Description

***fixed-people tripling up the hill, added braking bumps and altered the backside of the second double

***fixed-frames issue by removing most of the semi’s, just know that made me sad

*** dont forget to reset track to avoid texture issues!

2011 Pala Raceway

The incredible fight that has been the 2011 Lucas Oil Motocross Championship
came to a close this weekend at Pala Raceway with the second annual
Pala National. In the 250 class, the Championship was wrapped up last week
at Steel City with Dean Wilson being crowned the 2011 AMA Motocross
Champion, but there was still the 450 Championship left to decide.
Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and defending race and
series Champ, Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, came to the finale separated
by fourteen points, and the final two motos would decide who would be
the 2011 AMA 450 Motocross Champion.

In moto one, stress levels for the two Championship contenders would reach
dangerous levels when they both rounded turn one outside of the top ten. With chaos
all around, Dungey and Villopoto emerged at the end of lap run running ninth
and tenth. With a comfortable fourteen point lead, Villopoto didn’t need to race
with Dungey, but to the surprise of everyone, the number two got into several
exchanges with Dungey as the two moved forward through the pack. At one point while
they battled, Villopoto even nearly went down hard when his hand slipped off the
bars in a very high speed section, but the three-time motocross Champ saved
it and, soon after, passed Dungey.

Up front, KTM’s Mike Alessi led the way early before being passed by Factory
Honda’s Justin Barcia. Justin rode an incredible race in the lead, but before
long, the young 450 fill-in rider was under attack from the Championship contenders
who were in their own battle. The first through was RV2 quickly followed by Dungey.
The two ran away to finish one and two in moto one. With Villopoto’s moto win, he
stretched his points lead to seventeen heading into the final moto of the year.

Holding onto third in moto one was Justin Barcia followed in by the number 800 KTM
of Mike Alessi, the Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki of Brett Metcalfe and BTO Sports/Suzuki
of Kyle Regal in sixth. It was nice–after not racing most of the year–to see Regal’s
Suzuki up near the top five. Riders in this sport often suffer from being “out of
site, out of mind,” so it was good that Kyle reminded us of his skills by lining
up for the last few Nationals.

With seventeen points now separating the two Ryans in the Championship, all Villopoto
had to do was finish thirteenth to clinch the title. When the gate dropped, the two
contenders were once again together and buried in the middle of the pack. Villopoto
jumped in behind Dungey, but this time–instead of battling with the number one–he settled
in right behind him. From there, Villopoto followed Dungey as they made their way through the pack.

In the lead early on in moto two was the former points leader, Two-Two Motorsports Chad Reed. In
moto one, Reedy had crashed in turn one, remounted dead last and came back to finish twelfth, so
he was looking for redemption in moto two. The Australian led the first six laps until a mistake
let Barcia around. Just a few laps later, the two Ryans went by as well. Reedy put up a heck of
a fight in 2011, but in the end, that mental edge he had early in the season seemed to melt away
with his Milleville crash. Reed still held on to finish a solid fourth in moto two and finished
third on the year in Championship points. Congrats to Reed on a career resurrecting 2011
season, and here’s to many more.

As moto two wore on, Dungey was looking for a little consolation for losing the Championship
and to get that he needed to pass Barcia for the overall. When he first moved around Reed for
second, Barcia was nine seconds ahead, but he went to work and, with two laps to go, was all
over the number seventeen. Dungey worked on Barcia for one lap and, just before the white
flag, grabbed the lead and went on to the moto win. With a 2-1 score on the day, Dungey was your
overall winner. Barcia’s 3-2 left him third overall. But the big winner on the day was Ryan Villopoto.

With a 1-3 score on the day, Villopoto was second overall and, more importantly, was crowned the
2011 AMA 450cc Motocross Champion for the first time in his career. Ryan has now won five AMA National
Championships and one Regional Lites SX crown in his young hall of fame career, and his 2011 450
Motocross Championship has to be one of the sweetest. The three-time AMA Motocross Champion has spent
the last two motocross seasons on the couch watching, so to come back and win the 450 Championship has
to be an incredible feeling. Put that on top of his 2011 450 Supercross Championship, and it’s been a
year full of incredible feelings.

Thanks to VerySadTaco for the feedback on the track

Special thanks to
TFC
AGMX-Agitato
Niko Mouk
Giopanda
andreawilson|photography

Drag and drop 2011 Pala Raceway.pkz into tracks folder