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Fiolek Wins Third Women's Crown, Barcia Third at Season Finale
The final Motocross National of the season held at Southern California's Pala Raceway in Pala, CA, saw the Honda Red Riders put in some of their best performances of the season on their Honda CRF250R and CRF450R race machines. American Honda Racing's Ashley Fiolek wrapped up her third WMX title, while her teammate Justin Barcia finished third in the 450 class.
After winning back-to-back Women's titles in 2008 and 2009, and finishing runner-up in the WMX series in 2010, Fiolek headed into the 2011 Motocross season determined to reclaim the crown. From the get-go, Fiolek demonstrated incredible speed on her CRF250R, winning five motos in the eight-round series and clinching three overall victories en route to the championship crown. Tarah Gieger raced her Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda–prepared CRF250R to third overall in the series while fellow Honda riders Kasie Creson and Lindsey Palmer finished the season in seventh and 10th, respectively.
"I am so happy to win back the Women's title," said Fiolek. "It was tough giving it up last year, so I was determined to do everything I needed to do to win it back this season. All the women racers rode exceptionally well, and we had some great battles. I knew consistency was going to be the key to winning the championship back, and that's what I was all season, consistently on the podium each week. I'm really happy to put Honda on top again for another year."
Barcia completed his fill-in ride with the factory Honda team at Pala by putting in two impressive rides at the Motocross grand finale. Barcia was a strong contender for the moto one win, running up front for the majority of the race before finishing in third. In the second moto, Barcia got a great start and took over the lead from Chad Reed on lap seven. Maintaining incredible speed out front, he led the next eight laps before surrendering a spot with two laps to go. Barcia's stellar 3-2 result earned him third overall for the round.
"I'm really happy with my results this weekend," said Barcia. "I have learned so much about myself as a racer and about riding, which I know has made me a much smarter rider. It's been awesome working with the factory Honda team, and I can't thank GEICO Honda enough for allowing me to take advantage of this amazing opportunity."
TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed put in solid performances aboard his American Honda Racing–prepared CRF450R, finishing moto one in 12th and nabbing fourth in the second moto for seventh overall. Reed led the championship for half the season and finished the championship in third—an impressive first season for the TwoTwo Motorsports team.
In the 250 class, GEICO Honda rookie Justin Bogle finished his fourth race as a professional on a high note. After finishing moto one in 10th place, Bogle got a great start in moto two, leading the opening 10 laps of the race before finishing in second place and earning a season-best fifth overall. GEICO Honda teammate Eli Tomac went 7-11 for ninth overall, while Honda rider Alex Martin rounded out tenth place. Tomac finished fourth overall in the championship, while Martin nabbed eighth place. Fellow Honda racer Darryn Durham finished the season in 10th.
450 Class Overall Results
1. Ryan Dungey 2-1
2. Ryan Villopoto 1-3
3. Justin Barcia (Honda) 3-2
4. Brett Metcalfe 5-5
5. Mike Alessi 4-7
6. Kyle Regal 6-8
7. Chad Reed (Honda) 12-4
8. Justin Brayton 9-6
9. Jake Weimer 10-12
10. Les Smith 14-9
450 Class Championship Points (after 12 of 12 rounds)
1. Ryan Villopoto 526
2. Ryan Dungey 514
3. Chad Reed 429
4. Brett Metcalfe 374
5. Mike Alessi 304
6. Jake Weimer 271
7. Justin Brayton 218
8. Andrew Short 196
9. Kevin Windham 193
10. Davi Millsaps 173
250 Class Overall Results
1. Dean Wilson 1-1
2. Blake Baggett 2-3
3. Marvin Musquin 4-4
4. Tyla Rattray 3-5
5. Justin Bogle (Honda) 10-2
6. Gareth Swanepoel 5-7
7. Kyle Cunningham 6-8
8. Jason Anderson 8-9
9. Eli Tomac (Honda) 7-11
10. Alex Martin (Honda) 14-10
250 Class Championship Points (after 12 of 12 rounds)
1. Dean Wilson 538
2. Tyla Rattray 472
3. Blake Baggett 469
4. Eli Tomac 314
5. Kyle Cunningham 311
6. Gareth Swanepoel 300
7. Broc Tickle 253
8. Alex Martin 213
9. Martin Davalos 213
10. Darryn Durham 195
WMX Class Overall Results
1. Jessica Patterson 1-1
2. Tarah Gieger (Honda) 3-2
3. Ashley Fiolek (Honda) 2-3
4. Vicki Golden 4-4
5. Stephanie Laier 6-5
6. Sayaka Kaneshiro 5-6
7. Mariana Balbi 11-7
8. Sarah Whitmore 10-9
9. Marissa Markelon 12-11
10. Tatum Sik (Honda) 9-14
WMX Championship Points (after 8 of 8 rounds)
1. Ashley Fiolek 363
2. Jessica Patterson 349
3. Tarah Gieger 310
4. Jacqueline Strong 209
5. Vicki Golden 207
6. Marissa Markelon 187
7. Kasie Creson 180
8. Alexah Pearson 176
9. Sayaka Kaneshiro 171
10. Lindsey Palmer 155
For more information, contact American Honda Motor Co., Inc., (310) 783-3745.
About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and MUVs in the US. American Honda's Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to powersports.honda.com.
©2011 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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