Ryan Dungey won his fourth overall in a row on Saturday at the Thunder Valley National in Colorado, and has won six of the last eight motos.
-Dungey now leads the 450 class by 51 points and has led the most laps so far in the series.
-The Suzuki fuel-injected RM-Z450 handled the altitude and the track like a true champion.
Brea, Calif. – Four overall wins in a row out of five races has put Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey in command of the 450 class championship chase. Dungey went 2-1 at the Thunder Valley AMA Pro Motocross on Saturday, taking the overall and putting himself even further ahead of the competition on the race to the title. Dungey and his RM-Z450 were well tuned and fully prepared to race, and they have now won six of the last eight motos.
Dungey started the day by proving that his Suzuki fuel-injected RM-Z450 was well equipped for the thin air. Dungey got a great jump off the gate and was immediately in second place and staring down the leader. Ryan followed until the chance to take over the lead presented itself, and he didn’t hesitate to take over the top spot. With pressure from another racer right behind him, Dungey focused on running his own race. By the time the checkered flag fell, Dungey was again in second place.
In the second moto, Dungey followed the formula that’s been working for him this year: get a good start and let no one stand in the way of the finish line. Dungey’s RM-Z450 rocketed him out of the starting gate. He found himself in second place again at the start of the battle, but by the third lap Dungey had made his move to take over the lead. To win the overall Dungey would have been fine to stay in second, but the 2010 Supercross Champ likes to win. Ryan pulled away from the pack and put more than 13 seconds between him and the other racers by the time the moto was finished.
"Today it took an entire team effort to get the win," Dungey said after the race. "I got a good start in Moto 1 but I didn’t have that extra step and ended up second. We went back to work and made a couple key adjustments to the bike, which ended up making all the difference. Goose, Roger, Ian, and Adam and Scott at Showa have been working really hard this year and it’s showing in the results."
Throughout the day, Dungey’s outstanding fitness and the unrivaled reliability of his RM-Z450 remained strong. With his great moto finishes, Dungey took the overall in Colorado, which makes it four straight for the 20-year-old rookie. "We have won four in a row but now is not the time to let up and get complacent," Dungey said. "Red Bud is a track where we haven’t been able to put it together in the past, so we’re going back to work this week to get ready."
Dungey’s teammate Matt Moss was hoping to have his breakthrough race in the tough conditions of Colorado. With the altitude and heat, Moss was able to wrangle 28-19 moto finishes to put himself in 22nd overall. He also was awarded the Recovery Award, which gives him $500 and recognition for his fight to come back after an injury sidelined his entire Supercross season.
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki team is already hard at work preparing for Round 6 of the AMA Pro Motocross series on July 3 at the spectacular Red Bud track in Buchanan, Michigan. Dungey will be looking to keep his winning streak alive and put himself in further control of the 450-class championship.
Thunder Valley 450 Class Top 10
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Ben Townley
3. Brett Metcalfe
4. Josh Grant
5. Andrew Short
6. Kyle Regal
7. Kyle Chisholm
8. Mike Alessi
9. Chad Reed
10. Justin Brayton
450 Class Top 10 Overall?
1. Ryan Dungey 218
2. Brett Metcalfe 167
3. Chad Reed 160
4. Mike Alessi 154
5. Andrew Short 153
6. Josh Grant 152
7. Ben Townley 151
8. Kyle Chisholm 108
9. Tommy Hahn 101
10. Kyle Regal 94
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