Everything you Missed from the 2-Stroke Championships
There’s nothing quite like 2 strokes. The crisp sound of the throttle revving, the sight of smoky exhausts clouding the air, and the sweet smell of fumes filling our heads. It brings back feelings of nostalgia, but for a group of die hard 2-stroke fans, it’s a lifestyle that hasn’t ended.
Glen Helen welcomed back the 2024 Wiseco 2-Stroke World Championships hosted by Fasthouse on April 20, 2024.
The talk of the industry leading up to Saturday’s race was Villopoto’s entry into the Open Pro Class, riding a 2024 YZ250, which would be given away.
Pasha Racing brought $15,000 dollars of cold hard cash as prize money for the top guys in three different classes. In the Pasha 125 Open Pro Class, it was Sean Lipanovich off to an early lead, but Josh Mosiman would fight his way back from a bad start and go on to win the first moto, followed by Ryan Morais and Lipanovich.
In the second moto, Mosiman would encounter more bad luck with a rock stuck in his sprocket, which locked up his bike. This cost him a lot of time and left the door open for Sean Lipanovich to take the second moto win and overall victory with a 3-1 followed by Ryan Morais with a 2-2 and Mike Alessi with a 4-3.
Tony “Pasha” Panterra (left) puts in quite a bit of his own resources to spread the passion for 2-stroke racing.
The Open Pro Class would give spectators a memorable battle between Carson Brown and Justin Hoeft. In moto 1, Brown defended his 2023 Open Class Title by grabbing the holeshot and never looking back. Villopoto stayed close to the front of the pack, but eventually the arm pump left him in 8th. Behind Moto 1’s winner Carson Brown was Justin Hoeft in 2nd and Luke Kalaitzian in 3rd.
Moto 2 started with a Villipoto holeshot where he went on to lead a couple laps, but eventually Hoeft and Brown made their way past him. With Hoeft leading the race, Brown knew he needed to pass him to get the overall. In the final corner of the final lap, Brown would lay down the bike sending it into the corner for an all-out pass effort, while Hoeft rode to a 2-1 overall. Brown got up in time to secure 2nd overall with a 1-2. Villopoto came in 3rd, with an 8-3 on the day to score him 5th. Giacomo Redondi would snatch the final overall podium spot in the Open Pro Class with a 5-4.
Villopoto pulled a holeshot in moto 2, but the ultimate battle was between Brown and Hoeft, with the overall being decided in the final corner.
Overall, it was a fun day of racing and celebrating all things 2-stroke. A big highlight of this year’s 2-Stroke Championship was the live stream race coverage. You can watch back all of the races on YouTube, for free. Wiseco is proud to continue to support the 2-stroke community with events like the 2-Stroke World Championships and products for the fastest bikes in the world. Thanks to all the riders, fans and brands for another great day of smoking in the dirt.
Recap and video produced by Ryan Foss Productions