Team USA Wins Motocross of Nations

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As the MX1 and MX3 riders lined up for the third and final race of the 2009 Motocross of Nations, Italy, with a first and second place in the books, and the USA, with consistency playing into their favor, were set for one final showdown to determine the overall winner as France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Germany were all nipping at their heels. Australia, an early favorite, was out of the running after MX3 rider Michael Byrne landed on Italy's Davide Guarneri and hit the deck hard in the previous moto, but Chad Reed was still in a position to play the spoiler.

Carnage ensued immediately after the gate dropped, and several riders went down in a spectacular pile-up that unfortunately collected Chad Reed and Antonio Cairoli, the most successful rider of the weekend up to that point. Cairoli and his bike were out of commission, and with that, so was Team Italy. Not long after that MX2/MX3 moto winner Gautier Paulin was also down and out.

Lucky for team USA, both Ryan Dungey and Ivan Tedesco had bypassed the mayhem, and with just under twenty minutes remaining, Dungey and his #1 plate moved into the lead. From there Ryan Dungey opened up a comfortable gap as Ivan Tedesco maintained a steady seventh place and victory in this battle of attrition fell into Team USA's hands.

With a score of 3-1, Ryan Dungey is the 2009 Motocross of Nations Individual Champion, and with scores of 3-8-3-1-7 for 22 total points, Team USA has claimed their fifth straight Chamberlain Trophy.

Overall Results:

1. USA - 22 points
2. France - 30 points
3. Belgium - 39 points
4. Germany -55 points
5. Great Britain - 55 points
6. Italy - 59 points
7. Australia - 73 points
8. Estonia - 78 points

Check back later for a complete event report, photos, and video.