Steel City Report: American Honda

Courtesy of American Honda

Torrance CA: Honda Red Bull Racing’s Kevin Windham came out on top at round eleven of the AMA Motocross Championship at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, PA on Saturday, September 4, aboard his CRF450R. GEICO Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard made it a double victory for Honda by clinching the 250-class victory aboard his CRF250R.

 

Despite not competing in the premier 450 Motocross class for years, Windham showed that at 32 years of age he still has what it takes to win. In moto one the 16-year racing veteran battled for the lead with GEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe before taking control of the race and setting the stage for a Honda podium sweep. Windham came out on top, Metcalfe nabbed second and Troy Lee Design’s Ben Townley clinched third place aboard his CRF450R. In the second moto Windham moved into an early lead but relinquished a spot on lap four. The Honda racer held off a determined charge by Metcalfe once again to take the checkers in second place, which earned him the overall victory (1-2).

 

"This win is definitely up there with some of my greatest career moments and I’m stoked to have the opportunity to be out here racing," said Windham. "I’m learning to cherish each and every one of these moments with each passing year as I’m not getting any younger and you never know when the next opportunity will come again. The Honda Red Bull Racing team was awesome this weekend and I really had to work hard to keep Metcalfe honest in both motos."

 

The battle for second place in the championship got even hotter for Windham’s teammate Andrew Short, who came into Steel City with a three-point lead over Metcalfe in the series points standings. Short continued to rip off fast starts in both motos but his 4-5 moto results versus Metcalfe’s 2-3 tally saw the pair switch spots in the overall standings. Short’s hunt to regain second in the championship chase will be played out at the final round next weekend at Pala Raceway, CA.

 

Metcalfe’s 2-3 finishes at Steel City gave him second overall at the round. Despite suffering a broken nose during the first moto, Townley still finished third, but a first-turn pile-up in moto two took him out of the competition. Still his third place finish in moto one (plus a 37^th in moto two) gave him 10th overall.

 

In 250cc competition, Canard made a perfect sweep of both motos, pulling off a pair of flawless rides to score his fifth overall victory this season aboard his CRF250R. With just seven points separating Canard from the points leader with one round to go, his campaign toward winning his first-ever Motocross Championship will be decided at the final round next weekend. Teammate Eli Tomac had a good showing, going 4-5 aboard his CRF250R to finish just shy of the overall podium in fourth place. GEICO Powersports Honda’s Justin Barcia nabbed sixth (10-6) and Blake Wharton finished seventh (9-7) aboard his CRF250R while Wil Hahn got eighth (5-11) aboard his Troy Lee Designs Honda CRF250R. Rounding out the top ten, Honda privateer Darryn Durham went 8-10 to secure 10th overall.

 

In the Women’s Motocross Championship, Ashley Fiolek showed good speed from the get-go aboard her CRF250R, going 1-2 to take second overall for the round. In the opening moto, Fiolek grabbed the holeshot and went on to lead every lap of the race en route to taking victory. In moto two, she put in a solid chase for the lead that included a spectacular charge in the closing turns of the race. Unfortunately Fiolek went down with a turn to go but still managed to take the checkers in second spot to put her second overall. Tarah Gieger went 4-7 aboard her Troy Lee Designs Honda CRF250R for sixth overall.

 

450 Overall Results
1. Kevin Windham 1-2 (Honda)
2. Brett Metcalfe 2-3 (Honda)
3. Justin Brayton 5-4
4. Andrew Short 4-5 (Honda)
5. Mike Alessi 7-7
6. Ryan Dungey 40-1
7. Nick Paluzzi 10-8
8. Kyle Chisholm 14-6
9. Robert Kiniry 9-11
10. Ben Townley 3-37 (Honda)

 

450 Point Standings
1. Ryan Dungey 493
2. Brett Metcalfe 356
3. Andrew Short 351
4. Mike Alessi 301
5. Ben Townley 291
6. Josh Grant 260
7. Kyle Chisholm 238
8. Ryan Sipes 211
9. Chad Reed 204
10. Kyle Regal 201

 

250 Overall Results
1. Trey Canard 1-1 (Honda)
2. Christophe Pourcel 2-2
3. Tyla Rattray 3-4
4. Eli Tomac 4-5 (Honda)
5. Broc Tickle 7-8
6. Justin Barcia 10-6
7. Blake Wharton 9-7 (Honda)
8. Wil Hahn 5-11 (Honda)
9. Dean Wilson 17-3
10. Darryn Durham 8-10 (Honda)

 

250 Point Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel 443
2. Trey Canard 436
3. Tyla Rattray 402
4. Dean Wilson 387
5. Justin Barcia 317
6. Eli Tomac 296
7. Blake Wharton 285
8. Broc Tickle 259
9. Martin Davalos 229
10. Jake Weimer 195

 

WMX Overall Results
1. Jessica Patterson 2-1
2. Ashley Fiolek 1-2 (Honda)
3. Mariana Balbi 3-4
4. Alexa Pearson 7-3
5. Sara Price 5-5
6. Tarah Gieger 4-7 (Honda)
7. Vicki Golden 9-6
8. Sherri Cruse 6-9
9. Jacqueline Strong 8-10
10. Sarah Whitmore 11-11

 

WMX Point Standings
1. Jessica Patterson 335
2. Ashley Fiolek 313
3. Tarah Gieger 261
4. Vicki Golden217
5. Sara Price 212
6. Mariana Balbi 207
7. Sarah Whitmore 178
8. Alexa Pearson 172
9. Tatum Sik 152
10. Jacqueline Strong 136

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DUNGEY TAKES 3RD WIN IN A ROW AT BUDDS CREEK

Courtesy of Suzuki Racing
DUNGEY TAKES 3RD WIN IN A ROW AT BUDDS CREEK


Team Suzuki Press Office - June 22.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey won his third overall in a row at round four of the AMA Motocross Championship at Budds Creek at the weekend and opened up his Championship lead to 36 points.

"It was a good weekend for us," Dungey said. "I felt strong in both motos and the whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team has really put together a great race bike. We just need to focus on the next race and keep plugging away."

In Moto 1, Dungey fought his way into second after a sixth-place start and was making some good moves to secure the lead when he found himself off his bike. With the RM-Z450 still running and Dungey feeling strong, he remounted and focused on working his way towards the front. He realised his goggles were filled with dirt and he was forced to remove them mid race, but he soldiered on.

In Moto 2, Dungey got a great start and rode the first three laps in second. He kept looking for his chance to move into first, and with the unrelenting power of his RM-Z450, he soon found his way to the front of the pack. Dungey stayed in first place for the remainder of the moto, eventually taking the win. His 3-1 finishes gave him the best overall results of the day, putting him on top of the podium with his third overall win in a row.

Dungey's team mate Matt Moss was hoping that he'd be able to deliver solid results at Budds Creek and in Moto 1 he proved that he has been putting in a lot of practice track hours aboard his RM-Z450. With 2010 being his first year on the 450, and suffering an injury that sidelined his entire Supercross season, Moss has been steadily working his way up the rankings. He had a very strong showing in Moto 1 when he nearly broke the top 10, finishing 13th and fighting the entire moto. In the second moto, Moss battled his way to an 18th-place finish, which was good enough to put him in 16th place overall and his best finish of the season so far.

"Budds Creek was OK for me, though I wasn't very satisfied with my starts and position overall," Moss said. "Next weekend in Colorado, I'm going in there focused on getting in the top 10. I know I can do it."

Round 5 of the AMA Pro Motocross series takes place on June 26 at the Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, Colorado.

Budds Creek 450 Top-10 Results:

1. Ryan Dungey
2. Andrew Short
3. Chad Reed
4. Josh Grant
5. Mike Alessi
6. Brett Metcalfe
7. Ryan Sipes
8. Ben Townley
9. Kyle Chisholm
10. Justin Brayton
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DUNGEY TAKES AMA MX CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

Courtesy of Suzuki Racing
Team Suzuki Press Office - June 14.
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey has taken the lead in the AMA Motocross Championship after winning both motos at the weekend's third round at High Point Raceway.

The RM-Z450-mounted World Supercross Champion said: "We had back-to-back good weekends and put ourselves in a pretty good spot, but it's still really early in a long championship."

In the first moto, Dungey set a pattern for the day: taking over the lead mid-way into the race and being consistently-smooth on the rough and rutted track. As the first moto started, Dungey worked his way closer to the front, lap by lap. Just when it looked like the leader may have checked out, he rocketed past and took over the lead. Dungey broke free from the pack towards the end of the race, thanks to the seemingly-endless power of the RM-Z450.

"The track conditions at High Point changed throughout the day, especially in that first moto where it was dry and then wet in the second half," Dungey said. "These types of conditions challenge bike set-up and the team really hit the mark with engine, suspension, and tyres."

In the second moto, he kept to the pattern he set: Starting out in fifth place, Dungey picked good lines and passed riders for the first half of the race and moved himself into second and by mid-distance took the lead.

Dungey came into High Point second overall in the series, 11 points behind the leader. With his 1-1 finishes in Pennsylvania, and his 1-1 finishes last weekend in Texas, he now has a 25-point lead.

Dungey's team-mate Matt Moss was hoping High Point would be the turnaround he needs in the still-young Motocross season: The track was well-suited to Moss' riding style, and with two races and many weeks of training on the RM-Z450, he felt comfortable as he lined up at the gate.

In the first moto, Moss scored his season-best finish of 17th. At the start of the second moto, Moss and his RM-Z ran as high as second at the beginning, and although Moss fell back a bit in subsequent laps, he maintained his place in the top 10 for much of the race. The choppy track eventually took its toll on Moss and he crashed towards the end of the moto. With past injuries haunting the Australian since the start of the Motocross season, he was unable to rejoin the fray and was forced to settle for 31st and a top-20 position.

Said Moss: "The weekend for me was a lot better than last week, so I was happy about that. I wasn't much off the pace and the bike got me off to some great starts and was handling great. I just need to keep the rubber end down and I'll be up there next weekend!"

Results:

1. Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) - (1-1) 2. Andrew Short (Honda) - (3-2)
3. Brett Metcalfe (Honda) - (6-3)
4. Ben Townley (Honda) - (4-6)
5. Mike Alessi (KTM) - (7-5)
6. Matt Goerke (Yamaha) - (5-7)
7. Tommy Hahn (Suzuki) - (11-4)
8. Josh Grant (Yamaha) - (2-24)
9. Ryan Sipes (Yamaha) - (10-11)
10. Kyle Cunningham (Yamaha) - (9-12)


Race images from High Point: CLICK HERE
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DUNGEY DOMINATES FREESTONE AMA MOTOCROSS

Courtesy of Suzuki
Team Suzuki Press Office - June 7.


World Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey dominated both motos at the weekend's second round of the AMA Motocross Championship at Freestone Raceway in Wortham, Texas in scorching conditions - and moved to second place in the series.

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider took victory in both races as team mate Matt Moss - his wrist still sore from being landed on in the opening round at Hangtown - had a tough day, managing a 34-20 finish for 24th overall.

Anxious to improve on his Hangtown results, Dungey secured a good first moto start near the front. He then quickly made his way to the front, taking the lead on lap seven. As the heat and humidity intensified, however, Dungey and the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 held strong at the front, crossing the finish line well ahead of second place and taking his first moto win in the 450 class.

"We put in our work the last couple of weeks; actually, it goes all the way back to after the Vegas Supercross, really," Dungey said after the race. "I admit we didn't have a good race at Hangtown, but we kept after it as a team and pulled through in some pretty tough conditions in Texas. We know each other very well after four-plus years together and you could say we drew on our experience to win this overall. This was a team win."

The second moto saw considerably more treacherous conditions: The Freestone track had become much rougher and the 100-degree heat had yet to back off. For Dungey, however, it was just another race to win. Dungey started near the front and once again moved into the lead early on and never looked back. Dungey made it look easy aboard his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450, stretching out another sizable lead on his way to his first 1-1 overall finish. For Moss, the second moto was an improvement, as he was able to finish 20th on the tough track with an injured wrist. His efforts were good enough for 24th overall.

"I had bad luck in the first race with a crash, but in the second moto I got a great start and my bike was working great," Moss said. "I just struggled with the heat and my wrist, but I do feel like I'm getting better. Next weekend will be good. I have seen the track and it's the sort of track that I like, so I can't wait to get there and get a good result."

Added Dungey: "My bike was a big advantage today. The power delivery is very controllable and on a rough track like this and it made it easier to be smooth and find good lines. My team really worked hard to get the setup right, and I can't say enough about them and the bike."

With the win, Dungey moves up to second place in the Championship. The next stop of the series is June 12th at Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, for the Rockstar Energy High Point National.


Championship points (after 2 rounds): CLICK HERE

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