Dungey race report from SF Supercross

San Francisco took on boatloads of rain leading up to this weekend’s Round 4 of the AMA Supercross series. But just like last week at Anaheim, the track crew did a tremendous job giving the riders a great track to race on.

Series point leader and Supercross rookie phenomenon Ryan Dungey used his Yoshimura powered Suzuki to full advantage grabbing the holeshot in his heat race. But as he drifted wide heading into turn two, while Andrew Short on his Honda Racing Red Bull motorcycle, cut inside and passed into the lead.

With one lap to go, Dungey was right on Short, but after seat bouncing a jump Dungey cross rutted a bit and drifted left, landing on a tuff block. By the time he got back up, several riders had passed him and he crossed the line in 6th. That finish was good for transfer to the main event, but didn’t give him a very good gate pick. Short won the race and the stage was set for the main event.

When the gate dropped for the main event, Dungey blasted off the gate like a missile, his Yoshimura Suzuki sounding strong as Dungey grabbed yet another main event Supercross holeshot. Up front, Dungey was checking out. His bike pulling hard and smoothly off the corners, seemingly finding traction where others weren’t.

Not so minor, however, with 10 laps to go, Dungey caught his foot in a rut and launched himself over the same jump he crashed on earlier. It was a frightening crash, but Ryan jumped right up, ran to his bike, and got rolling right away. He had built up about a 9-second lead before the crash, but that was now gone. By the time he got his bike sorted out and back up to speed, he had drifted back to 4th place. Considering the severity of the crash, though, it was nothing short of amazing that he was still riding.

Ryan Dungey Speaks…

"After practice, I felt good," Dungey said. "I think we made some good changes to the bike. I felt confident in the heat race, but I had a little tip over, so I tried to regroup. I came out and got a great holeshot in the main, and then I caught my foot and threw it away. I salvaged it for fourth, which is not too bad. I’m thankful that I’m alright and healthy."

His fourth-place finish in San Francisco was enough to keep him 12 points ahead of second place. Next is the San Diego Supercross on February 6th, which should be an interesting race. Ryan Dungey will be looking to put the hammer down on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki, while all the others will be looking to make their mark as well.

Check back here at Ultimate MotorCycling for latest race reports.


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