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2011 AMA Motocross
Yoshimura-backed teams once again proved their dominance and the performance advantage of their Yoshimura products Saturday during the sixth round of AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Redbud National in Buchanan, Mich.
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Rockstar Energy and Honda Racing AMA Motocross teams put their Yoshimura products to work in their campaign to dominate Redbud.
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki used the power of its Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450s to tackle the AMA Motocross competition in Michigan. Both Ryan Dungey and Motocross teammate Brett Metcalfe powered their RM-Zs to solid results in front of a massive crowd in Michigan with solid second- and fourth-place overall finishes, respectively.
Dungey was strong all day on his RM-Z Motocross machine. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider had good morning practices and great starts in both motos. Dungey was fourth out of the gate in moto one but quickly moved into third during the first lap. By the seventh lap, he was able to grab second and then put his head down and powered his RM-Z after the AMA Motocross leader.
Dungey charged hard for the next nine laps and caught up to the leader but wasn’t able to make a pass and settled for a second-place AMA Motocross finish. In moto two, Dungey’s RM-Z450 rocketed him out of the gate and into the front for the AMA Motocross holeshot.
He slipped to second in the first lap and charged hard for the 16-lap race but ended up crossing the line for another second, which gave him a second-place overall finish for the day. The reigning AMA Motocross champion remains third in the championship points, just six points out of second.
Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki RMZ450R Motocross) says: "It was a good day. I went two-two on the day. Practice was good. I got off to good starts on my RM-Z. I battled and almost got first in the first moto; I just came up a little short. Second again in the second moto – It was tough. The track was challenging and I fought the track in a few places. But overall, it was a good day.
"My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team did a great job and my Suzuki ran great this weekend. We’ll just keep moving forward. I’m looking forward to Millville, my hometown race. We have this week off and we’ll be able to work on a few things on the bike and physically and mentally as well. Just try to get better in a few areas and show up better. That’s the goal. Millville is a great track; a fun race, my hometown race, and the fans are great. It’s one of my favorite tracks in the series."
AMA Motocross teammate Brett Metcalfe started the day strong with the fifth fastest time in qualifying. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider used the power of his RM-Z to launch himself into fifth out of the gate directly behind his teammate in the first moto. He was able to make the pass for fourth in the second lap and rode strong for the remaining 14 laps to finish fourth at 2011 RedBud Motocross.
In moto two, Metcalfe once again pulled a good start that put him up with the front pack. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider immediately slotted himself in fifth and charged hard for the 16-lap race to finish in the fifth position. His four-five Motocross finishes were good enough for a fourth-place overall. Metcalfe’s strong result moved him up two slots in the championship points race to fourth place.
Brett Metcalfe (Rockstar Makita Suzuki RMZ450F Motocross) says: "Redbud went really, really good. I was extremely happy with the day and to finally have a result in the top five, where I feel I belong, was important. Especially finishing up with a good result here before the week off and heading into the second half of the season. Everything was working great for us.
"My Rockstar Makita Suzuki was working awesome and I really feel like we found the setup I need and now it’s just getting out there and getting the results I want. I qualified well so I got a good gate pick, which was important to get good starts. I was able to run up to the front pack and keep myself separated from the rest of the field. I was able to get a fourth in the first moto and a fifth in the second, which gave me a fourth overall for the day – a much better result than the last couple weeks.
"I want to thank the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and Yoshimura for getting my bike dialed in here for Redbud. I’m looking forward to having a weekend off and we’re gonna put our heads down and try to make more improvements. I’m looking forward to Millville. It’s a great track and similar to Redbud, so our bike setup should be pretty good. I look to try to be up front and sneak in for our first podium of the year."
American Honda Racing Motocross’ Kevin Windham put in a strong effort aboard his Yoshimura-equipped Honda CRF450R, going 12-6 for ninth overall. In moto one Windham got a mid-pack start but suffered a get-off on the opening lap, forcing him to ride a come-from-behind race. In the second, he got a better start, moving from 10th on the opening lap up to sixth by the race’s end. His American Honda Racing teammate Josh Grant finished the Motocross moto one in seventh. However, after getting a great start in moto two and running inside the top 10, he injured his knee on lap 14 and he was unable to complete moto two. His good result in moto one put him 12th overall for the round.
American Honda Racing’s Ashley Fiolek swept both Women’s class motos to secure her second overall victory of the season. Fiolek dominated both motos aboard her Honda CRF250R, taking wire-to-wire victories for the overall win and extending her lead in the championship to eight points.
Team Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Martin Davalos grabbed an eighth-place overall finish in the 250 class aboard his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 at Redbud. Davalos started the day eighth fastest in the morning qualifying sessions. In the first moto, Davalos had a good start but got caught up with a downed rider in the second turn and ended up remounting near the back. He pushed his RM-Z hard, charging through the pack ‘til the end, and crossed the line for an eleventh-place finish. In moto two, he got a mediocre start around mid pack but was eleventh by the end of the first lap and put his head down from there. Davalos charged hard on his Suzuki and was able to work his way up to cross the line for seventh. The 11-7 moto finishes were good enough to score him an eighth-place overall result. Davalos sits in tenth place in championship series points.
The Yoshimura-backed team’s next event is the seventh round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, July 16, at the Spring Creek National in Millville, Minn.
