US Motocross Lites Series: 5th round Lakewood, CO

MDK KTM Factory Lites rider Martin Davalos enjoyed the change in the schedule while also proving that the two-week break prior was just what he needed to get back up to pace. He started an impressive 5th place in Lites moto one, followed closely by his teammates Matt Goerke and Ryan Sipes holding 7th and 8th. The final team member, Justin Brayton, had a much worse start, appearing 28th around the first turn.

"I felt great today! The track was rough, but I enjoyed it. My training and endurance has improved significantly in the time off and I'm at a point where I can hold a fast pace much longer than I've shown in the previous four rounds," commented Davalos. He was a man of his word, as he battled up front the first five laps of the moto not dropping from the pace until a mistake on his part caused him to lose his front end in a turn. That tip-over caused Davalos to fall back to 9th. His crash moved the MDK KTM rides of Goerke and Sipes into the 6th and 7th position. Meanwhile, at the halfway mark, Brayton had moved up six positions from his mediocre start.

With few laps remaining all eyes were on the KTM riders as Davalos had caught up to Sipes to pursue a battle for 8th. The two riders chased each other for two laps with Davalos attempting four passing alternatives before making the pass stick. Davalos would hold on to secure 8th place; his best moto finish of the year. Goerke certainly deserved a shout out after battling for a top five spot the majority of the moto eventually falling one spot shy to take 6th. Sipes finished 11th after losing a couple positions with a last lap mistake. Brayton struggled throughout the moto, only able to climb from his poor start into 21st.

In Lites moto two, Davalos jumped out front again, this time in 2nd off the start. Sipes came around 7th, Goerke 8th and Brayton in 22nd. Davalos held a fast pace and clung to that number two position behind current moto leader Josh Grant. Sipes and Goerke were riding just as well behind him battling inside the top ten.

By lap 7, Davalos was still holding on to 2nd until a hard charging Ryan Villopoto got around him. Davalos slipped back to third but was still going strong when a bike problem on lap 10 put him out of the race. He was eventually credited for 32nd in that moto. Despite his bad luck his teammates were still in hot pursuit of a top finish. Goerke finished 10th, Sipes was one position in front of him in 9th while Brayton had put in an impressive ride from the back to finish 13th. Goerke and Sipes combined moto scores earned them both a top ten finish for the day.

Race 1
POS. RIDER MANUFACT. NAT.

1 1 Ryan D. Villopoto Kawasaki
2 341 Nico A. Izzi Suzuki
3 28 Ryan M. Dungey Suzuki
4 20 Joshua Grant Honda
5 48 Trey G. Canard Honda
6 41 Matthew Goerke KTM
8 577 Martin Davalos KTM
11 57 Ryan Sipes KTM

Race 2
POS. RIDER MANUFACT. NAT.

1 1 Ryan D. Villopoto Kawasaki
2 20 Joshua Grant Honda
3 48 Trey G. Canard Honda
4 341 Nico A. Izzi Suzuki
5 52 Metthwe J. Lemoine Yamaha
6 41 Matthew Goerke KTM
8 577 Martin Davalos KTM
11 57 Ryan Sipes KTM

Standings
POS. RIDER MANUFACT. NAT. POINTS

1 1 Ryan D. Villopoto Kawasaki 241
2 28 Ryan M. Dungey Suzuki 183
3 51 Austin L. Stroupe Kawasaki 152
4 123 Brett Metcalfe Kawasaki 143
5 30 Jake T. Weimer Yamaha 134
9 41 Matthew Goerke KTM 89
11 57 Ryan Sipes KTM 80
21 114 Justin Brayton KTM 43
26 577 Martin Davalos KTM 19

Next Event: Round 6 - Red Bud, July 5-6, 2008, Buchanan, MI