It’s no secret that the first half of the AMA THQ Supercross season brought its share of challenges to the Honda/Moto XXX team, but the Atlanta race brought the privateer heroes a few needed smiles.

For starters, the Atlanta round ended the first half of the series and gives the team the opportunity to make a fresh start. It isn’t just blind optimism either, because both Justin Buckelew and Kyle Lewis gave Moto XXX and its fans reasons to be hopeful for the rest of the season.

Without a doubt, Buckelew had his best performance of the year. Riding the 125 East division aboard a Honda CRF250R, he was looking to improve on the 13th-place finish he scored at Indianapolis. He got off to a good start by transferring straight out of his heat race and carried that confidence into the main event. It was there that he set the team’s standards higher than they had been to that point in the season. In a field stacked with established factory stars and highly touted young prospects, “J-Buck” held his own. When the checkers flew, he was 8th overall, the best privateer finish of the night in either class. His consistency in the opening two rounds of the east coast series is already paying off. Justin has moved into 7th in the series standings, also the highest among privateers.

Kyle Lewis’ spectacular Indianapolis crash wasn’t as exciting for him as the millions of people who saw it on ESPN2. The incident left him battered and severely bruised, yet thankful that he didn’t suffer any serious injuries. After deciding against racing in San Diego, he bravely returned to action in Atlanta. A pro’s pro, Lewis wouldn’t hit the track without giving it everything he has. Despite a lot of lingering pain, he transferred to the main event from his semi as if he never missed a beat. Then he rode safely in the main, finishing 14th and giving himself a nice starting point for the second half.

The “Lucky and Bucky” show will perform next in St. Louis on March 5th. There both riders will be looking to raise the bar for the team again and maintain its position at the top of the privateer heap.

Moto XXX is faithfully supported by American Honda, Akrapovic, O’neal, Honda Genuine Parts, Sidi, Tag Metals, West Coast Customs, Polisport Plastic, Pro Honda Oils & Chemicals, Pro-X, Utopia Optics, N-Style, Lucky 13, Ready Filter, VP Fuels, Braking, Motion Pro, Hinson, Metaltek, Ogio, Dunlop, Fat Wreck Chords, RK Chain, Excel Wheels, Vortex, ARC, Ti Lube, Carbon Fiber Works, SDG Seats, Engine Ice, PPG, Asterisk, Lockhart Phillips, V-Force.