For the second consecutive week, Kawasaki swept the top two steps of the 250 class podium with Jake Weimer earning his second straight win and Christophe Pourcel finishing second. Tyla Rattray was injured in the second moto and was unable to finish.

In the 450 class, Ricky Dietrich rode to his fourth straight top-10 finish going 5-6 for sixth overall while Timmy Ferry continued his recovery from a broken heel, finishing 15th in the first moto and retiring before the finish of the second. Weimer’s second win was anything but traditional as he took the overall honors without winning one of the two motos. After flying out to the holeshot in the first moto, he held on for a second place finish. In the second moto, he fought his way up to fourth and his consistency through the event helped him earn the victory.

“I had a pretty good idea I was going to get the overall win about halfway through the second moto,” said Weimer. “I wanted to be smart, but keep pushing and with the track as rough as it was, it was easy to make mistakes. When you’re racing for an overall you have to be smart. You’re not just racing for yourself, you’re also racing for your team. I’m happy to come away with the overall.”

With the motocross season hitting the midway point, Pourcel continues to hold a nine point advantage in the series. Pourcel struggled early in the first moto, going down twice during the race. The French rider showed his desire for the championship by pushing to get the best finish he could.

“I’m happy to keep the points lead right now,” said Pourcel. “You never know what is going to happen with the rest of the series. I was too aggressive for the start of the first moto. I crashed when someone crashed in front of me. I got up and was moving up and then I crashed again. I just tried to give it my best and I finished eighth.”

Dietrich is one of the most consistent riders in the field as he continues to get solid finishes.

 “It feels good to finish sixth,” said Dietrich. “If I could have gotten a better start in the second moto I may have gotten fifth overall. This is the most consistent I’ve ridden in motocross. I got good starts and I was running up front and pushing for the top five. I’m happy to be competing for top fives and making progress.”

Ferry rode to a 15th place finish in the first moto and then pulled off early in the second moto after tweaking his injured heel.

“It was a tough day,” said Ferry. “I fell like I rode decent in the first practice, but this track is a lot tougher than Colorado. In the second moto, I jammed my foot down a couple times. Sometimes I can hit it and then the pain goes away, but it never felt great during the second moto. I pulled off because I probably was going to do more damage than good out there.”

Rattray had a good race going moving up to fourth in the second moto before he went down and injured his thumb.

 “I felt good today,” said Rattray. “I made a lot of passes in the second moto moving up to fourth. I was just unlucky with how I landed. I’m going to go to the doctor this week and see how soon I can get back. I’m just really bummed the race ended like that for me.”

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing’s Chad Reed extended his AMA Motocross championship points lead after carding another podium finish this year at Red Bud Track ‘N’ Trail in Buchanan, Michigan, on Saturday.

The two-time AMA Supercross Champion picked up a second-place overall result after winning the first moto and finishing third in the second one. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Michael Byrne enjoyed a very consistent race weekend.

The Australian rode two solid motos and finished seventh in both to capture seventh-place overall. Finally, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mike Alessi is still recovering from injury and did not race. Alessi hopes to return to racing as soon as possible.

In the 250 class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey brought home a fifth-place finish overall at Red Bud. Dungey had a great first moto, getting out front immediately on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 and leading to the end. In the second moto, however, the Minnesota rider suffered a few get-offs but still finished up eighth.

In the end, Dungey remains in second place overall in the championship points standings.

Chad Reed: “These guys are riding good this weekend, and my problem is me. I’ve got to do what I know how to do, that’s basically what it comes down to. It’s good to get a moto win on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450, but I want to ride to my fullest and do my best. It’s amazing to be at Red Bud on the 4th of July but I wish I could go out there and tear it up, but I can’t right now. I hate to complain when I’m winning motos, but right now, I’m just thankful I got the holeshot in the first moto and I just have to keep trying to be there at the end. In the second moto, I got a great start but I gave out too much at the beginning. I just left my run for too late at the end, and these guys are riding well and it’s a challenge. We’ll be back and be ready for the next race.”

Michael Byrne: “I have to say it was a pretty average weekend for me. I felt like I should have finished higher in the second moto. I had a few issues and I struggled a bit with the track. But at the same time, for having a somewhat bad day, we actually made up some points in the championship, now we’re fifth overall. So in the end, something good came of it all.”

Ryan Dungey: “I’m just trying to take these weekends one race at a time and put myself in the best position that I can to get the win. The track is awesome this weekend, Red Bud is my favorite track on the circuit and it’s difficult – it’s rough and you can’t sit down. So hats off to my suspension guys and the whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for getting my bike so dialed in for me.”