— AMA Motocross 2012 – Round Ten – Unadilla
— Dungey secures Title at Unadilla
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, hosted its annual stop from Central New York on Saturday, with the 10th round of the season from Unadilla. Continuing his dominance of the 450 Class field, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., captured his second career title with two rounds remaining by sweeping the day’s motos for his eighth consecutive victory. In the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin, of France, broke through
for his first career win on U.S. soil.
BTO Sports/Palmetto Suzuki’s Michael Byrne, of Australia, and Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., battled for the early lead in the opening 450 Class moto, with Stewart taking the spot on the second lap. However, the following lap, Stewart crashed out of the lead, dropping to the tail end of the field and allowing Byrne to reassume the position. The same lap, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, passed Byrne but went down moments later, unable to finish the race.
Byrne paced the field for the next seven laps and opened a multi-second advantage, only to experience misfortune of his own and suffer an injury that ultimately forced him out of the moto. In Byrne’s absence, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle, of Holly, Mich., took over the lead with Dungey, who also fell in the early stages of the moto, assuming second.
Tickle fended off Dungey for four laps, but the KTM rider made his move with two laps remaining to take a hard-fought moto win, battling his way forward from 10th place. Dungey’s closest championship rival, MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., also suffered from misfortune in the moto, completing only four laps before pulling off with a DNF, which put Dungey is position to claim the title.
In Moto 2, Dungey capitalized on a good start, slotting himself into third place early behind Team Chaparral Honda’s Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas, and Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s Davi Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga. Dungey wasted little time in moving forward, passing both of his competitors to move into the lead by the third lap. Once out front, Dungey never looked back and brought home his 22nd career premier class win, tying him with Ricky Johnson for third on the all-time wins list.
“It was a pretty amazing day,” said Dungey. “To be honest, I knew we could wrap (the championship) up today, but my focus was putting on a solid performance and moving forward. Mike (Alessi) has been riding well, but unfortunately there was a DNF. In the second moto, I just wanted to put in a solid ride and wrap up this championship. It’s amazing to see everything that’s gone in to making this moment happen. It’s pretty special.”
Dungey’s championship is a historic one for KTM, marking the Austrian brand’s first title in the 450 Class.
“I knew we had the right people behind us and if anyone could do it, (Team Manager Roger DeCoster) and this team could,” added Dungey. “We struggled at times, but as a team we worked it out and were able to overcome it. It took a lot of effort from everyone here and overseas. We had a god opening round and just kept making progress. I committed everything and winning a championship is paying that due. I hope this is the first of many more.”
Tickle posted a career-best runner-up finish (2-4), while Short rounded out the podium in third (4-3).
In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda’s Zach Bell, of Cairo, Ga., positioned himself at the front of the field of the opening moto and led the first two laps before giving way to Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany. Once out front, Roczen pulled away from the field and claimed his first moto win since moving to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship this season.
In Moto 2, GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia, of Monroe, N.Y., took advantage of the holeshot to open an early lead and rebound from a seventh-place finish in the first moto. Behind him, fellow GEICO Honda rider Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., and Musquin began to assert themselves at the front of the field.
Tomac eventually closed in on Barcia and passed his teammate on Lap 8, pulling away for the moto win. Musquin solidified himself in third through the remainder of the moto and the consistency was enough to award the former two-time World Motocross Champion the overall win.
“This is my best result here,” said Musquin. “I was finding good lines, and this track is really about technique. I (also) got two good starts. In the first moto, I was happy to follow Kenny (Roczen) and in the second moto I was determined to get a good start because I haven’t been doing that this year. I kept thinking about the overall, because I knew Tomac and Barcia had trouble (in Moto 1). With Kenny and Ryan (Dungey) winning as well, it was a good day for KTM. ”
Tomac (6-1) and Roczen (1-6) finished with identical moto results, tying for second overall, but Tomac claimed the spot by virtue of the second-moto tiebreaker.
Points leader Blake Baggett, of Grand Terrace, Calif., finished fifth overall aboard his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki but still maintains possession of the 250 Class lead, 24 points over Barcia.
After a break in the action next weekend, the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will return with the 11th of 12 rounds this season in Pennsylvania. The Steel City National from Delmont’s Steel City Raceway will host the world’s best riders on Saturday, September 1, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern.
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship – Red Bull Unadilla National
Unadilla – New Berlin, N.Y. – August 18, 2012 – Round 10 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (2-4)
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (4-3)
4. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha (3-5)
5. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (5-6)
6. Nico Izzi, Rochester, Mich., Yamaha (6-8)
7. Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (8-9)
8. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Honda (7-11)
9. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki (12-7)
10. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (39-2)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 480
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 367
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 311
4. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 293
5. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 293
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 226
7. Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 202
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki, 182
9. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 163
10. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha, 150
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (2-3)
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (6-1)
3. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (1-6)
4. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (7-2)
5. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (3-5)
6. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda (11-4)
7. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (9-8)
8. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki (5-12)
9. Martin Davalos, Quito, Ecuador, Suzuki (13-7)
10. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda (14-9)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 436
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 412
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 408
4. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 385
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 336
6. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 255
7. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 215
8. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 206
9. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 189
10. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda, 168
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey made history for KTM as he went 1-1 at Unadilla Raceway to take the overall victory and the crown as the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro 450 Motocross Champion. And to make it a perfect Orange weekend for the US factory team French rider Marvin Musquin claimed his first ever overall 250 win on USA soil and German teammate Ken Roczen finished third overall after winning the first moto.
Dungey started fifth in the first moto and stopped hearts in the pits when he in crashed in the first lap that dropped him back to eleventh place. In typical Dungey style he was back on his KTM 450 SX-F in an instant and began to pick off riders to put himself in the lead when the two-lap board went out. When the checkered flag flew, Dungey crossed the finish line to take the first moto victory.
Fans then lined the fence for the start of moto two in anticipation of watching Dungey make history for KTM if he took the win in the second moto to claim KTM’s first 450 Motocross Championship. Dungey launched off at fourth when the drop of the gate and was in third at the fourth corner. Moments later he had assumed the lead and never looked back. He dominated the remainder of race in his now copybook style and went on to lead the remaining laps to claim the overall and his first championship for the Austrian brand and sports bike specialist.
“It has been an amazing year with the Red Bull KTM Team,” remarked Dungey on the podium. “I am so happy to clinch this championship and so grateful to every member of the Red Bull KTM Team and my family that have helped me get here today. When I joined the KTM team last October, Roger (DeCoster – team manager) told me that we would be championship contenders and I believed him. It has come true today.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Team Manager Roger DeCoster was elated with Dungey’s victory, stating, “The team and Ryan have worked so hard this season. We have seen him have success in Supercross and then suffer an injury only to come back stronger. This is a great moment for the team, for KTM and for Ryan. We are very proud of him and look forward to running the number one plate at the final two races.”
Musquin takes his first overall win on US soil
Red Bull KTM’s two European riders, Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen then added even more excitement to the team’s excitement when Musquin, with a 2-3 moto result took his first overall win on US soil in the 250 class while teammate Roczen finished with him on the podium in third place after taking the checkered flag in the first race of the day.
Musquin and Roczen both started the day well turning the top two fastest lap times in morning qualifying. Then in the first moto, they started up front at 1-2 with Roczen in the lead where they dominated the front right through to the flag drop. Roczen claimed his first career victory while Musquin finished second.
“I am really excited to take a win at Unadilla,” remarked Roczen. “I have been working really hard and been so close so many times this season. It is a great feeling to have it pay off and to also celebrate with my teammate up here.”
In moto two, it was Musquin with a top five start while Roczen sat in tenth place in the first corner. Musquin quickly climbed into third position where he would remain for the moto. Roczen fought his way through the pack and eventually finished in sixth. Musquin’s 2-3 results were enough to put him on the top step of the podium while Roczen took the minor podium place.
“I was very nervous on the last lap,” stated Musquin. “I knew if I finished inside the top three I would get the overall and it was a very exciting last lap. I was so happy when I crossed the finish line. I would really like to thank the whole team, especially my mechanic, Frankie, for all of their hard work. It is a great feeling to get the overall on the same weekend Ryan Dungey claimed his championship. We have a lot to celebrate as a team today and I am glad to be a part of it.”
