Something changed in Ryan Dungey a long time ago, but it just took us some time to realize it. It’s probably because Dungey would rather let his riding do the talking, and unfortunately, it was saying some weird stuff last year when he was throwing away piles of points and eventually the entire Western Region Supercross Lites Championship.
With that highly-publicized fall from grace, Dungey got stamped with the head-case tag. He cracks under pressure, said many. He buckles. He can’t take the heat.
Dungey has been erasing that rep for nearly a year now. Consider his record: He scored a podium finish on 450 last year in Minneapolis, and won the final two Lites SX races of the year. He kept charging all summer long during the AMA Motocross Championship, finally defeating the nearly-unbeatable Ryan Villopoto to win three of the last four nationals. His performance at the U.S. Open was strong with his 250F, and while he’s still in a fight for the points lead in the Lites West Region this year, he’s been much more reliable this season, scoring no worse than a fourth, and that after he fell in the first turn at Anaheim 3.
So in reality, Dungey last saw his old mistakes and crashes in the rear-view mirror last February, and he hasn’t looked back. To further prove himself, he came into San Diego in a must-win situation. Looking to control the West Region points heading into a seven-week break, Dungey put in a flawless performance to take the win.
Now Dungey will have to sit on a slim points lead for nearly two moths. His most recent history, though, indicates that he’ll handle that just fine.
