2011 AMA Supercross
The reigning AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey dropped back to fifth in the overall point standings after suffering a DNF at Anaheim II Saturday evening.
It was looking good for the Belle Plaine, Mich., native, as he piloted his Rockstar Maktia Suzuki RM-Z450 to first in timed qualifying; Dungey got the holeshot in his Supercross heat race and finished first well ahead of the pack.
During the main Supercross race, Dungey started mid pack on the Suzuki, which placed him in 10th by the end of the first lap. He then worked himself up to sixth by lap 7.
But on lap 8, the unfortunate happened; Dungey lost his chain, the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team saying the mechanical failure was a result of a rock or other foreign object in the sprocket or possible contact with another rider.
Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki Supercross) says: "Well, obviously the main event didn’t go our way tonight. The bad part is that we had a really good day; a good practice and a really great bike setup.
"We won the heat and then ran into some bad luck in the main. It’s a pretty tough pill to swallow because the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team has been working really, really hard. I don’t know the last time we’ve had a DNF, which is pretty amazing in itself.
"This is a tough one and I’ll take the weekend to blow off some steam for sure because we aren’t going to quit and we aren’t going to let this keep us down. The goals are still the same. We will be there at Houston."
As for Dungey’s teammate, Brett Metcalfe had a better evening, finishing in ninth place on the Yoshimura-powered Suzuki RM-Z450. Metcalfe finished fourth in his heat race, and during the main event ended the first lap in 13th. But he worked himself up to score a ninth-place finish, which moved him into sixth place in the overall standings, just behind Dungey.
Brett Metcalfe (Rockstar Makita Suzuki Supercross) says: "It wasn’t one of my better days. Everything for me today was just difficult. But you learn a lot from these days and we’ll take it and move forward. I want to thank the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for sticking by me and we’ll just concentrate on Houston. I’ve always liked Houston and have generally done pretty well there."
Dungey and Metcalfe will now prepare for Round 6 of the AMA Supercross series at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, next Saturday. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki team riders will be signing autographs at Stubbs 59, 10430 Southwest Freeway, in Houston, Texas, from 5 – 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11.
2011 Anaheim II Supercross Class Results:
1. James Stewart
2. Ryan Villopoto
3. Chad Reed
4. Justin Brayton
5. Trey Canard
6. Andrew Short
7. Ivan Tedesco
8. Kevin Windham
9. Brett Metcalfe
10. David Millsaps
20. Ryan Dungey
2011 Supercross Class Standings (after round 5)
1. James Stewart – 117
2. Ryan Villopoto – 112
3. Chad Reed – 90
4. Trey Canard – 87
5. Ryan Dungey – 79
6. Brett Metcalfe – 67
7. Andrew Short – 64
8. Kevin Windham – 59
9. Justin Brayton – 57
10. Ivan Tedesco – 48
