450 Words: Las Vegas
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It seems but a distant memory now, but when Ryan Dungey signed with Red Bull KTM for 2012, there was a real debate if he could manage to even get a single win on his new 450 SX-F. One win, total. This was not a guarantee, because even on familiar equipment in 2011, Dungey, as the defending Monster Energy SX Champion, delivered just a single victory. And KTM had won exactly zero races in nearly 40 years of trying.
One win. Could he get that?
Well, he got one at the second race of the year, got another in Atlanta to keep himself in title contention, and ended the year with two more. If the betting line on Dungey was set on over/under one win, four victories would pay out massively.
So with the risk for Dungey comes the reward. Now, just six months after many wondered if he could get a single victory in supercross, he enters the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship as the championship favorite. Injuries have claimed fellow 2011 race winners Ryan Villopoto (the defending champ) and Chad Reed. James Stewart announced on Twitter that he is indeed racing outdoors, but nothing else is yet known about his plans. Dungey started 2012 saddled to the most unsure, unproven big-bike program in the AMA pits, but now he and that team represent the safest, most reliable bet.
Dungey celebrates his fourth victory of 2012 in Vegas.
Simon Cudby photo
What’s interesting about Dungey’s season is that it started with a key way to take the pressure off: even if he had performed poorly, he could claim this first KTM season was only a learning year, with sights set on victory in 2013. But we all know there’s not nearly that much patience in racing. You either have it or you don’t, and had Dungey not won this year, the question would not have been if, not when, he would finally deliver.
Well, clearly this combination had it. We’re looking at the same Dungey now that we saw dominate things in 2010, and because he carries the same general demeanor as he did then, and because much of his support crew is the same (just wearing different colors). It looks all too familiar and all too normal. In fact, all that normalness is obscuring just how impressive his season has been. An injury might have taken away Dungey’s chance to win the championship. He may have only finished third in the final standings. But based on expectations coming into the season, based on the past history of a brand having never won an AMA Supercross race, Dungey and KTM can walk away from Supercross 2012 feeling like they won big.
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Maybe they can take the 450MX title instead.
The Dunge has to be the favorite going into Hangtown, has to. KTM is gonna be a force not only across the pond but over here for what I'm thinking is gonna be a long time. They do however need to work on their AM program, you've gotta keep that talent coming in, and not just from overseas.
Props to Dungey for having the guts to take that chance.
This man has no excuses and tries his best. He could have parked it for the rest of the season and focused on outdoor testing, but he knew this was the best was to get ready for Motocross.
HANGTOWN ! yeah !
There is a 600lb gorilla in the room.
Who is going to say it? There is a reason he won in 2010, and then only one race in 2011, and then only two this year until..... but I ain't saying it. I only know this: God really, really, really likes Ryan Dungey. So I ain't saying nuttin.
It is so much about confidence at their level, in 2010 with the RD's working together, Ryan was brimming with it. He knew that Decoster had him on the best team and motorcycle, no doubt entered his mind.. For 2011 he lost his mentor and motor man, Dungey rode very good, but not as good. Pictures taken in the pits thru the supercross season showed an anxious RD, more of that after the outdoors had started. Freestone and the Southwick problems, you could see he was not as confident in his bike, then with "The Pass" at Steel City he lost some confidence in himself it seemed.
Teamed with Decoster and Ian again this year is helping bring back some of the 2010 magic, as he starts to regain that confidence. The Supercross season showed great promise, now with Villopoto and Reed out, and all the questions surrounding Stewart, Ryan looks to be the favorite for the 2012 Outdoor Nationals.....
Looking to the future, Dungey and KTM, with a year of racing under their belt, coupled with the return of Villopoto, Reed and Canard, the addition of Barcia and Wilson 2013 is shaping up to be another Super Season!!!
Bring on the Great Outdoors !!!!
It is so much about confidence at their level, in 2010, with the RD's working together, Ryan was brimming with it. He knew that Decoster had him on the best team and motorcycle, no doubt entered his mind.. For 2011 he lost his mentor and motor man, Dungey rode very good, but not as good. Pictures taken in the pits thru the supercross season showed an anxious RD, more of that after the outdoors had started. Freestone and the Southwick problems, you could see he was not as confident in his bike, then with "The Pass" at Steel City he lost some confidence in himself it seemed.
Teamed with Decoster and Ian again this year is helping bring back some of the 2010 magic, as he starts to regain that confidence. The Supercross season showed great promise, now with Villopoto and Reed out, and all the questions surrounding Stewart, Ryan looks to be the favorite for the 2012 Outdoor Nationals.....
Looking to the future, Dungey and KTM, with a year of racing under their belt, coupled with the return of Villopoto, Reed and Canard, the addition of Barcia and Wilson 2013 is shaping up to be another Super Season!!!
Bring on the Great Outdoors !!!!
What if RC never retired? What if RD stayed on a Suzuki? What if James never left Kawasaki? What if RV got a better start in Seattle? What if Barcia raced 450s this year? What if Supercross didn't have jumps? What if the fastest rider always won? It doesn't matter anywhere except the Internet.
oops...sorry dang puter..
@ ElsinoreRacer Are you saying that Dungey only won his titles because the majority of his competition was out with injuries? As opposed to RV's 2012 injury-free title winning season? The fact is, in 2010, Dungey beat RV for most of the series until RV crashed out. When Reed came back, Dungey beat him as well. Then, at the outdoors, Dungey beat Reed so bad that Reed dropped out half-way through. Stewart attempted to come back at Unadilla and only lasted one moto. So in 2010, Dungey beat: Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed, James Stewart, and Tony Cairoli -- the world champ!! The only elephant is the one in your head. :)
ElsinoreRacer: You ditz. That supposed gorilla has been talked about for two flippin years. So I agree: You "aint saying nuttin". Nothing that some other kid hasn't said a thousand times. READ THE ARTICLE. Could you hang in there long enough to get to the last paragraph?? And read what BD25 (an obvious knowledgeable fan) posted. The 2011 Dungey bike/team were a far cry from the 2010 Dungey bike/team. In fact, it was a different team! If you had a clue, you'd know that. He had 2 DNF's for the year and had to start last (almost a lap behind) once because of said new team. RV earned a championship this year but everybody knows it COULD (not would) have been different if the other top 4 guys (all former champions) hadn't gotten hurt. But we're not all degrading his championship by bringing up some phantom "gorilla" in the room. Fact is we have yet to see RV and RD ride a full season while both are at the top of their game. Stick that gorilla in your little pipe and smoke it....
Weigandt: Very good write. I'm glad people are seeing the light concerning Dungey in 2010 compared to 2011. Suzuki killed his already challenging attempt to repeat in 2011. RV had everything in place to repeat this year. That comfort level is critical to winning championships.
@RCRDDW--What?? What about last summer?? Both Dungey and RV raced all year just fine.. What about the 2011 supercross season?? Or even this season. Yes RV went out, but already wrapped up the title.. So I dont know where you get "we have yet to see RV and RD ride a full season at the top of thier game" from. The last two years have been to me.
therealmofo, yea I have no idea. I love the part about where "he beat Reed so bad he quit." Yea, that's what happened. Hey, I like Dungey, but it doesn't affect how funny it is when the same guys who "if Dungey didn't break down he woulda.XXX." will swear up and down that the Dung beat Pourcel outdoors and CP's mechanicals had NOTHING to do with it. Logic is not "make it up as I go." Well, not real logic.
Realmofo: the point he's trying to make is we haven't seen rd and RV go a whole season injury free dnf free because of bike problems....we ALL know that if not for a broken chain boiling gas and electrical problems rd would've been back to back six Max and mxdn champ
But for a few problems not of his doing last year, RD would have a few more championships. A 13 second lead after 10 laps last race, he would have taken this championship to the end.
@ ElsinoreRacer Do you think that if Reed was leading the series that he would have dropped out of the 2010 nats? Highly unlikely. As for Pourcel, I have said before that Pourcel would have probably won the 2009 250 National title if not for his DNF. But it's not at the same degree of probability as was Dungey's DNF at Texas in 2011. First, Pourcel had bad motos going despite his DNF. Even if you take out Pourcel's DNF and give the moto finish of where he was at when he DNFed, Dungey and Pourcel would have left Southwick with about 5 points separating them. Compare that to Dungey's DNF where he would have been well over 25 points ahead of RV had it not been for his DNF. BIG difference.
Reed had mono. CP should have hung a blue handicapped jobby on his handlebars. Was learning how to hydrate etc with paralyzed GI tract. In 1st motos and the second (when it was cool weather) CP toyed with him. But not the point, I know. J-Sloan you make a good point above. I would argue it is incomplete as it ignores the bouncing gate (huge), the re-called holeshot in a total mud race (those things happen, but aarrg), and the Mikey-Mouse penalty deal in the 1st race regarding funky flags that made no sense to half the riders and they modified immediately, but left CP penalized vs RD. That was lame.
But, like I said, you make a good point. My comment above was that many just wouldn't HEAR of CP's issues, and then pivoted 180 & made the same carve-out for RD.
I never want to be that kind of mentally agile.
A far as I know, RD and Canard were the 250 champs in 2009 and 2010, RD won it all in 2010, and RV won it all in 2011. I can't seem to find the part of the record book that lists "should a, could a, would a".
I'm glad Bubba is in. If he thinks the Suzuki is better, it doesn't matter if it really is or not. Otherwise, I think we might have seen a repeat of 2010. We still may, but its less likely.
Congrats on another win for RD5. Great way to close the SX season.
He will be very strong starting in Hangtown...
but so will Barcia.
fact is, the supercross and outdoors is KTM's last obstacle, they kick ass everywhere else, in america and europe. I know 2003 was a long time ago, but Langston and hughs took 1st and 2nd in the outdoors on KTM's. KTM just has to keep doin what there doin. ITS GONA HAPPEN. can RD do it? IDK, i think EMIG siad it sat nite, RD waits for it to come to him.
@ Elsinoreracer CP toyed with Dungey on cool days and yet lost the title by a mere DNF (and had it not been for the DNF they would have been about 5 points apart leaving Southwick)? You're a funny dude, that's for sure. Maybe they should have allowed CP a head start on hot days. Or, maybe, just maybe Elsinorereacer, maybe on restarts in which ALL the riders have to restart thus evening the odds out, they should have allowed CP to start at the front. You just sound silly.
I think sloan is out of touch- biased and extremly hypicritical- probably the most on here. I am a fan of RD and respect him greatly. We ALL know RV won more SX races in 2010- even racing 4 less than RD. We all know RV beat himself in 2010 and wrecked all by himself. WE all know RV won FAIRLY 2011 SX, 2011 MX, 2012 SX. IT is FACT that when RV and RD have competed in the 450 class together RV has finished ahead of RD over twice as much.
I will be pulling for RD in the MX this year ( I am a bigger RV fan), I am glad JS is racing the outdoors.
It was SO cool to see KW try to race Vegas, the racing was GREAT sat and fun to be there.
Huge fan of Barcia and Tomac, and wish Barcia would just go for the 450 class now and not wait for 2013.
Hooray for KTM and their WORLD DOMINATION!!
I think davidl is out of touch- biased and extremly hypicritical- probably the most on here. I am a fan of RD and respect him greatly. We ALL know RV won more SX races in 2010- even racing 4 less than RD. We all know RV beat himself in 2010 and wrecked all by himself. WE all know RV won FAIRLY 2011 SX, 2011 MX and had help from Ryan Dungey's TWO DNF's, 2012 SX. IT is FACT that when RV and RD have competed in the 450 class together RV has finished ahead of RD over twice as much, and RD has had TWICE as many DNF's.
I will be pulling for RD in the MX this year ( I am a bigger RV fan), I am glad JS is racing the outdoors.
J-sloan.. Please post a picture of the woulda shouda coulda trophy so we can see it.
See, I agree with what JSloan is saying here about Dungey and 2010, until he states that Dungey was beating up on RV the whole year until his crash. You may not comprehend this one Sloan, but I was rooting hard for Dungey that year. Yet, the fact is that RV had a freak issue of crashing and having his silencer pack with dirt on top of throwing it away a few other times....and losing large leads. Only to keep beating Dungey and creeping back up on him. I know you can't say you felt confident that Dungey was going to win the title the way RV kept running him down in points, not based on him beating up on RV anyway.....cuz he wasn't beating up on Dungey all too much. The facts are that RV had 7 wins to Dungey's 6 on the season and Dungey got 2 of those wins after RV went down and out.
I don't mind opinions, but when people rewrite history to prove their points....that ain't right.
Just becasue a rider crashes on his own, doesn't put an asterix next to his name that he would have won if he didn't crash.
In 2009 CP looked to be the favorite, and I think he had RD covered that year. RD did a great job in 2010. We all have to remember it was his rookie year on the 450, his learning year. RV already had a year on the 450's. If RV crashed himself ot then thats on him, you can't blame RD for that. (some would say, to turn the tables, RV was riding over his head, becasue, well, you know, every who crashes raing with him is riding over their heads) RD won the title being the best overall rider out there. By saying best, I don't necessarily mean fastest, but most consistant. There is no validity to being the fastest every race if you are lying on the ground in half of them, ask JS. I agree with Sloan a lot of the time, but I do have to say that Reed was dealing with mono, which is why he pulled out. RD had everyone covered in 2010 in MX. In 2011 it was a great series indoors. Sure RD had the trhown chain which cost him points, but when it came down to crunch time with about 4 races to go, RV showed the true speed/determination and was the strongest at the end. He deserved the SX title. I give RD credit though for coming back from nearly a 40 point deficit at one point. But I also do see a difference in DNF due to crashes, and a DNF due to mechanicals. The MX title in 2011 I really feel bad for the Dunge. The Freestone incident, then the Southwick incident, really hurt him in the championship. Crashing out is one thing, but having bike problems when you are really the fastest guy those days really has to hurt, and it did. I think RD would have been the repeat champion if not for those problems, but RV won the title fair and square, again, it was not his fault that the Suzuki had problems. I also believe, and this goes for any manufacturer, that they should be forced to ride the current year bike for that year. Its funny to watch these 2 guys ride, especially at Washougal last year. Their styles are so different. RV looked 5 seconds faster a lap, looked like he was in warp speed where as RD looked on cruise control, a much less aggressive riding technique, and yet RD was running faster lap times. I rally would like to see RD ride a little more aggressive, pasing riders especially early on in the race. I think that is his weakness right now, if you can call it that. But then again, that style of take minimal chances has kept him injury free for most of his career. Either way these 2 are both amazing to watch on a bike, and look forward to many great years of battles to come.
I do have to admit I really do not log onto these boards much anymore, becasue 90% of the comments on here are such bias towards thier favorite rider. I really feel like the average age on here is that of a 10 year old. For example, RV came back to the nationals last year and was struggling the first few races, and in an interview said he didn't remember the nationals being that tough. He had a long time off in MX. He had work himself back into race shape, testing, etc. JS tried a comeback last second in 2010 because of a chance to have a shot on the MXDN team, at Unadilla, with about 3 days of testing. He Had never ridden a Yamaha outdoors, was coming off of a wrist injury, and blatantly said that we was not prepared like he should have been, that he was under prepared. Very similar situations. Both were honest with what they said. But the RV "Superfans" will bash JS non-stop for that race and make every excuse in the book for RV. He was sick, he was injured, the bike looks horrible, etc. I don't have a favorite rider, I want a different rider to win every weekend. That is why I call it like I see it.
I am really looking forward to the start of the MX series. I think RD has to be the favorite, lets see how long JS takes to get comfortable, and I really think (hope) that we will have a repeat of last year with those 2. JS has had a few bad years, but I think a lot of people forget how fast a confident JS is on good equipment. And the Suzuki is a championship proven bike. Its up to him now.
Really I enjoy these comments, and we all have our own wishes and are fans of different racers. I have gotten to where I have any of 15 guys that I like more than the rest. there are so many that really give it their all and are good guys (as far as I can tell)
I am an old fart and I think Sloan is too, I race and was out with injuries in 09, and 10, now I am riding again and contemplating racing another series. There are about ten cool posters on here that really know their stuff. I HAVE to be a RV fan as my daughter and I picked him to root for at the 06 nationals in Colorado and she was running from fence to fence yelling for him- she then got a bone cancer and we lost her 2 years later.
I feel that RD, CR, JS, JB, BT, TC, and RV (2013 season) all can win on any given day, just wish they could all stay healthy. The 250 class is awesome as well.
can't wait for Hangtown and glad Rattray is filling in for RV, the guys pushes till the checkers every race
It is very hard for me to fault RD for lack of aggresion in passing and moving to the front early in the race. The man is faster than he looks (smooth) a true clean racer and sportsman and VERY consistant. To race at his level and not go down is a balance every racer tries to elevate safely, on RD's bad days he finishes 5th on his good days he finishes 3rd- 1st. When passing you have to push the limit and then keep a safer but aggresive pace. We all know the penalty for going too fast and losing control, and the penalty for not fast enough is 2nd place or worse. In my personal racing/riding you find your comfort level and push it to get better but push too hard and you break bones. RD is the 2nd - 3rd best rider in the world right now and he is not to his prime yet. There is a lot of luck in racing and you can go down ten times and barly get bruised and you can slide out once and blow a knee out. I went over the bars last week and ended up 30' down a ravine got one small bruise, 5 years ago I put my foot down when by bike stalled and was on crutches with my knee out.
Heres hoping the RMZ fits JS riding style better and he goes injury free, I really hope TC's injuries are behind him as well.
It would be cool if in 2013 only 5 riders get hurt instead of 40,
davidl: I think we all HAVE to be RV fans now. I already liked him but now....
@ therealmofo: Last summer Dungey had 1/2 lap and a 35 second lead for the win with RV in third. His bike broke, he finished last and RV moved up to second. This was a 27 point swing. Later that summer, RD's bike wouldn't start and he started (barely started) in last place. This cost him several more points. Neither of these incidents occurred due to rider error yet it cost RD 30 some odd points. Check the final point standings. Without these 2 incidents, RD wins and wins easily. Add to that the FACT that RV, after realizing that Dungey had narrowed his lead to 4 points and was besting him consistently, got a 2012 KAWI during the 2 week break with a few races left. Suzuki did nothing for Dungey. I understand that these facts are easy to ignore or just overlook if you are pulling for RV. But they made ALL the difference. In Supercross, Dungey had the obvious chain problem causing him all those points but he was also on a complete new team (losing Roger Decoster, Mike Gosslar, and his technician) and the bike had set up and mechanical problems all year. Any other rider than RD and we would have heard about it every week. Who else could have overcome all this? I said all this not to say that RV (who I like second only to Dungey) isn't a great, deserving champion, but to answer your argument that they were both at the top of their game last year. They were not. So again I say, I hope that one year we will see these 2 champions battle for an entire year while both are at their best.