— AMA MX – Rnd 11 – Steel City
— Dungey makes it nine straight with Steel City victory
Delmont’s Steel City Raceway hosted the penultimate round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, on Saturday with its annual Labor Day Weekend stop in Western Pennsylvania. Just a couple weeks removed from capturing his second career 450 Class title, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey raced to his ninth straight overall victory of the season with another 
impressive sweep of the motos. In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac captured his fourth overall win with a dominant 1-1 outing that tightened the championship heading into the final round of the season.
Dungey began the afternoon with a dominant effort in the opening moto. The KTM rider took the lead out of the first corner and never looked back, leading all 15 laps and winning by over 31 seconds to put himself in position to capture the overall.
In the second moto, Dungey had to climb his way through the field from outside the top five. At the conclusion of the opening lap, he had moved into fourth and slowly began picking off his rivals. Out front, MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi opened up a comfortable margin as rain started to fall.
On Lap 3, Dungey moved into second, with the rain helping close the gap between him and Alessi. As the weather cleared, the battle for the lead ensued. Alessi fended off Dungey’s advances for several laps, even forcing a small bobble by the KTM rider, but on Lap 10, Dungey made the pass and led for the final four laps to secure the win.
“It was nice to come out of here with a win today, this place has been good to me in the past (in the 250 Class),” said Dungey, who won for the first time at Steel City Raceway in the premier division and also moves into sole possession of third on the 450 Class all-time wins list with 23 victories. “There were some good line choices. The second moto got a little slippery when that rain came, but I put in good laps and limited the mistakes. Luckily, I just went off the track a bit (with the bobble) and didn’t lose too much ground. I want to continue (winning) with these last two races. They mean just as much as the 10 before.”
Alessi finished second (3-2), while Jeff Ward Racing Kawasaki’s Josh Grant captured his team’s first podium in third (4-4).
In the 250 Class, Tomac left little doubt that he would be the rider to beat on Saturday. After posting the fastest practice lap of either class earlier in the day, Tomac carried the momentum into the motos. In Moto 1, points leader Blake Baggett grabbed the holeshot aboard his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki, but was passed shortly thereafter by GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia.
Once out front, Barcia established a solid lead. Tomac worked his way into second by Lap 3, following a fourth-place start, and set his sights on his teammate. The Honda duo set the pace of the moto for the next 10 laps, engaging in a see-saw battle. Tomac gained an advantage on Lap 12 and made the pass stick, closing out the final three laps.
In Moto 2, Tomac positioned himself into the lead early, capitalizing on a good start and leading all 13 laps without any pressure from his rivals. He crossed the line with 10-seconds over field to secure the victory.
“It was the best day I could ask for,” said Tomac, who moved into second in the 250 Class standings following his performance. “I came and did what I needed to do, and now I’m within a moto of the points lead. Justin (Barcia) and I definitely got close out there (in the first moto), but we are just trying to chase Blake (Baggett) right now, so there isn’t a lot of tension between us. I’ve gotten good starts (recently), and I think these are the best starts I’ve had all season. I think that’s what the difference was today. I’m one of those guys that likes to get out front early and set that pace.”
Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany, finished in the runner-up spot (3-2), while Barcia, who fell to third in the championship standings, rounded out the podium (2-3).
Baggett’s fourth place finish (4-4) helped him maintain control of the standings heading into next weekend’s final round, holding a 14-point lead over Tomac and 18 points over Barcia. This trio along with Roczen, who sits 45 points out of the points lead, enters the final round with a mathematical shot at the title.
The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship comes to a dramatic conclusion next weekend with its inaugural stop at Southern California’s Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park.
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship – FMF Steel City National
Steel City Raceway – Delmont, Pa. – September 1, 2012- Round 11 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (3-2)
3. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (4-4)
4. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (7-3)
5. Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (6-9)
6. Nico Izzi, Rochester, Mich., Yamaha (8-8)
7. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha (5-11)
8. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Honda (11-6)
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (2-32)
10. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Honda (12-10)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 530
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 409
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 333
4. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 327
5. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 309
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 262
7. Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 222
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki, 198
9. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha, 176
10. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 163
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (1-1)
2. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (3-2)
3. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (2-3)
4. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (4-4)
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (5-5)
6. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (9-6)
7. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (8-9)
8. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki (7-11)
9. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM (6-12)
10. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda (11-10)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 472
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 458
3. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 454
4. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 427
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 368
6. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 282
7. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 239
8. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 222
9. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 205
10. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda, 177
— KTM Report
Red Bull KTM Factory riders turned in yet another great day at the US Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday at the Steel City Raceway with Ryan Dungey taking his ninth consecutive 450 class overall win and the team’s two European riders, Ken Roczen of Germany and Frenchman Marvin Musquin finishing second and fifth.
Dungey had already secured the championship title in the previous round and Roczen and Musquin are currently 4-5 in the standings.
Dungey rocketed his KTM 450 SX-F off the line to grab the holeshot in the opening moto and quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. He went on to lead every lap of the race to take the win by a dominant 30 seconds.
In the second moto, Dungey started inside the top five and crossed the first lap in fourth position. He slipped past Jake Weimer for third in the following lap and began to hunt down second placed Josh Grant who was already behind him in the fourth lap. He then edged his way towards leader Mike Alessi, making the pass at the half way mark. Dungey went on to secure yet another victory in what has been an amazing season for the American KTM rider in his first season with the European brand.
“It feels great to come out here and win both motos today,” remarked Dungey. “I had to work hard to make the pass for the lead in the second moto and take the win. I had a lot of fun here and appreciate all of the fans that cheered me on today. I am looking forward to the final round at Lake Elsinore next weekend.”
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team’s 250 duo were also in top form with Roczen earning 3-2 results for overall second and teammate Marvin Musquin following on from his overall win in the last round with an impressive fifth. Roczen shot out of the gate and was in the top three by the end of the first lap while Musquin was close behind in fifth and they both managed to hold their positions right to the flag.
The German teenager was again top three in the opener of the second moto while Musquin was back at seventh but both made passes stick in the next lap with Roczen assuming second an his French teammate advancing up to fourth. Roczen continued to click off impressive lap times and hung on to second until the flag while Musquin lost one position near the end of the moto and dropped to fifth for overall fifth on the day.
The team now heads to California to race the final round of the series at Lake Elsinore, CA next weekend.
