Los Angeles, CA (March 5, 2013) Rockstar Energy Racing fought a tough battle as the AMA series hit St. Louis on Saturday. Davi Millsaps had a rough 450 main event and finished 6th while teammate, Blake Wharton ended the 250 main event in 3rd. Millsaps remains in the points lead and is still the only 450 rider to have the red plate this season. 

Millsaps started the day well, posting fast lap times in practice. He followed that up with a solid 2nd place in his heat race. When the gate dropped for the 450 main event, however,  things began to go sideways. Millsaps didn't  get his customary good start which is always treacherous with the incidents that happen in the pack. Davi was hit by Trey Canard and sustained a hard blow to his forearm. His arm immediately swelled and limited his throttle control. Halfway through lap 3, there was a bad crash. Ryan Dungey appeared to pass Davi under a red cross caution, then took him out in the next corner. Millsaps lost 2 positions as a result of this altercation. This lap also marked the 2nd red flag of the evening. The 3rd lap was finished under caution. When 3 full laps are completed in the main event, it warrants a staggered restart. Unfortunately for Davi, he lost those 2 positions and would be forced to start even further back in the single file line.  Already hampered by the swelling in his right arm Davi did everything he could and was able to move into 6th place by race's end, salvaging as many points as possible. Then the drama unfolded. Dungey's pass on Davi was protested. James Stewart protested a pass Ryan Villopoto made, also appearing to be during yet another red cross flag caution. Team videos were provided by each team to the AMA. The final results went unchanged. The team will now put this weekend behind them and look ahead still holding a 12 point lead.

"It was a weird night, I did the best I could and salvaged what I could. All in all I had some bad luck tonight but there's always another night" - Davi Millsaps

On a much higher note, Blake Wharton appears to be back on track in the 250 class. After a bit of an off weekend in Atlanta where Blake still finished a commendable 3rd, he looked to be a different person in St. Louis from the first lap in practice. The intensity that Blake is usually teeming with clearly had returned. He was aggressive all day and it showed as he won his heat race in impressive fashion with a great start, followed by gapping the rest of the field by the end of his 6 laps. Wharton's start wasn't as good in the main, but he made moves immediately to put himself in a good position among his top competitors. He had some good battles throughout, eventually settling for his 2nd podium in 3 races with a 3rd. Blake will continue to pick up speed as the East Coast 250 series carries on.

"Track was good in St. Louis, dirt is always good here and it turned out to be the same this weekend. I got the heat race win which is never a bad thing. You're never gonna complain about that. In the main my start was pretty average but I managed to work my way up pretty quickly and find myself in 2nd. It was kind of a battle there for a while with me and Will [Hahn} and then with Dean [Wilson]. I ended up getting passed back to third where I finished. I felt better this weekend. Still trying to make improvements and get faster and faster. We're 3 rounds in but there's still a lot more racing.  I felt I wasn't 100% out there and I know what I'm capable of. I rode well but I have more. It's a matter of putting it down, getting in the groove and not looking back or resting. It's wide open for 15 laps. Going to Daytona next weekend which is an unpredictable track and we're gonna try to get on the top step." - Blake Wharton

The Rockstar Energy Racing duo will make the trip Southeast to Daytona International Speedway next weekend in Florida. Daytona is somewhat of a hybrid Supercross/Motocross track. Millsaps who spent part of his life growing up in the area will look to get back on track on the sandy surface where he has always excelled. Wharton will aim to build on his momentum, vying for his first win of the 2013 season.

SERIES STANDINGS:

450 SX

1. R. Villopoto

2. J. Stewart

3. C. Reed

4. R. Dungey

5. J. Barcia

6. D. Millsaps

7. M. Alessi

8. T. Canard

9. J. Brayton

10. A. Short

11. B. Tickle

12. J. Weimer

13. E. Tomac

14. J. Albertson

15. M. Goerke

16. K. Partridge

17. R. Kiniry

18. W. Peick

19. P. Nicoletti

20. K. Chisholm

450SX Class Season Standings

1.      Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 189

2.      Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 177

3.      Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 166

4.      Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 148

5.      Chad Reed, Australia, Honda, 147

6.      Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 132

7.      James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 122

8.      Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 113

9.      Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 103

10.   Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 87

250 SX

Main Event

1. W. Hahn

2. D. Wilson

3. B. Wharton

4. M. Musquin

5. J. Martin

6. V. Friese

7. J. Decotis

8. C. Thompson

9. Z. Bell

10. P. Larsen

11. G. Faith

12. Z. Freeberg

13. A. Catanzaro

14. K. Hussey

15. M. Oldenburg

16. J. Hill

17. L. Kilbarger

18. D. Herrlein

19. L. Vincent

20. S. Rife

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Season Standings

1.      Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 70

2.      Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki, 69

3.      Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 60

4.      Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 53

5.      Vince Friese, Cape Girardeau, Mo., Honda, 39

6.      Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 38

7.      Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki, 36

8.      James Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda, 34

9.      Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 32

10.   Kyle Peters, Greensboro, NC, Honda, 31