For a second consecutive year, Ryan Dungey’s off-season included a stop at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, to participate in Red Bull Straight Rhythm. The event was actually Dungey’s third event in as many weeks after races in Germany (SMX Cup) and Vegas (Monster Energy Cup).
“I feel good. All this stuff is good, positive stuff going into the season,” he told us after Straight Rhythm on Saturday. “We learn little bits.”
Dungey improved upon last year’s third place finish at the event, finishing runner-up to Red Bull KTM teammate Marvin Musquin. We talked with him after the race.
Racer X: How was the race?
Ryan Dungey: From the beginning of the day Marvin [Musquin] rode really well. I could see he was getting the rhythms down quick. He just started tying everything together real nicely, and then we went into the racing. I didn’t race him until the final because of the way our bracket worked out, but we met in the finals and he had just a little bit on me each time to get the win. He rode really good today. It was definitely cool to see. Obviously Marvin has been putting in a lot of effort, a lot of hard work. We’re with each other all the time. If somebody’s got to win it other than myself I’d like to see Marvin win, so it was pretty cool. Good to go 1-2. I gave it my all. Marvin beat me straight up.
I talked to Marvin before the final race and I said, “Maybe you got a chance tonight?” He said to me, “Against Ryan it’s pretty tough.”
Any time when you’re in the finals you can pretty much guarantee nobody’s going to make a mistake. You can’t hope for a mistake. So you’ve got to hit your marks good, hit it nice, get through the rhythms fast and get the forward drive, the whoops and everything. He got me a little bit on the beginning and I was just playing catch up the whole time. When a guy’s that on it you’re hoping for a little slip up and he never did. He had some good success here in 2014 which was good, and now as well. He’s got a win in the 250 and a win in the 450. It was good to be able to this year for myself to get into the finals. Last year I only made it to the semi-final. We ended up third last year so this is a step forward. They were going fast, so we learned a little bit of stuff today. I think this stuff translates into the supercross, so it’s always good to kind of do these unique, one-off, out of the box things that Red Bull puts on and have a little fun today too. We’re safe and healthy and now we can go to Florida and get ready for the season.
Going back to Florida, is it full steam ahead for Anaheim or are you going to take a bit of time off? What’s the program?
This coming week I’ll be in Minnesota. Spend a little time there and kind of regroup and just refresh for a week. Then we’ll be in Florida pretty much straight to it. We’re going to be riding there from November 1 on until Anaheim pretty much, or a little before. But it’s good. Marvin’s going really well. Jason [Anderson] will be back there, myself. It will be good to be able to push each other. It’s kind of cool. Marvin’s really stepped up his game, so for us to be able to push each other at Baker’s Factory will be good. Hopefully we have a great, safe and healthy preparation in the off-season. It’ll be good to come in strong together.
Can you walk me through your day?
So the beginning of the day with the first practice—this year was a little different. We didn’t have practice Friday. So it was all pretty much one day, which was good. Practice went good. The first free practice we got the track dialed in. Second practice we got some good times and ended up second in the timing. Then it kind of came down to the qualifying. Step-by-step we were going good and came down to that one with Josh Hansen and myself, and I lost the first one. So I kind of had my work cut out for me. I was able to win the next two and advance to the finals with Marvin where I ended up getting beat each one and ended up second. But Marvin rode exceptional today, rode really well. He had the track dialed.
You guys almost had a full podium sweep in both classes.
Yeah, I think by maybe five-hundredths of a second we almost had a sweep. But Trey [Canard] is early on the bike. For him to come out and do this race was just cool in itself. But we got a couple months now to kind of gather our stuff, get ready, hit her hard and build from here. So it’s good.
This is your third race back since injury….
Yeah, third competition. We had the Germany [SMX Cup], Vegas [Monster Energy Cup], and now here in Pomona [Red Bull Straight Rhythm]. So it was good to kind of get on the gate drop.
So how do you feel? Obviously you got second, but overall how do you feel like you rode?
I feel good. All this stuff is good, positive stuff going into the season. We learn little bits. Germany was a little different just because the track was not so supercross. But it was fun. We enjoyed it and got to see Europe. Vegas we learned a little bit of stuff with the bike, where we thought we could be better. Although it’s not a real supercross track we learned some things. And then this, going these high speeds like this on these tracks, it’s a little bit faster than a regular supercross track but it’s good to get that hand-eye coordination, the depth perception, and that speed. There’s all kinds of little things you can carry over and look at it in a positive.
What do you think about the speed checks?
Speed checks are good. They’re tough because they were all different lengths. Maybe one was like 10 feet, one was 15, one was five, but if you went too far and dropped to the bottom you lost all your momentum. You could really use the speed checks to drive down into the next section which was really time to be made there. It wasn’t a lot of mistakes tonight, but it was hard to make up time.
That was definitely one place where you were pulling on Josh [Hansen]. Every speed check you were hitting the downside and pulling him.
I seen a couple guys land at the bottom of the speed check right before the whoops and they tried to pick up their momentum and they couldn’t get their momentum back. So, it was like, don’t do that.
How’s it been with Trey joining the team?
It’s been good. We got a great morale, great group of people. I think it’s one of the best teams in the pits, if not the best in my opinion, just as far as everybody getting along, everybody working together. Trey’s got a great reputation. I grew up racing with him. He’s a nice guy. Always I think you can expect the best from him. So to add him to our team I think it makes it even better and stronger and funnier.
