Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey Podiums at Salt Lake City

May 2, 2011, 10:20am

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey powered his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 to another podium finish, crossing the line in third, at the 16th round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT. Dungey and his Suzuki were strong all day and had a solid race throughout the 20-lap main event. Teammate, Brett Metcalfe, did not race and will return for the opening round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship series.

The conditions were tough in Salt Lake, with snow flurries through the morning and cold temperatures throughout the day, but Dungey and his RM-Z adapted well and were strong for the duration. After scoring the third fastest time in the shortened afternoon practice, Dungey had a solid ride in his heat race, scoring a second-place finish. In the main, after a fifth-place start, the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider quickly moved to fourth and was able to pick up third on lap eight. The reigning champion and his RM-Z450 laid down a strong and consistent 12 more laps to claim a third-place podium finish. Dungey has one win and 11 podium finishes this season and sits third in championship points, which is 12 points out of the top spot going into the season finale in Vegas.

"It was a pretty good weekend,” said Dungey. “We made a lot of changes to my RM-Z to adapt to the conditions here in Salt Lake. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team did a good job finding areas we could improve. I had a pretty good heat race and got out to a pretty decent start in the main and just started to put in laps. I felt good, but I just wasn’t matching the lap times and was losing a lot of ground. Overall, we did the best we could and we just have to put this away and learn from it, and look forward to Vegas next weekend and try to go for a win. I like Vegas. It’s a little more slippery and takes good throttle control; I’ve done pretty well there.”

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki team’s next event is the final round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship season on Saturday, May 7th, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. You can meet Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey on Thursday, May 5th, from 5 to 7 PM, at The Home Depot at 4750 S. Decatur Boulevard and Friday, May 6th, from 6 to 7 PM, at Carter Powersports at 6275 S. Decatur Boulevard in Las Vegas.

Salt Lake City Supercross Class Results:

1. Ryan Villopoto

2. Chad Reed

3. Ryan Dungey

4. Andrew Short

5. David Millsaps

6. Kevin Windham

7. Jake Weimer

8. Thomas Hahn

9. Justin Brayton

10. James Stewart

2011 Supercross Class Standings:

1. Ryan Villopoto – 318