SX Report
Ryan Dungey and his RM-Z450 had their work cut out for them on Saturday night as the rain and snow pelted the Supercross racetrack at the Rice-Eccles stadium and Dungey was lapped by the leaders.
The 16th round of the AMA FIM Supercross World Championship was not easy race on rider or bike, with freezing rain and snow pounding the track, making it sticky and muddy.
Fresh off earning the 2010 championship, Dungey battled the conditions and other racers to finish fourth in the 15-lap main (which was shortened from the usual 20 due to the weather).
Ryan Dungey says: "The rain really opened up and let loose, and the track got pretty tough at the end," Dungey said after the race. "I went into survival mode and ended up fourth. Just kind of had a tough day, it happens, and we just have to move forward."
With only one practice to get the bike set up due to a shortened schedule, Dungey used all the tear-offs loaded onto his goggles, and kept his focus on finishing the race.
Roger DeCoster says: "It’s OK we finished fourth because we have the championship, but it wasn’t the best ride," Team Manager Roger DeCoster said. "We’ll talk during the week and discuss being more aggressive instead of getting pushed around. On the other end, Ryan won the championship by being cautious at times, and winning the championship is a big accomplishment. This week we need to focus on winning in Las Vegas and then working on the Outdoors."
Dungey is the youngest to ever win the AMA Supercross Championship, and only the second rookie ever to do so. With the addition of FIM to the series, Dungey is now a World Champion, taking after DeCoster who is a five-time World Champ.
Dungey has come up from the Suzuki Amateur program to the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team, and he was the Western Regional Lites Champion in 2009.
Supercross Results: 1 Kevin Windham (Honda), 2 Davi Millsaps (Honda), 3 Andrew Short (Honda), 4 Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 5 Kyle Chisholm (Yamaha), 6 Michael Byrne (Yamaha), 7 Justin Brayton (Yamaha), 8 Tommy Hahn (Suzuki), 9 Nick Wey (Kawasaki), 10 Chris Blose (Honda). Â
The final round of the series takes place on May 8 in Las Vegas.