ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI SET FOR ANAHEIM OPENER

Courtesy of American Suzuki

ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI SET FOR ANAHEIM OPENER

Team Suzuki Press Office - January 6.

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki Supercross team is prepped and ready to compete at Anaheim 1, the first round of the 2010 Monster Energy AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship, this weekend.

With the direction of motocross legend and Team Manager Roger DeCoster and Assistant Team Manager Ray Tetherton, the entire team is at the top of their game with the help of the championship-winning RM-Z450 and all-new fuel-injected RM-Z250. And with a roster of winning athletes that includes Lites Champion Ryan Dungey and Australian Lites Champion Matt Moss moving up to the pro Supercross class and Austin Stroupe in the Lites East series, the team is looking to have a great 2010 season.

Reigning Supercross Lites West Champion and AMA Motocross 250 Champion Dungey - a member of the winning U.S. Motocross of Nations team - is moving up to the 450 class this year. He's been putting the RM-Z450 to the test, and both racer and bike are in winning form. "We have a lot of hopes resting on Dungey for the 2010 season," DeCoster said. "He will be our main guy and I believe he is capable to adapt to the big boy's class, yet we need to stay realistic as everyone moving up has needed some time to adapt. Maybe the biggest difference is that now it's not eight or nine SX events to compete in but 17 in row and there is no time for a break or to regroup."

Dungey's fluid riding style and his ability to race smart will help him make a big impact in the Supercross series. "I'm really looking forward to this season, and I'm excited," Dungey said. "We've done a lot of preparation in the off-season, and the goal is to go out there and get my first win. I want to be in the hunt and I think we can make that happen. I'm going to do my best, I have a great team that works 100 per cent and I can't wait to get out there and race. I'm ready."

Adding to Dungey's chances of winning is mechanic Mike "Goose" Gosselaar, who wrenched on Ricky Carmichael's championship-winning Suzukis in the past.

Australian Pro Lites Supercross and Australasian Pro Lites Champion Moss is coming to the U.S. series and will be taking on the competition with his race-ready RM-Z450. Moss sustained an injury in the final Australian SX race of the season on December 5th in which he compressed the T5 vertebrae in his back, but he's on track to make his U.S. Supercross debut in the coming weeks. DeCoster said, "We had big hopes to see Matt Moss making the move up from Lites at the same time as Ryan, but due to his injuries sustained on a 450 after wining the Lites title in Australia, Matt will probably miss the first six events. I have been told that he is pretty resilient and should be able to come back strong." Moss is expected to recover in time to line up at the starting gate for most of the Supercross races and is looking forward to competing alongside Dungey aboard the Suzuki RM-Z450.

Austin Stroupe will be riding the RM-Z250 and competing in the Pro Lites East series after finishing second in the series in 2009. "Our Lites rider, Austin Stroupe, will do the East Coast Lites and will take the place of Moss in the Supercross class while we are at the West Coast events. Austin has been doing well in his preparation."

Stroupe is consistently one of the fastest racers on the track, and with the help of the all-new fuel-injected RM-Z250, he's poised to take the Pro Lites class by storm and get some valuable experience riding Moss' RM-Z450. "I'm really looking forward to getting out there and racing this year," Stroupe said. "I've got a great team, a great bike I've been putting in a lot of time on, and I feel really good. I'm ready to go."

 Team Suzuki January Desktop Wallpaper/ Calendar featuring Ryan Dungey is available under 'Downloads': http://www.suzuki-racing.com/downloads.aspx