After what turned into a wild main event in Seattle, James regained the championship points lead on Saturday night with just two more rounds of action to go! Though feeling comfortable and riding well all day, the main started out less than ideal, as James got pinched out hard on his way down the start straightaway. Exiting turn one way back in the 18th spot, James no doubt had his work cut out for him, but with valuable championship points on the line, he put his head down and mounted an impressive charge through the pack. After working his way into the second spot on lap 16, James set his sites on leader Villopoto, but the Kawi pilot was too far out front at that point to catch. With championship rival Reed finishing the night in seventh, James left Seattle with a three-point lead in the series!

“I don’t know what happened… We all almost went down on the start,” James said after the race. “I was so far in the back and saw Ryan [Villopoto] and Mike [Alessi] way out front, and knew it was going to be tough to get up there. It’s all about the championship, though, and tonight was great for that. The way Chad has been riding all year, it was definitely surprising to see how things played out.”

Stay tuned for a full race recap from Salt Lake City next weekend!

Share/Save