Ryan Dungey Injury Report
While battling for the lead during the opening lap of Moto 2 at Thunder Valley Motocross in Colorado last weekend, the reigning Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champion Ryan Dungey crashed.
The Red Bull KTM SX-F 450 pilot remounted, and though in 19th position, he fought his way to the front to finish fourth and keep his second-consecutive MX title hopes alive.
But pain afterwards forced the Minnesota native to the doctors, who diagnosed him with cracked C6 vertebrae. Due to the injury, Red Bull KTM reports that Dungey, also the reigning Monster Energy Supercross Champion, will miss the upcoming Motocross round at High Point in Mt. Morris, Pa., and several subsequent rounds.
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Speaking after the news, Dungey says: “It’s very difficult to share such disappointing news. It’s heart breaking mainly because of all the hard work the team and I have put in preparing to defend the motocross title this year.
“But I’m very thankful that the injury wasn’t worse. I will use this time away from racing to recover fully, knowing this will only make me stronger and more motivated. Thank you everyone for your support and understanding.”
“Obviously Ryan being injured is tough on the team,” said Red Bull KTM Team Manager Roger DeCoster. “At the time we didn’t know about his injury and we were so proud of the way he raced that second moto in Colorado coming from 19th place all the way to almost finish on the podium. But to now know that he accomplished that battling through the pain of a cracked vertebrae shows what an unbelievably tough champion rider he really is. The plan right now is to reassess his return to racing in 6 weeks’ time once he is reevaluated by his doctor.”
RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Roczen dominated Thunder Valley MX with 1-1 finishes. After three of 12 rounds, the German – a former teammate of Dungey – leads the MX championship with 143 points, 12 ahead of Dungey.