The Sports Informant

After another session of fantastic racing at Hangtown outside of Folsom at the Prairie City SVRA, the first round of the 2010 motocross season is in the books.

Overall winner Chad Reed edged out Mike Alessi in a battle in the 450 Class, while Eli Tomac took a tiebreaker over Christophe Pourcel in the 250 Class.

The event, which always brings a reputation of wild action and loyal fans within the Sacramento area, was the first stop of the 12-race series, which has stops all around the country before its conclusion on Labor Day Weekend with the Steel City Motocross National on Sept. 4 in Delmont, Pa.

The Hangtown Motocross Classic, put on by Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club, celebrated its 42^nd anniversary with racing that started the leader board for what looks like another fantastic season.

In the first 450 moto, defending champion Reed took an early lead for the day, crossing the finish line first while being followed by Josh Grant, David Millsaps, Alessi, Brett Metcalfe and Ben Townley, respectively.

Chad Reed crosses the finish line at Hangtown as the winner of moto 1. (Photo courtesy Tom Paniagua)

But things got interesting in the second moto, as Alessi raced out to the lead and ran away from the field, while Reed fell behind early. With two laps to go, Reed inched up to third, where he’d eventually finish. It was enough to take the overall win despite Alessi’s impressive run to first place in moto 2.

450 Results

1. Chad Reed, Kawasaki (1-3)
2. Mike Alessi, KTM (4-1)
3. Davi Millsaps, Honda (3-2)
4. Brett Metcalfe, Honda (5-4)
5. Josh Grant, Yamaha (2-10)
6. Ben Townley, Honda (6-7)
7. Ryan Sipes, Yamaha (7-8)
8. Ryan Dungey, Suzuki (10-6)
9. Ken DeDycker, Yamaha (8-11)
10. Andrew Short, Honda (15-5)

The win gave Reed 45 points and the lead in the overall standings to start the season, while Alessi got 43 points for second and Millsaps 42 for third.

450 Overall Standings

 1. Chad Reed, 45
2. Mike Alessi, 43
3. Davi Millsaps, 42
4. Brett Metcalfe, 34
5. Josh Grant, 33
6. Ben Townley, 29
7. Ryan Sipes, 27
8. Ryan Dungey, 26
9. Ken DeDycker, 23
10. Andrew Short, 22

In the 250 class, Pourcel took the early lead in moto 1, but fell later in the race, allowing Tomac to take a brief lead before he fell also. With persistence, eventually Pourcel overtakes Tommy Searle for the win and the early points lead on the day. Tomac took third.

In moto 2, though, the tables were turned, as Tomac progressively inches up front, using one of the fastest laps of the day to take the lead. In his first pro event, Tomac takes the overall win after finishing first in moto 2. Trey Canard finished second in moto 2 and Pourcel third, giving Tomac the narrow victory overall.

250 Results

1. Eli Tomac, Honda (3-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki (1-3)
3. Trey Canard, Honda (7-2)
4. Jake Weimer, Kawasaki (4-8)
5. Justin Barcia, Honda (5-7)
6. Dean Wilson, Kawasaki (10-4)
7. Broc Tickle, Yamaha (11-5)
8. Wil Hahn, Honda (13-6)
9. Tommy Searle, KTM (2-31)
10. Tyla Rattray, Kawasaki (8-16)

Tomac’s victory earned him 45 points, but with the identical finish, Pourcel was also given 45 points on the day. Canard earned 36 points for a third-place spot in the standings to start the season.

250 Overall Standings

 1. Eli Tomac, 45
2. Christophe Pourcel, 45
3. Trey Canard, 36
4. Jake Weimer, 31
5. Justin Barcia, 30
6. Dean Wilson, 29
7. Broc Tickle, 26
8. Wil Hahn, 23
9. Tommy Searle, 22
10. Tyla Rattray, 18

2010 Hangtown MX slideshow

(Photos courtesy of Tom Paniagua)