Dungay Takes First Win At Pheonix

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Ryan Dungey served notice that he was ready for the big leagues last week with an impressive second-place finish at Anaheim 1. This week at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona – round two of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series – Dungey established himself as the man to beat, taking a wire-to-wire win in front of a packed house.

Dungey put his Rockstar Makita Suzuki out front at the start of the main event, and after fending off an early bid by Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, Dungey pulled away to a relatively easy win. It was Dungey’s first-ever win in the 450 class.

“It’s really hard to put this into words,” said Dungey. “It’s a big step in my career and it’s a pretty amazing feeling. The team worked really hard and we put ourselves in good position and it paid off. I’m glad to get this out of the way and I’ll never forget it.”

And while Dungey had perhaps his most memorable ride to date, San Manual Yamaha’s James Stewart and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chad Reed had nights to forget.
Stewart went down hard in his heat race and had to be carted off the track. He later qualified for the main by winning the LCQ. But in the main event, Stewart got a mid-pack start – as did Reed. And when Reed tried to pass Stewart, the two came together and went down. Reed left the track with an unconfirmed injury, while Stewart remounted to finish a lowly 15th. It was Reed’s second DNF in as many weeks.

In the meantime, Villopoto looked impressive and pushed Dungey early in the race, but never got close enough to make a challenge.
“I gained a little on Dungey during the early part of the race, but I just couldn’t do anything with it,” said Villopoto. “This track is typically slippery and I just had to ride really smooth and not make any mistakes, which made it hard to catch up.”

Third place went to San Manuel Yamaha’s Josh Hill, who was relieved to finally be back where he felt he belonged.
“It’s been a little while since I’ve been in this position and it feels good,” said Hill. “My team and I are working 100% and the bike is great. I feel I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Valli Motorsport’s Ivan Tedesco rode a strong race to finish fourth, while Honda riders Andrew Short and Kevin Windham rounded out the top five.

Dungey now holds a nine-point lead over Villopoto in the series standings (47 to 38), with Hill in third at 35 points. Stewarts sits seventh overall with 31 points.

The Lites race was just as eventful as the 450 race, with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer collecting his second-straight win. However, this week he had to chase down GEICO Powersports Honda’s Blake Wharton and Rockstar Suzuki Canidae Motosport’s Ryan Morais to do it.

At the start it was Weimer’s teammate Josh Hansen with the holeshot, however, Hansen went down in turn two, giving Wharton the lead, which he held for 12 laps before giving way to Morais.

Morais would lead for one lap before Weimer made the pass for the lead and eventually the win.
“I struggled a bit for some reason,” said Weimer. “I got my first win in Phoenix and I love it here, but I always struggle in the sand every year. I made some mistakes in the beginning and never thought I’d be up here. This is kind of a surprise but it’s great.”

Morais finished just behind in second while Wharton held on for third.

AMA Supercross Class Results:

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha
Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Suzuki
Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki

Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Results:

Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda
Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
Tommy Searle, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Suzuki
Phil Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., KTM

Compliments of AMA Supercross

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