Dungey Breezes To Las Vegas Supercross Victory | 450SX Finale

The final round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series visited Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UNLV stadium featured a long technical track with tight corners and slick surfaces to challenge the riders.

Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey ended his championship-winning 2015 Supercross season with a bang, grabbing his eighth win of the season. The Minnesota native was challenged by GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac in the beginning laps of the race, but a Tomac dropped his bike in a corner, enabling Dungey to walk away with an easy victory in Sin City.

“We really pushed the pace out there tonight,” Dungey said of himself and Tomac, “and went back forth during the early part of the race. This was a great year; I set a [personal] record for most wins in a season with eight and couldn’t be happier.”

Tomac finished the race in second place after a he tucked the front end on Lap 5 in a slick left hand corner. The Honda rider challenged Dungey for the lead from the start, and Tomac was noticeably strong in the sweeping corners leading to Monster Alley. However, Tomac’s error kept him well behind Dungey for the rest of the race. “It was set up perfectly for a great battle between Ryan and I,” Tomac said, “but I lost my front end there, unfortunately. At that point I had to settle into second because Ryan was setting such a quick pace.”

Tomac’s second place finish brought him his 11th podium of the season and second overall in the series standings, 85 points behind the dominating Dungey. “The highlight was getting three wins this season,” Tomac said. “Being consistent and staying healthy through the whole season was important, too. What a fun year. I’ve got to say a huge thanks to GEICO Honda and everyone on the team.”

AutoTrader.com/Toyota/JGRMX Yamaha’s Weston Peick grabbed his second podium in three races with a third place finish in Las Vegas. Peick came around the first corner in fourth, before making his way around BTO Sports KTM’s Justin Brayton to take over the third place position. Despite being challenged by TwoTwo Motorsport’s Chad Reed for several laps, Peick was able to hold the final podium spot until the end of the 20-lap Main.

Team Honda’s Cole Seely worked he way up to fourth at the finish, in spite of a poor start that left him in ninth around the first corner. The Southern California native navigated his way into the top five by Lap 5, and eventually made his way around Reed into fourth place, where he would remain for the duration of the race. “The track here in Vegas was pretty challenging with a mix of hard pack, ruts and very high speeds,” Seely said. “It would have been great to end the season on the box, but I couldn’t be happier with how the season went overall. I’m really looking forward to heading outdoors and getting that series started in just a couple of short weeks.”

Seely finished the season with 277 points, putting him 3rd for the year and earning him Rookie Of The Year honors ahead of Suzuki’s Blake Baggett (who finished 6th) and Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson (who sat out the night).

TwoTwo Motorsport’s Josh Grant claimed his first top five finish of the season finishing in fifth place. Grant’s finish was a season best for him, as well. Suffering a tire pressure issue toward the end of the race, TwoTwo Motorsports owner Chad Reed faded to 7th.

Photography by Simon Cudby, et al

2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Results – Round 17 – Las Vegas, Nevada

1. Ryan Dungey – KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
2. Eli Tomac – Honda CRF450R
3. Weston Peick – Yamaha YZ450F
4. Cole Seely – Honda CRF450R
5. Josh Grant – Kawasaki KX450F
6. Blake Baggett – Suzuki RM-Z450
7. Chad Reed – Kawasaki KX450F
8. Justin Barcia – Yamaha YZ450F
9. Justin Brayton – KTM 450SX-F Factory Edition
10. Broc Tickle – Suzuki RM-Z-450
11. Kyle Chisholm – Kawasaki KX450F
12. Nick Wey – Kawasaki KX450F
13. Ben Lamay – Husqvarna FC 450
14. Nick Schmidt – Suzuki RM-Z450
15. Thomas Ramette – Kawasaki KX450F
16. Killian Rusk – Yamaha YZ450F
17. Tony Archer – Kawasaki KX450F
18. Kyle Partridge – Honda CRF450R
19. Michael Akaydin – Honda CRF450R
20. Deven Raper – Kawasaki KX450F
21. Dustin Pipes – Suzuki RM-Z450
22. Travis Bannister – Honda CRF450R

2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Class Season Final Standings

1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 390 points
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 305
3. Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda, 277
4. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki, 226
5. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 223
6. Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda, 204
7. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 200
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 194
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 180
10. Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha, 160