Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey advanced to the top of the leaderboard in the highly competitive AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, in Oakland on Saturday night after picking up a second place at round four of the series.
Dungey, a Red Bull athlete was placed in the second 450 SX heat, where he nearly pulled the holey to take up an early race lead. He slipped back to third in the opening corners and then concentrated on closing the gap to the second placed rider. Once in second he carried it to the finish for a comfortable transfer to the Main Event.
The Main saw Dungey with a top five start and he had moved into top three before the halfway mark. He then chipped away at the gap on second placed Chad Reed and advanced to second after Reed made a mistake and rode off the track. Dungey held onto the spot for the remaining laps to finish second to Trey Canard at the drop of the flag.
Dungey now leads the championship by a margin of five points. “I am excited to run the red plate at the next round,” Dungey said. “I wish I could have taken the win tonight but I am happy that my consistent results have paid off and we are in the top spot heading to the next round. I have to keep building on these results and continue to work toward that win.”
Unfortunately, Dungey’s Red Bull KTM Factory team-mate, Dean Wilson, suffered an ACL injury during a practice crash earlier in the week and did not race at Oakland Supercross.
Top ten finish for Justin Hill in 250SX West
In the 250-class action at Oakland, Red Bull KTM Factory rider Justin Hill finished in ninth position after a disappointing crash cost him the lead in the fourth round of the West Coast Series.
Earlier, Hill had turned the fastest lap time of the practice sessions and picked up a top gate pick in his heat race. Hill lined up for the second 250 SX heat and was in fourth after the opening lap. He made a pass for third on the next lap, then two laps later moved up to second and carried it to the flag for a great gate pick for the Main Event.
Hill was again top five after the gate dropped in the Main Event and was running sixth at the close of the opening lap. He made some impressive passes in the next two laps and had advanced to third by lap three. Two laps later Hill powered his KTM into the lead where he remained for the next three laps before a mistake in the sand section saw him go end over end. He recovered in fifth but the crash had shaken him up and he went on to cross the line in ninth place.
“I’m really bummed about tonight’s result,” said a disappointed Hill. “I felt good on the bike all day and was fast in practice. I simply mistimed my entry into the sand section. I had been doubling into that section most of the day but they changed the entry a bit during track maintenance so my normal line didn’t work during the race. I just struggled to find my rhythm after that and went off the track again a little later. I’m going to do my best to bounce back at Anaheim 3 next weekend.”
