The 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship season came to a well-earned, celebratory close for the Rockstar Energy Racing teams at Lake Elsinore in California at the weekend - a city known for helping launch the sport of dirt bike racing.
Despite overwhelming heat, all the Rockstar Energy Suzuki Racing athletes gave 100 per cent at Saturday's inaugural Lake Elsinore National, which was held at an all-new facility and on a completely revamped racetrack.
Leading the 250 class for Rockstar Energy Racing was Blake Wharton, who finished the day in a solid eighth overall. Wharton got good starts in both motos, riding smart and consistent races to finish eighth in both events. Additionally, Wharton finished seventh in the overall championship standings.
Said Wharton: "The track was good. It was technical and I'm glad to finish the last round healthy. I'm already thinking about what I can do better next year. I'm looking forward to a break and then getting back to it. I learned a lot this year, and hopefully I can build from this. I had some ups and downs this season, but that happens. I look forward to next year and will try to keep my head up."
Rockstar Energy Racing team-mate Jason Anderson also had a good weekend, getting a great start in the second 250 moto and running in a podium position for more than half the race before finishing fifth. At the end of the day, Anderson finished 12th overall at Elsinore and eighth overall in the end-of-season championship points.
"The weekend ended up pretty good," said Anderson. "My first moto was rough and I didn't even finish. But in the second moto, I got a good start and ended up fifth. That was a good, strong moto to end the season with and I'm happy with it. I'm making progress and I'm looking forward to next year."
Rockstar Energy Racing's 250 class rider Martin Davalos was also on hand for the Lake Elsinore National, but only to cheer on his team-mates. Unfortunately, Davalos was injured at the previous round and unable to race.
Said Davalos: "I couldn't race this weekend because I broke a rib in a couple of places at Steel City. But I'm excited to be here for the team. It's my last race with them and I'm just enjoying hanging out and spending time with them. It's been an up-and-down kind of year and I can't thank the Rockstar Energy Racing team enough for being supportive during these tough times."
In the WMX class, Rockstar's Jessica Patterson rebounded from a mid-week foot injury to finish the season with a very impressive third in the overall championship points. At Elsinore, she finished fourth in the first moto but tweaked her hurt foot in the second and didn't finish. Despite this, she was still 11th overall for the day.
"This year was really tough for me," said Patterson. "I had a lot of bad luck with injuries. I tried to make it through this weekend, put the pain out of my mind and focus on the championship. The first moto went OK, but in the second moto, I landed off a jump and it tweaked my bad foot and I had so much pain I couldn't take it. Overall, it was an awesome year and I can't thank the Rockstar Energy Racing team enough. They've been really supportive and I wish I could've won the championship for them, but we'll keep working for it."
