2011 AMA Supercross Preview
With the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship less than a week away, defending champion Ryan Dungey will be looking for a strong start on his Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450.
The defending champ Dungey will have even more talent to compete with this year, as the 2011 season will field some of the most competitive riders in AMA Supercross history, with no less than a half a dozen riders who all have a legitimate chance to top the podium.
Dungey and his Yoshimura-equipped 2011 Suzuki RM-Z450 will be joined by new Supercross teammate, Brett Metcalfe, who came to Suzuki after a strong outdoor season himself, scoring second only to Dungey.
The 2010 Supercross season was historic for Dungey, with the 21-year old becoming the first rookie to win both the AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA 450 Motocross Championship in the same season.
Combine that with his Supercross Lites and AMA 250 Motocross Championships in 2009 and Dungey has won four consecutive titles on his RM-Zs, not to mention the 2009 and 2010 MX des Nations titles as well. Dungey will take this momentum into 2011 Supercross and is looking forward to the challenge.
Ryan Dungey (Suzuki Supercross) says: "2011 should really be a great season; one the fans can really get into. I think there are six or seven guys who have won a race and are still able to win on any given night. Our team has had a really good off-season. We sort of just carried the momentum in from last season and just went back to work.
"The new Suzuki RM-Z450 is pretty much ready to go out of the box, but we’ve also built a great team around it. Yoshimura, Rockstar and Makita are all back and the atmosphere in the shop is really strong. Mike Webb has been great to work with and Goose is back, so all the pieces seem to be falling into place. We have all done our work and now we will all see what takes place when the gate drops at Anaheim."
Australian Brett Metcalfe is the newest member of the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team, coming off a season of racing that got him noticed and put him at the top of team manager Mike Webb’s wish list for 2011.
Metcalfe has adapted well to the new team, teammate Dungey and his Suzuki RM-Z450, having spent countless hours on the test and practice tracks preparing for his new challenge.
Brett Metcalfe (Suzuki Supercross) says: "I’m really looking forward to A1. It’s very exciting for me, as it is the first race with the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and on my new Suzuki RM-Z450. It’s also my first season in the SX class and that adds a bit to the equation, although I’m very comfortable on the bike and whether it’s a 250 or 450, I’m just into racing. I like to race and that’s where I hope to show my strength.
"The team and sponsors have been great and we’ve all put a lot of effort into testing and training. It will be good to see how that all pays off. It will be a long season, but Anaheim 1 is always a good test."
Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s new team manager, American Suzuki’s Mike Webb, has been a staple in off-road racing for nearly three decades.
As team manager for American Suzuki’s off-road program since 1992, Webb led his team to 22 major off-road championships, including six GNCC Pro Bike Championships. Webb was named team manager for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki SX and MX team in early October of 2010.
Mike Webb says: "I’m stoked to have the opportunity to manage this championship team. The potential is so great with two awesome riders like Dungey and Metcalfe and the support of Yoshimura and all of our sponsors. I’m really looking forward to the 2011 Supercross season."
The 2011 Rockstar Makita Suzuki team’s Supcross season kicks off this Saturday, Jan. 8, at Angel stadium in Anaheim, Calif.
You can meet the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team riders Dungey and Metcalfe at Malcolm Smith Motorsports, 7599 Indiana Avenue, in Riverside, Calif., from 6-7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 7.
