Red Bull/KTM Race Report: L.A.

January 22, 2012, 1:30pm

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Red Bull/KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey turned in another impressive finish with a 2^nd place result at the third round of the AMA Supercross Series held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA which allows him to maintain the points lead heading to the next round.

Threats of rain throughout the early afternoon caused the track crew to keep the course covered until 4:00pm. The crew did a great job of protecting the track, and once the cover was removed, riders were presented with a nearly dry track. Each practice group was given only one practice session before the night show.

Dungey qualified third fastest from the practice session to earn a top spot in heat number two. When the gate dropped for the heat race Dungey jumped to a 5^th place start and was pushed back to 7^th on the second corner. He quickly moved back into the top five and was able to finish 4^th in his heat.

He had a decent gate pick for the main event and was able to leap off to a great start pulling the holeshot around the first corner. He and Ryan Villopoto quickly found each other and began a battle for the lead. Unfortunately, Trey Canard and Ryan Morais were involved in a bad crash on the first lap that caused the race to be red flagged. All the riders were removed from the course while medics assisted the injured riders.

On the restart, Dungey pulled off another fine start and rounded the first corner in 4^th place. He remained in that position for the first seven laps in a four-way battle for the lead with Jake Weimer, James Stewart and Chad Reed. On the seventh lap, Reed jumped into the lead while Stewart put an aggressive block pass on Weimer which caused Weimer to crash and gave Stewart the position. Dungey was able to avoid the downed rider and moved into 3^rd. Dungey and Stewart began to battle for 2^nd place for the next four laps until Stewart crashed on his own and handed the position to Dungey.

Once in 2^nd, Dungey maintained his pace and held on to the position to finish 2^nd for the night. His third podium finish of the season makes him the only rider to have finished on the podium at each of the first three rounds. His consistency also pays off in the championship chase as he will retain the red number plate and the series points lead heading to the fourth event.

Now three rounds into the series, Dungey holds a 4-point lead over Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed who are tied for 2^nd place. “It feels great to hold the red number plate as we head into the fourth round,” remarked Dungey after the race. “It’s still early in the series, but it is definitely off to a good start for the Red Bull/KTM Team. I can’t thank everybody on the team enough. They have put in so many hours and we have made so much progress on the new 450. The bike is running amazing.”

Next Race: Oakland Supercross – January 28, 2012

Overall Results SX Class –

Overall Point Standings –

Ryan Dungey – 67
Chad Reed – 63
Ryan Villopoto – 63

Red Bull/KTM Factory rider Marvin Musquin was definitely one to watch at Dodger Stadium for the third round of the AMA West Supercross Lites Series with his smooth riding style and impressive lap times that put him up front all night.

Musquin qualified third fastest from the one and only practice session the riders were given. The shortage of practice time was a result of a shortened schedule from rain threats throughout the day. The riders finally took to the track at 4:00pm where Musquin immediately clicked with the technical Los Angeles race track and clicked off a lap time inside the top three.

He looked equally impressive in his heat race where he started in 5^th place. He quickly moved into the top three and finished the heat in 3^rd place for a great gate pick in the main event.

In the main event, Musquin rounded the first corner in 7^th position and quickly set his sights on the lead group. By the second lap he had passed Michael Leib to move into 6^th place and on the fifth lap he caught and passed Tyla Rattray for 5^th. He was the man to watch in the main event as he continued to put in impressive lap times and began to catch Dean Wilson and Zach Osborne who were battling for 2^nd position. With three laps to go, Musquin was within a bike length of the two riders when he landed too far to the outside of a triple which planted his front wheel in a mud hole bringing his bike to a halt and throwing him over the bars.

Musquin was slow to get up as the handlebar had hit him in the crash and knocked the wind out of him. “I had trouble breathing after the crash so I could not return to my bike,” remarked Musquin. “After further evaluation, they told me I do not have any broken ribs but will suffer some soreness and bad bruising but I should be good to go for Oakland.”

Musquin was credited with a 19^th place finish for the day only gaining two points in the championship chase. His result dropped him to 7^th place in overall points. The riders will now prepare for the next event which will be held in Oakland, CA next weekend January 28, 2012.

Overall Results Supercross Lites –

Overall Point Standings SX Lites –

Eli Tomac – 63
Dean Wilson – 62
Tyla Rattray – 60
Cole Seely – 47
Zach Osborne – 47
Jason Anderson – 44
Marvin Musquin – 42
Max Anstie – 32
Nico Izzi – 32
Billy Laninovich – 27