Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey raced to second place in Saturday night’s AMA/ FIM World Supercross final round but lost his bid to defend the title.
The 2010 champion trailed series leader Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) by 12 points and second-placed Chad Reed (Honda) by three points coming into the 17th and final round at Sam Boyd Stadium and despite clawing back from sixth at the start of the 20-lap Main Event to finish in Reed’s wheel tracks, the 22-point haul wasn’t enough.
Reed won the race ahead of Dungey and Villopoto who lifted his first Supercross title with 338 points. Reed finished second on 334 and Dungey was third overall on 328 points.
Dungey and his RM-Z450 showed their strength all day, starting with scoring the third fastest lap in the afternoon timed practices. The reigning champion grabbed a second-place in his heat race which resulted in the third best gate pick for the Main Event in front of more than 39,500 fans.
In the Main, Dungey blasted out of the gate to a solid start and into the front group. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider was able to work his way into third by lap six and kept pushing hard to eventually pass for second on lap 12. From there, Dungey had the capacity crowd on its feet as he and Reed battled for the remaining eight laps. He pushed hard on his Suzuki but was unable to make the pass and crossed the line in second.
“It was a good weekend,” says Dungey. “We got off to a good start with solid practices and I was able to get a second in my heat race, which gave me a good gate pick. I didn’t get such a great start in the Main which is something I need to work on but I was able to get up into second and got close to Chad Reed – right up to his wheel – but I wasn’t able to get around him.
“A big thanks to my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and my family. Without them and my great bike I wouldn’t be able to be out here doing what I do. They are incredible. It was a long, tough season and I think we can learn a lot from it and apply it to the future and move forward and leave the past behind. The outdoor series is right around the corner and these next few weeks will be crucial to get ready and be in the best position to start the season.”
