to work on my starts, but it feels good to battle with everyone and stay strong the whole moto. I feel good on the bike. I got the fastest qualifying time, which is good. It's a long championship, and now it's time to push.”
