Motocross Results
Where is James Stewart… and Chad Reed for that matter? With four overall race wins in a row out of five outdoor AMA Motocross events, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey is in command of the 450 class championship chase. MX fans are left wondering… when JS7 will return?
With old guard at bay, 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.
Ryan Dungey says: “Today it took an entire team effort to get the win. 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 fitness and race reliability 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.
So getting back to our original question, where is James Stewart? After a long silence, the 2009 Supercross Champion JS7 has finally again remerged.
Twitter reports surfaced on June 12th that made us go “hum” and later on June 27th that indicated that James Stewart returned to the saddle of his Yamaha YZ450F for a day of practice.
James Stewart Tweeted:
“I’m ready to get back out there so I can WIN! Oh it’s gonna be fun when I’m back. 6:45 PM Jun 12th via mobile web ”
“Had the best day in five months!!!! And this is Why….. 5:30 PM Jun 27th via Twitpic ” (see above picture)
“It felt so good to be back. I was over tweeting because i didnt have anything to tweet about. I Was over telling you how my day was lol 5:36 PM Jun 27th via web”
“But anyways i(t) was a good day so I thought i’ll share with you. We’ll see how it goes from here. 5:55 PM Jun 27th via web”
“And yes when i feel like im ready to Race, I’ll be at a national. Remember its not like i’m at home just chillin bc i want 2, Ive been hurt 5:58 PM Jun 27th via web”
Riders are 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. While motocross fans everywhere wait for the return of number seven.
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
XX. James Stewart 0
