“I had a great time at Elsinore,” said Martin. “I went 10/10 for ninth overall and I’m happy with that. I know I have a lot of work to do and I’m looking forward to this off-season. I want to win and I’m going to take all the steps necessary to come out next year and have a really strong, full rookie season.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Kyle Cunningham also put in two solid rides in the 250 class, and continues to recover from injuries that caused him to miss much of the 2012 season. Cunningham made more progress at this round, finishing 14th in the first moto and ninth in the second for 11th overall.

“The track was pretty brutal,” said Cunningham. “It got hard-packed and really slick. I just wanted to come out and put in two solid motos. Unfortunately, in the first moto, I just ran out of gas and it was a bit of a bummer. I went back out in the second moto and I was a little fatigued, but I gutted through it and survived. Now I’ll just focus on getting stronger for next year.”

Like Rockstar’s Cunningham, Star Valli Yamaha’s Kyle Peters also missed a number of races due to injury, but made significant progress at the Lake Elsinore National. Peters got good starts and ran in the top 10 before picking up 13th- and 16th-place 250 moto finishes for 16th overall.

“I got one really good start and a pretty good start, but I had some issues,” said Peters. “I had really bad stomach cramps in the second moto and finished 16th. In the first moto, I didn’t feel good until the last few laps, but by then it was too late. Now, I’m ready to regroup and get ready for next year.”

Also racing for the Star Valli Yamaha 250 team was Cole Thompson, who put in a valiant effort but suffered in the intense heat. In the first moto, Thompson got a great start but faded to 12th. In the second, the Rockstar rider succumbed to the high temps and didn’t finish, but still ended up 18th overall for the day.

“In the first moto, I got a good start and was running in the top 10,” said Thompson. “But the heat got to me and I went back to 12th. In the second moto, I got a decent start, but I just started feeling sick and I pulled off and couldn’t finish.”

Finally, Star Valli Yamaha 250 teammate Ryan Sipes tried to race the first moto but wasn’t feeling well and retired for the day before the race’s end.

In the 450 class, Star Valli Yamaha’s Nico Izzi finished the 2012 season with a solid performance. In the first moto, unfortunately, the Rockstar rider went down in a turn-one pile-up and couldn’t rejoin the race. In the second moto, however, Izzi bounced back with a great start and finished an impressive seventh. He wound up 14th overall for the day.

“In the first moto, I was in that turn-one pile-up and broke my throttle housing and I couldn’t finish,” said Izzi. “But I was excited to go out and burn some laps on the new track in the second moto. So I went out and came through the pack, charged my way through to the top 10 and finished it out strong in seventh.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Bobby Kiniry also had a good showing in the 450 class despite some bad luck. In the first moto, Kiniry suffered several get-offs and didn’t finish the moto. In the second race, he got a good start but fell again. In spite of this, he still managed to rally and finish 15th in the second moto and 20th overall.

“All in all, it was an OK day,” said Kiniry. “In the first moto, I got a good start but I fell in that big turn-one pile-up. But I got back on my bike and got up to 21st pretty quick. Then I ended up falling again and twisting my leg pretty good and bending my bike up, so I went back to the truck to regroup. I went out for the second moto and got a great start and was trying to move up when I fell on my face and had to start from dead last again. But I worked my way up to 15th on the last lap and I can’t complain about that.”

Finally, Star Valli Yamaha welcomed an additional rider to their Rockstar fold this weekend, 450 class racer Scott Champion. Champion raced to 26th- and 21st-place moto finishes for an overall result of 28th for the day.

“This opportunity was a last-minute deal,” said Champion. “We put this thing together and I came out to race Elsinore just to have some fun and so the team could see where I was at. I had a lot of fun and I appreciate the opportunity to race with the Star Valli Yamaha team.”

“I had a blast at Steel City,” said Martin. “In the first moto, I started from the very back but I worked my way up to 14th. In the second moto, I just regrouped and got in the right spot. I went out and ripped the holeshot and I was so excited. But those guys are so fast on the first lap. I know I’ve got a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to getting up front and racing with them on a regular basis.”

Star Valli Yamaha’s Kyle Cunningham returned to the 250 class this weekend after missing a number of rounds due to injury. Cunningham came back with a vengeance, though, picking up 10th- and 15th-place moto results for 12th overall.

“Steel City was my first race back after eight weeks off the bike,” said Cunningham. “In the first moto, I just rode smooth, going through the motions, staying solid and hitting my marks. In the second moto, the track was really slick and I got up to 10th pretty quick, but I pushed a little too hard and lost the front. I got up and was still pushing too hard and lost the front again, but managed to get 15th. Just to be back racing with the team was a great feeling. I’m looking forward to building off this for Elsinore next weekend.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Cole Thompson was right there in the mix with his teammates in both 250 motos. In the first, Thompson finished 17th and then went on to finish 16th in the second moto. Overall, the Rockstar rider finished the day in 16th overall.

“Steel City was good,” said Thompson. “The Star Valli Yamaha team really helped me get my head in the right place. I just needed to find some extra speed in some of the corners, but I still ended up 17/16 for the day. We’ll just keep making improvements every week and get back up there with the frontrunners.”

Star Valli Yamaha’s Kyle Peters continued to work on getting his rhythm back in the 250 class since returning to racing at the last round at Unadilla. Prior to that, Peters missed multiple rounds due to injury. At Steel City, he carded 20th- and 17th-place moto finishes for 18th overall.

“The track was pretty gnarly,” said Peters. “I’m struggling pretty bad with arm pump now that I’m back on the bike. I guess that happens, but it was a rough weekend. I really couldn’t ride the way I wanted to. But I’ll come out swinging at Lake Elsinore.”

Finally, Star Valli Yamaha teammate in the 250 class Ryan Sipes wasn’t feeling well and retired for the day after finishing 18th in the first moto.

In the 450 class, Star Valli Yamaha’s Nico Izzi continued to rack up solid results. In practice, the Rockstar rider qualified second, then he overcame a moto-one crash to finish eighth. In the second moto, Izzi also finished eighth and wound up sixth overall for the day.

“I’ve been struggling with starts all season,” said Izzi. “But in the first moto, I came out pretty good and worked my way up to fourth. Then I came up short in the rhythm section and went down, but still managed an eighth. I was pretty beat after that first moto, but I regrouped for the second moto, got an OK start and basically just rode. It started raining halfway through the moto and I backed it down, played it safe. I was happy to be in the top 10 and now I’m focusing on finishing the season strong at Elsinore.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Bobby Kiniry celebrated his best 450 moto finish of the season in the second moto, thanks to a seventh-place result. Prior to that, Kiniry pulled out of the first moto after an errant rock broke his front brake. Despite this, Kiniry still finished 14th overall.

“I ran into some problems in the first moto,” said Kiniry. “I got hit by a rock and it stuck my throttle and broke my front brake. I rode for about 20 minutes and got to 26th, but then it started getting dangerous so I pulled in. Then I regrouped and got everything fixed and went out for the second moto. I got a mediocre start, but the Rockstar Yamaha pulled me through that first turn and I put the hammer down until I got up to seventh. Now we’ll just move forward to next week.”

“This was kind of a shot in the dark,” said Sipes. “I didn’t ride the bike at all before we got to Washougal, so we were testing all day. We made a big change right before the second moto. I went eight/eight for seventh, so I can’t complain. Especially since I hadn’t ridden a 250 since Supercross. But it was fun, I had a good time and I’m looking forward to spending some time on the bike and racing at Southwick.”

Joining Sipes in the 250 class on Rockstar Energy’s Star Valli Yamaha squad was new rider Cole Thompson. Unfortunately, Thompson suffered some bad luck at Washougal and was unable to finish, but he plans to race the next round at Southwick.

“On the first lap of the first moto, I crashed at the bottom of the hill in a pile-up with a few other riders,” said Thompson. “So I started dead last and was just getting my momentum going when I came across a slick patch and high-sided. I landed right on my shoulder and head, and that was it for me for the day.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammates Kyle Peters, Gareth Swanepoel, Kyle Cunningham and Tommy Weeck were unable to race the 250 class this weekend due to injury. In the 450 class, Star Valli Yamaha’s Nico Izzi was also out due to injury but will return for Southwick, and Bobby Kiniry is currently campaigning the Canadian Nationals.

“In the first moto, I got off to a really good start,” said Peters. “I came out third, but I couldn’t really hold on to the bike. Right before RedBud, I crashed and had a third degree AC separation. I tried to race but I just couldn’t hold on, and that pretty much ended my day.”

Rockstar Energy Star Valli Racing teammate Gareth Swanepoel also had a tough first 250 moto but turned in a solid effort. The South African overcame a poor start and worked his way to 10th place. Unfortunately, on the last lap Swanepoel came together with another rider and injured his leg and could not race the second moto.

“In the first moto, I got a terrible start,” said Swanepoel. “I had to come from the mid-20s all the way up to 10th. I felt really strong and good the whole race and was pushing really hard on the last lap, when I tagged another rider in the air, and I put my foot out and fractured my tibia. So I have to go to the doctor next week and get it fixed so I can be ready to race as soon as possible.”

Likewise, new Rockstar Energy replacement rider Tommy Weeck, who successfully debuted with Star Valli Yamaha last weekend, broke his leg in a practice crash during the week and could not race.

In the 450 class, Rockstar Energy Star Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes was recuperating from a crash last weekend, but still gave 100 percent. In the first moto, he got a fair start and clicked off clean laps to finish 13th. In the second moto, Sipes went down while running seventh and was unable to finish the race.

“It was an OK weekend,” said Sipes. “I’ve had better, but I’ve also had worse. But Millville is behind us now, so I’m focusing on getting ready for Washougal next weekend and coming back strong.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Bobby Kiniry did not race this weekend as he is currently campaigning the Canadian Nationals, but the Rockstar Energy rider will return for the Unadilla National next month. Also, Star Valli Yamaha teammate Nico Izzi did not race after sustaining an injury in a crash last weekend at RedBud. Izzi hopes to be back racing as soon as possible.