Honda Red Riders Rack Up Podiums in Colorado

Round five of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, and round three of the WMA Women's Motocross Championship, took place at Thunder Valley Raceway in Lakewood, CO, over the weekend, and the Honda Red Riders raced their Honda CRF250Rs and CRF450Rs to four overall podium results.

TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed maintains his lead in the championship after finishing third overall in the 450 class, while American Honda Racing's Kevin Windham matched his best result of the season finishing just off the podium in fourth. GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac recorded his second overall podium of the season with a third in the 250 class. American Honda Racing's Ashley Fiolek finished runner-up in the Women's class while Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda's Tarah Gieger joined Fiolek on the overall podium in third.

Windham replicated his strong results from last weekend's High Point National, getting good starts in both motos to go 4-4 for fourth overall. Windham's points haul elevated the veteran to fourth in the championship standings. His American Honda Racing teammate Josh Grant got a great start in moto one and was in fifth position when he suffered an injury to his knee, forcing him to withdraw from the event.

"I really thought Budds Creek was going to be my last race for the summer," said Windham. "I'm excited to be out here, especially with the way the bike is running. It's fun being out here for the fans and riding with their support. It's like a win without even winning."

Reed put in two solid rides to go 3-3 for third overall. He maintains an eight-point lead in the championship chase after recording a string of overall wins and podium finishes at the first five rounds in the series.

"The pressure was on me a bit at this race as starts are everything at this track, and Honda has always done well here," said Reed. "But man, that CRF450R ripped up that start straight and it is by far the best bike I've ever ridden in high-elevation conditions. I just struggled personally a bit this weekend and wasn't as committed as I needed to be in the ruts. However, finishing 3-3 is a safe result at this point in the series, which I am fine with."

Another Honda rider having a good weekend in the 450 class was Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda's Christian Craig. He scored the holeshot in moto one and finished 6-15 for a season-best eighth overall.

In the 250 class, GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac had a strong showing at his hometown race, scoring a pair of third-place finishes on his Honda CRF250R for third overall. GEICO Honda teammate Justin Barcia has been battling an illness in recent weeks, yet he soldiered on to go 9-12 for ninth overall. Fellow Honda racer Darryn Durham had his best showing of the season in finishing just shy of the podium in fourth. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda's Travis Baker nabbed eighth overall, while privateer Alex Martin rounded out 10th place.

In the Women's class, Fiolek maintains her lead in the championship after scoring a pair of runner-up finishes on her Honda CRF250R to take second overall. Gieger nabbed third overall, while fellow Honda racer Kasie Creson rounded the weekend out in eighth position.

450 Class Overall Results
1. Ryan Dungey 2-1
2. Ryan Villopoto 1-2
3. Chad Reed (Honda) 3-3
4. Kevin Windham (Honda) 4-4
5. Andrew Short 7-8
6. Tommy Hahn 11-5
7. Brett Metcalfe 9-7
8. Christian Craig (Honda) 6-15
9. Jake Canada 10-13
10. Justin Brayton 14-10

450 Class Championship Points (after 5 of 12 rounds)
1. Chad Reed 223
2. Ryan Villopoto 215
3. Ryan Dungey 202
4. Kevin Windham 148
5. Davi Millsaps 145
6. Brett Metcalfe 144
7. Ricky Dietrich 109
8. Andrew Short 102
9. Jake Weimer 100
10. Christian Craig 97

250 Class Overall Results
1. Blake Baggett 1-1
2. Dean Wilson 2-2
3. Eli Tomac (Honda) 3-3
4. Darryn Durham (Honda) 4-6
5. Tyla Rattray 5-5
6. Ryan Sipes 15-4
7. Malcolm Stewart 13-7
8. Travis Baker (Honda) 10-10
9. Justin Barcia (Honda) 9-12
10. Alex Martin (Honda) 11-13

250 Class Championship Points (after 5 of 12 rounds)
1. Dean Wilson 214
2. Tyla Rattray 206
3. Blake Baggett 194
4. Eli Tomac 176
5. Justin Barcia 137
6. Kyle Cunningham 127
7. Broc Tickle 113
8. Gareth Swanepoel 106
9. Darryn Durham 94
10. Cole Seely 89

WMA Overall Results
1. Jessica Patterson 1-1
2. Ashley Fiolek (Honda) 2-2
3. Tarah Gieger (Honda) 5-3
4. Sara Price 4-4
5. Jacqueline Strong 6-6
6. Lindsey Palmer (Honda) 8-7
7. Alexah Pearson 7-10
8. Kasie Creson (Honda) 9-9
9. Marissa Markelon 12-8
10. Vicki Golden 3-19

WMA Championship Points (after round 3 of 8)
1. Ashley Fiolek 135
2. Jessica Patterson 133
3. Tarah Gieger 108
4. Sara Price 79
5. Jacqueline Strong 78
6. Kasie Creson 72
7. Marissa Markelon 69
8. Alexah Pearson 67
9. Mariana Balbi 66
10. Vicki Golden 59

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, MUVs and personal watercraft 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.

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