Ryan Dungey's Blog

Courtesy of Suzuki

Team Suzuki Press Office - February 4.


So far, the 2010 season on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team has been really great. I put in a lot of hard work in the off-season, but the start of the AMA Supercross has been better than I could’ve imagined.

Roger DeCoster always tells me the only thing that matters is the last race, so I’m really focusing on keeping healthy and racing smart. I’m just going to try to carry the momentum and remember it’s one race at a time, and also to have fun, enjoy it, and let the rest come. The season is a long one, 17 races, and there’s a lot of racing left to do.

Winning the first race of my 450 career in Phoenix, Arizona, was great and following up that win with another one in Anaheim 2 was like icing on the cake. The setup on my Suzuki RM-Z450 is really good, and all the guys on the team are really working hard to make sure it’s in great shape.

The fuel injection on the bike is really good, and right off the starts I have instant power. There’s no bog, and it just launches out of the gate. No one knows how the rest of the season is going to go, but I hope that I can continue to do well and put the team and the bike on the podium.

Before I sign off, I want to thank my fans, my sponsors, and my family for supporting me. I couldn’t do this without help from a lot of great people, so thanks!

 

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MORAIS RACES TO PHOENIX SUPERCROSS PODIUM

Courtesy of American Suzuki
Rockstar Energy Suzuki team rider Ryan Morais raced to another podium finish with second place at the second round of the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Morais moved up one position from last weekend's third overall at the opening Anaheim round which puts him in second overall in the series and only eight points off the lead.

"My RM-Z250 is running great!" Morais said after the race. "I got a pretty good start and then pretty much attacked the whole race. I got close, but couldn't quite get up to the top spot on the box. Hopefully I can get a win in Anaheim next weekend"

In the heat race, Morais and team mate Hunter Hewitt lined up. At the drop of the gate, Morais snagged the holeshot but had a bobble and found himself in fourth position. But by lap two, he was in second and Hewitt was mired back in 13th.

With three laps to go, Morais made a mistake in the sand and fell back to third but quickly passed back up to second.  At the end it was Morais in second while Hewitt worked his way up to 10th, putting him into the LCQ. In the LCQ, Hewitt missed transferring to the Main by just one spot and will have to wait until Anaheim-2 for his next shot.

At the start of the Main, Morais got out to a fourth-placed start and immediately started to charge forward. By lap four, he was up to third and on the move. The next lap he was up to second and looking for more. By the halfway point, Morais was still running second but it was anyone's race as the top four were separated by only a few seconds. He took over the lead on lap 12 and led until lap 14 when he was passed and put in second place. The last lap saw Morais close down to a .4-second gap but at the flag he had to settle for second place.

"The bike is just amazing out there," Morais said after the race. "I got great starts all night. I'm really looking forward to next week; I'm learning every weekend and I'm really having fun."

Team Manager Bill Keefe was happy with his Lites riders' performance, "Ryan rode a strong, smart race at Phoenix. It's only our second race together as a team on the Suzuki RM-Z250. To finish second on the night, and be sitting second in the Lites West Coast Championship, is a very good start to our 2010 season."

Meanwhile in the AMA Supercross class, team rider Tommy Hahn scored a hard-fought top-10 finish, making him the top-ranked privateer in the class. With many of the world's top riders struggling on this technical track, Hahn's efforts made his RM-Z450 the third Suzuki in the top 10. Like Hunter and Ryan, Hahn can't wait for Anaheim 2 this coming weekend. But there may be some surprises waiting for all the Supercross riders at the Big A.

"With the prediction of a week of rain in Southern California, Anaheim 2 should be very interesting." Bill Keefe reminded us. "Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki has a good mud prep plan for the race bikes. Tommy, Ryan and Hunter all enjoy racing in the mud, so rain or shine we will be ready. The Suzukis are great bikes and with help from Rockstar Energy Drinks, Canidae, and all our program partners, it is especially gratifying to deliver some solid results."

 

Inaugural Gravity Slashers Freestyle Motocross Tour Schedule and Riders Announced Gravity Defying Freestyle Motocross Contests Coming to an Arena Near You

Courtesy of Feld Entertainmemt
AURORA, Ill. – Feld Motor Sports announced today the inaugural Gravity Slashers Freestyle Motocross tour, kicking off in Charlotte, N.C. on January 2, 2010 and concluding in Cleveland, Ohio on March 6, 2010. The 15-stop tour will feature some of the world’s best freestyle motocross pros as they attempt to one-up each other with gravity-defying tricks.    

The sport is freestyle motocross and with Gravity Slashing tricks like Cliffhangers, Sterilizers, Tsunamis, and Hart Attacks, fans are sure to be on the edge of their seats all night! These feats may sound like accidents waiting to happen, but in reality, they are some of the most astounding aerial acrobatics you’ll ever see.

In freestyle motocross, the name of the game is “anything goes” in this adrenaline-filled contest staged in mid-air. Riders launch their bikes off ramps that propel them towards the rafters, performing mind-bending acrobatic moves as they soar through the arena airspace. The only way to properly experience this spine-tingling sport is from the very edge of your seat as these daredevils fly high overhead.

“We are proud to introduce the Gravity Slashers tour and continue Feld Motor Sports’ longstanding tradition of world class freestyle motocross competition,” said Todd Jendro, senior director of operations, Feld Motor Sports. “These riders push the limits of reality and thousands of fans all over the country will have the chance to witness the action up close throughout the winter season.”

Gravity Slashers, this action-packed event, will be invading an arena near you so be sure to check your local box office or Ticketmaster outlets. Keep track of all the news on www.GravitySlashers.com 

2010 Gravity Slashers Tour Schedule

Date/s                          Day/s               City, State                     Venue              
Jan 2, 2010                   Sat                   Charlotte, NC                Time Warner Cable Arena
Jan 8-9, 2010                Fri/Sat              Portland, ME                 Cumberland Civic Center
Jan 15-16, 2010             Fri/Sat              Pensacola, FL               Pensacola Civic Center
Jan 16, 2010                 Sat                   Portland, OR                 Rose Garden
Jan 22-23, 2010             Fri/Sat              Bridgeport, CT              Arena at Harbor Yard
Jan 30-31, 2010             Fri/Sat              Salt Lake City, UT          Energy Solutions Arena
Jan 30, 2010                 Sat                   Greensboro, NC            Greensboro Coliseum
Feb 5-6, 2010                Fri/Sat              Wichita, KS                   Intrust Bank Arena
Feb 12-13, 2010            Fri/Sat              Little Rock, AR              Verizon Arena
Feb 19-20, 2010            Fri/Sat              Toledo, OH                   Lucas County Arena
Feb 19-20, 2010            Fri/Sat              Sacramento, CA            Arco Arena
Feb 26-27, 2010            Fri/Sat              Moline, IL                      I Wireless Center
Feb 27, 2010                 Sat                   Phoenix, AZ                  US Airways Center
Mar 5-6, 2010                Fri/Sat              Wilkes-Barre, PA           Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza
Mar 6, 2010                   Sat                   Cleveland, OH               Quicken Loans Arena

2010 Gravity Slashers Athletes

Ben Veyna        (Las Vegas, NV)
Derek Burlew     (Cliffwood Beach, NJ)
Derek Cook       (Clinton, OK)
Drake McElroy  (Fernley, NV)
Dustin Nowak    (Mammoth Lakes, CA)
Greg Hartman    (Greencastle, PA)
Heath Frisby     (Boise, ID)
J.J. Romans     (Flagstaff, AZ)
Jack Rowe        (Chicago, IL)
Jeff Banks        (Campbell River, B.C.)
John Distler      (Gilbert, AZ)
Julian Dusseau  (Humbolt County, CA)
Justin Stoltzfus (Philadelphia, PA)
Keith Sayers     (Butte, MT)
Nick Dunne       (Redding, CA)
Rich Kearns      (Prospect, CT)
Sean Nielsen     (Gunnison, UT)
Shawn Connors (Dorset, VT)
Vince Morgan    (St. Johns, AZ)

For more information on the Gravity Slashers tour, please contact Scott Roegner at scott@nextlevelsportsinc.com or by phone at (949) 365-5750.

About Feld Motor Sports
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy® Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Freestyle Motocross, Nuclear Cowboyz and IHRA® Nitro Jam®.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.