Ryan Dungey Cruises to Sixth Monster Energy Supercross Win of the Season in Santa Clara
In front of 40,192 fans at Levi’s Stadium reigning champion and Red Bull KTM rider Ryan Dungey rode flawlessly to capture his sixth 450SX Class victory of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season. Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb extended his points lead as he rode his way through the field en route to his fifth victory of the season in the Western Regional 250SX Class.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson scored his first SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award of the season to start the 450SX Class Main Event, just ahead of Dungey and GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle. A small bobble by Anderson coming out of the first turn caused him to lose momentum, which allowed Dungey and Bogle to get by.
On the opening lap Bogle briefly jumped his way past Dungey to take the lead, but Dungey instantly struck back to retake the top spot in the next turn. RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen moved into second by passing Bogle on Lap 1, closely followed by Anderson, who also made the pass on Bogle just a few turns later.
The battle for the lead intensified on Lap 7 as Roczen closed in on the championship leader, but Dungey remained calm under pressure and fended off each move the German rider attempted. The lead duo set a blistering pace out front and pulled away from the pack, pacing each other throughout the entire 20-lap Main Event.
The top three riders in the championship finished in the same order in Santa Clara – Photo Credit: Simon Cudby
Dungey eventually opened a gap on Roczen and led every lap to claim his sixth victory of the season, extending his points lead and record-setting 450SX Class podium streak to 28 races, dating back to last season.
“Tonight was good. I got off to a strong start, which was key,” said Dungey. “Kenny [Roczen] was applying the pressure, but I stayed strong and made sure to make quick work with lapped traffic.”
Roczen crossed the line in second, followed by Anderson in third.
“I felt strong tonight and we were close for the win,” said Roczen. “We [Dungey and I] were pacing each other the entire race but I came up a little short tonight and had to settle for second.”
Dungey increased his championship lead to 42 points over Roczen in second, followed by Anderson, who sits 58 points out of the lead in third.
450SX Class Results
1. Â Â Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
2. Â Â Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki
3. Â Â Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
4. Â Â Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha
5. Â Â Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda
6. Â Â Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
7. Â Â Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
8. Â Â Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha
9. Â Â Jake Weimer, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki
10. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki
450SX Class Championship Standings
1. Â Â Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 278
2. Â Â Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki – 236
3. Â Â Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna – 220
4. Â Â Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 200
5. Â Â Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM – 182
6. Â Â Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha – 178
7. Â Â Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda – 173
8. Â Â Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., KTM – 136
9. Â Â Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda – 120
10. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., KTM – 105
Cooper Webb Captures Fifth Western Regional 250SX Class Win to Extend Points Lead
In the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne earned his first SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award of the season, followed by Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Mitchell Harrison and Motorcycle Superstore Suzuki’s Kyle Cunningham. Alex Martin quickly went to work aboard his Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha to overtake Cunningham in the opening turns for third position.
On the opening lap Webb ran in sixth place, just ahead of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy, who entered the race second place in the championship. The two riders began mounting a charge through the field, mimicking each other’s every move as they climbed up the running order.
Martin found a way past his rookie teammate Harrison for second place on Lap 4. Harrison would then surrender third to Webb on the very next lap. Savatgy continued to keep Webb in sight as he moved into fourth place on Lap 6.
Webb, the defending champion, started nipping at the heels of Martin and eventually made the pass to take over second on Lap 7. Savatgy quickly followed by making an aggressive pass on Martin for third place on the eighth lap.
As Webb and Savatgy made their way into podium contention, race leader Osborne rode strong and consistent laps at the front of the field, but his lead began to slowly diminish each lap as Webb continued his march towards the front. On Lap 11, Webb dove to the inside of Osborne, took the lead and never looked back.
Webb went on to claim his fifth 250SX Class victory of the season, and the 11th of his career.
“It wasn’t one of my better starts, but I plugged away,” said Webb. “Zach [Osborne] was riding good tonight, but fortunately I was able to catch him towards the end to make a pass and grab another win.”
Osborne equaled his season-best result in second, while Savatgy rounded out the podium in third.
“I’m pretty happy with the race overall,” said Osborne. “The track was tricky, becoming slippery as the race wore on. I gave it my best effort, which was three laps short [of the win] tonight.”
Webb strengthened his control of the Western Regional 250SX Class standings, where Savatgy trails by 16 points in second. GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig, who finished in fourth place and had his five-race podium streak snapped, sits 23 points behind in third.
Western Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha
2. Zach Osborne, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna
3. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki
4. Christian Craig, Corona, Calif., Honda
5. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM
6. Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha
7. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Honda
8. Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda
9. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha
10. Michael Leib, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha
Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 170
2. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 154
3. Christian Craig, Corona, Calif., Honda – 147
4. Zach Osbourne, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna – 132
5. Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 132
6. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM – 113
7. James Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda – 109
8. Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda – 100
9. Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki – 78
10. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Honda – 77
The 2016 Monster Energy Supercross season continues next weekend with the championship’s annual visit to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, April 9.
