Honda Red Bull Racing's Ivan Tedesco was on the pace and led Honda's charge at round two of the 2009 Supercross an FIM World Championship at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, January 10. In front of a vocal Phoenix crowd on Saturday night, Tedesco battled the competition, finishing in fourth place. Tedesco's strong performance on his CRF450R made him the highest placed Honda rider with fellow CRF450R pilots Andrew Short, Kevin Windham and Davi Millsaps all finishing in the top ten.
"The weekend was really good," said Tedesco. "I struggled a little in practice and didn't qualify as good as I would've liked but I turned it around for the main event, getting a good start and putting myself in a good position. I tried to make a run at a podium position but just didn't quite get there. I'm happy with fourth; it's pretty consistent. I need to make sure I stay finishing up in at least the top five every weekend from here on out, but my focus each week will be to put Honda Red Bull Racing up on the box."
Honda Red Bull Racing's Andrew Short put in a solid performance closely following his teammate Tedesco across the finish line for fifth place. Launching from the start gate in eighth position, Short rode a strong consistent race, winning the battle against GEICO Powersports Honda racer Kevin Windham for fifth position. Windham followed suit and took the checkered flag in sixth place. Honda Red Bull Racing's Davi Millsaps finished tenth.
"Phoenix turned out pretty reasonable considering I got a poor start in the main," said Short. "But I made the most of the opportunity and salvaged some decent points in the championship. I need to work on a couple of elements this week but I'll get those nailed down and put Honda Red Bull Racing back on the podium in no time."
Short's finish added to his championship tally of 38 points, which puts him in third place in the title chase, with Tedesco sitting in fourth. Windham is currently eighth with Millsaps in ninth.
Top Honda Supercross finishes
4th- Ivan Tedesco
5th- Andrew Short
6th- Kevin Windham
10th- David Millsaps
Supercross Championship Points
3rd - Andrew Short 38
4th - Ivan Tedesco 33
8th - Kevin Windham 21
9th - Davi Millsaps 20