The Monster Energy Cup (MEC) at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV, hosted the final AMA race of the 2011 season over the weekend. The inaugural race blended both Supercross and Motocross disciplines into a three-race main event format, and the Honda Red Riders fared well at the unique competition on their Honda CRF450Rs.
Justin Brayton made his debut with Team Honda Muscle Milk at the MEC, competing for the first time aboard his factory-Honda CRF450R. With only two weeks of riding and testing on his new ride heading into the race, Brayton performed well and gained valuable racing experience.
After posting promising results in practice, Brayton finished his heat race in fourth place, moving him straight through to the main event. With three races comprising the main event, Brayton went on to record 13-5-18 results for 12th overall.
"Riding the MEC event was a great opportunity for me to get some valuable seat time on my bike and also see how well it performs in racing conditions," said Brayton. "I've got my first-day jitters out of the way now, and it was a good prelude to the support I will receive throughout the 2012 season. The bike was definitely awesome tonight; I just need to get a better feel for it so I'm completely at home come the start of the Supercross series."
In addition to Brayton, GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac and Kevin Windham both raced Honda CRF450Rs at the event. Tomac usually rides a Honda CRF250R in AMA competition, yet he performed extremely well on the CRF450R, going 5-4-10 for fifth overall. Honda veteran Windham went 15-14-12 for 13th overall.
Monster Energy Cup Class Overall
1. Ryan Villopoto 1-1-1
2. Ryan Dungey 3-2-2
3. Brett Metcalfe 4-3-3
4. Martin Davalos 7-7-5
5. Eli Tomac (Honda) 5-4-10
6. Kyle Chisholm 9-9-7
7. Nick Wey 14-11-4
8. Jimmy Albertson 11-10-8
9. Jake Weimer 12-6-11
10. Mike Alessi 6-21-6
11. Marvin Musquin 8-8-17
12. Justin Brayton (Honda) 13-5-18
13. Kevin Windham (Honda) 15-14-12
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.
