Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Dungey & DeCoster Lead Team USA to Victory

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ryan Dungey and Team Manager Roger De Coster helped Team USA capture its record 20th Motocross of Nations overall victory in Franciacorta, Italy, this past weekend. Motocross legend De Coster once again acted as team manager for Team USA, providing guidance and race strategy for the three-man U.S. team that included 2009 AMA Supercross Lites Champion and 2009 AMA 250 Motocross Champion Dungey. Racing the multichampionship-winning Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 in the MX1 class, Dungey finished third in his first race and went on to win his second race. This remarkable result is even more impressive considering that this event marked Dungey’s firstever motocross race on the Suzuki fuel-injected RM-Z450 as well as his debut in the prestigious Motocross of Nations. Thirty-seven teams from all over the globe competed in this year’s event, which has run uninterrupted since 1947. Team USA currently has the most overall Motocross of Nations victories with its unprecedented total of 20.

Ryan Dungey:
“Ever since I started racing, it’s been my dream to race in the Motocross of Nations. So it’s pretty special to be here for this race for the first time. It was great racing the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 in the MX1 class. Although I’ve been racing the Suzuki RM-Z250, I’ve done a few Supercross races on the 450. It’s been a bike that I’ve felt confident on when I’ve ridden it in the past. It’s really suited me well and I’ve had some great time on it in preparation for this event. So to come over here and race and win like we did was really just a dream come true for me. It’s been great having my team manager Roger De Coster here and also working with the whole Team USA overall. It was really awesome to be a part of something so special and that’s bigger than all of us.”

Roger DeCoster:
“The Motocross of Nations is the biggest event of the year in our sport, and I feel it has a lot of importance. When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a part of this event… This year, I am so proud of Ryan and Team USA because they are a young team. We had only one guy who had experience with this race, and then we had two young guys – Ryan being one of them - that it was their first time racing off the American continent. We tried to take this race like a normal race, not try to overdo things and work as a team together. We had a day of riding in the U.S. before we came over here, and I think that paid off. Ryan and the other guys get along well, even though they race against each other all year. I think this year and this result has been a strong point for the American teams.”

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at the U.S. Open of Supercross at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the weekend of October 9-10, 2009.