Dungey Rallies To Maintain Lead
February 1, 2010, 1:11pm
San Francisco, Calif. - January 31, 2010 - Rockstar Makita Suzuki's ace Supercross class racer Ryan Dungey went into Round 4 of the series on Saturday night the points leader, and he leaves San Francisco's AT&T Field still in the lead with 90 points. Dungey finished fourth in the main event, after leading the race for the first half.
With a shortened practice schedule due to rain that fell in San Francisco in the days leading up to the race, riders were given a total of 15 minutes of practice before the heat races. After timed practice, Dungey was in the second spot with a time of 53.337. During the Heat #1, Dungey was second for most of the 8 laps, but he clipped a Tuff Block in the final laps and finished 6th.
As the gate dropped for the main event, Dungey came out with the holeshot. At his best, he had more than a 9-second lead on the field about half way through the race. The rhythm section he had troubles with on during heat race proved to be his nemesis, and Dungey's boot caught in a rut, resulting in the racer separating from his bike. With the gap he had given himself with great line choice, Dungey was able to get back on his bike in second place. The 20-year-old rookie from Minnesota crossed the finish line in fourth spot after struggling with a bent clutch lever and a bent front brake rotor, which left him essentially without a front brake for the rest of the race.
"After practice, I felt good," Dungey said. "I think we made some good changes to the bike. I felt confident in the heat race, but I had a little tip over, so I tried to regroup. I came out and got a great holeshot in the main, and then I caught my foot and threw it away. I salvaged it for fourth, which is not too bad. I'm thankful that I'm alright and healthy." His fourth-place finish in San Francisco was enough to keep him 12 points ahead of second place.
Team Manager Roger DeCoster was feeling confident going into the race, and afterwards was happy that his racer was uninjured. "It could've been a lot worse," DeCoster said. "We're leaving here still with the points lead; we gave up a few points, but considering after his crash he had no front brake and no clutch and he still came out in fourth place, that's still pretty good. I'm sure he's going to be sore, but there's no serious injury. The bike was working well, so this week we probably have more to do with a chiropractor than a mechanic."
Dungey is looking forward to practicing for next week's San Diego race. Austin Stroupe, Dungey's Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate who is filling in on the RM-Z450 in the Supercross class for Matt Moss, missed the race due to illness. He is expected to return to action in San Diego.
Round 5 of the AMA Supercross series will take place at Qualcomm Stadium on February 6. Visit www.suzukicycles.com for more information on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team.
Team sponsors:Rockstar, Makita, Yoshimura, Dunlop, Maxima, Tag Sprockets, Pro Taper, Alpinestars, ONE Industries, Mechanix Wear, Showa, Road Champs, CP Pistons, Hinson Clutch Components, Snap-On, Twin Air, D.I.D., Excel, NGK, Works Connection
About Suzuki: The Motorcycle/ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, Calif., was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor Corporation. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries. www.suzukicycles.com
About Rockstar: ROCKSTAR is the world's most powerful Energy Drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles - from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in fourteen amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Energy Cola, Recovery Lemonade, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, Roasted Light Vanilla, and Roasted Espresso. ROCKSTAR ENERGY SHOTS are available in Wild Berry and Tropical Punch flavors, and coming in 2010 - ROCKSTAR ENERGY GUM.
About Makita: Makita is a worldwide manufacturer of industrial quality power tools and offers a wide range of industrial accessories. Makita applies leading-edge technology and innovation to engineer tools that are more compact with less weight yet deliver industrial strength power and results. Makita innovation includes Makita LXT, the industry's first 18V lithium-ion cordless lineup. For more information, visit makitatools.com. Follow Makita at facebook.com/makitatools and twitter.com/makitatools. Makita is Best in Class Engineering.
With a shortened practice schedule due to rain that fell in San Francisco in the days leading up to the race, riders were given a total of 15 minutes of practice before the heat races. After timed practice, Dungey was in the second spot with a time of 53.337. During the Heat #1, Dungey was second for most of the 8 laps, but he clipped a Tuff Block in the final laps and finished 6th.
As the gate dropped for the main event, Dungey came out with the holeshot. At his best, he had more than a 9-second lead on the field about half way through the race. The rhythm section he had troubles with on during heat race proved to be his nemesis, and Dungey's boot caught in a rut, resulting in the racer separating from his bike. With the gap he had given himself with great line choice, Dungey was able to get back on his bike in second place. The 20-year-old rookie from Minnesota crossed the finish line in fourth spot after struggling with a bent clutch lever and a bent front brake rotor, which left him essentially without a front brake for the rest of the race.
"After practice, I felt good," Dungey said. "I think we made some good changes to the bike. I felt confident in the heat race, but I had a little tip over, so I tried to regroup. I came out and got a great holeshot in the main, and then I caught my foot and threw it away. I salvaged it for fourth, which is not too bad. I'm thankful that I'm alright and healthy." His fourth-place finish in San Francisco was enough to keep him 12 points ahead of second place.
Team Manager Roger DeCoster was feeling confident going into the race, and afterwards was happy that his racer was uninjured. "It could've been a lot worse," DeCoster said. "We're leaving here still with the points lead; we gave up a few points, but considering after his crash he had no front brake and no clutch and he still came out in fourth place, that's still pretty good. I'm sure he's going to be sore, but there's no serious injury. The bike was working well, so this week we probably have more to do with a chiropractor than a mechanic."
Dungey is looking forward to practicing for next week's San Diego race. Austin Stroupe, Dungey's Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate who is filling in on the RM-Z450 in the Supercross class for Matt Moss, missed the race due to illness. He is expected to return to action in San Diego.
Round 5 of the AMA Supercross series will take place at Qualcomm Stadium on February 6. Visit www.suzukicycles.com for more information on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team.
Team sponsors:Rockstar, Makita, Yoshimura, Dunlop, Maxima, Tag Sprockets, Pro Taper, Alpinestars, ONE Industries, Mechanix Wear, Showa, Road Champs, CP Pistons, Hinson Clutch Components, Snap-On, Twin Air, D.I.D., Excel, NGK, Works Connection
About Suzuki: The Motorcycle/ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, Calif., was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor Corporation. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries. www.suzukicycles.com
About Rockstar: ROCKSTAR is the world's most powerful Energy Drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles - from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in fourteen amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Energy Cola, Recovery Lemonade, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, Roasted Light Vanilla, and Roasted Espresso. ROCKSTAR ENERGY SHOTS are available in Wild Berry and Tropical Punch flavors, and coming in 2010 - ROCKSTAR ENERGY GUM.
About Makita: Makita is a worldwide manufacturer of industrial quality power tools and offers a wide range of industrial accessories. Makita applies leading-edge technology and innovation to engineer tools that are more compact with less weight yet deliver industrial strength power and results. Makita innovation includes Makita LXT, the industry's first 18V lithium-ion cordless lineup. For more information, visit makitatools.com. Follow Makita at facebook.com/makitatools and twitter.com/makitatools. Makita is Best in Class Engineering.
