Martin Davalos grabs sixth inside Phoenix Stadium
By Team TMX on 29th Jan 17
AMA Supercross Phoenix Martin Davalos
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team made their way to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to battle an extremely technical and tough track for the fourth round of AMA Supercross.
Martin Davalos got a good start in his heat race and immediately started fighting for the lead. He stalked the leader for the majority of the race before making an impressive pass to move into the first-place position with two laps to go. He held on for the win and transferred directly to the main. He got caught up at the start of the main but was fifth by the end of the first lap. He stayed strong, continued to push his way through the pack, and made his way into fourth by the second lap before settling into a nice rhythm aboard his Husqvarna FC 250. He started closing the gap on third before a quick mistake set him back a few spots. He rebounded quickly and made an impressive move over the triple where he passed two riders at the same time. He was fifth in lap nine and refocused his efforts on completing a solid race. He held strong to the end to finish fifth. He is currently fourth overall in 250SX West rider point standings.
"Today was good,” said Davalos. "It was the best I've felt all year. I had a good heat race, but lost my momentum a little bit in the main and the guys up front were just too far gone so I ended up fifth. I'm going to work harder on getting a better start in the main and just going to stay positive and keep doing what I'm doing."
Jason Anderson got a top 10 start in his heat and was sixth by the end of the first lap. He navigated into the fifth-place spot by the last lap, with his sights set on the attack for the final transfer spot. He attempted the pass in the sand section but ended up going down in the corner and finished fifth. He started second in the semi and quickly made the pass for the lead. He led a solid race and earned the win to transfer to the main. He got a mid pack start in the main and came out of the first lap in 11th. He put in work and fought for his position the entire race and would eventually finish 10th. He is currently ninth overall in 450 rider point standings.
"I'm lucky to be able to be riding today,” said Anderson. "I wasn't able to ride once this week, and I wasn't able to work out. I'm just going to work at it and try and be better for the next round."
Christophe Pourcel started in the back in his heat but quickly started moving through the pack. He was ninth at the start of the second lap, continued to push, and finished seventh. He pulled a top-10 start in the semi, moved into fifth by the end of the first lap, and held on to the finish to earn the final transfer position. He started in the back of the pack in the main and tried to put in the work to move ahead. He stayed consistent the entire race and finished in 17th.
"The track was pretty beat up,” said Pourcel. "It was hard packed and very slippery. It was super tricky and had a couple big sections so it was tough to get comfortable. The whoops were pretty sketchy. I couldn't really find my rhythm today. I just rode my own race and I'm hoping for a better night soon."
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team now heads to Oakland, California to compete in the fifth round of the series next Saturday at O.Co Coliseum.
