— Dungey wins Phoenix; Reed fifth
– KTM Report
Red Bull/KTM Factory riders Ryan Dungey and Marvin Musquin added a liberal dash of KTM orange to the Supercross and SX Lites categories of Round 2 of the AMA competition when Dungey won the SX class and Musquin was second in SX Lites. It was KTM’s first SX victory since the company committed to pursue a top place in the US competition to add to its honors in the World Championships.
Dungey, third in Round 1 now tops the points table and starts with the red p
late in Round 3. Musquin is equal third in SX Lites points, trailing the leader by just two points.
Not only did Dungey take the win, he nailed the holeshot and led every lap of the twenty lap main event. His first career win on his KTM 450 machine also marks the first ever for the KTM brand in the SX class. Dungey qualified third fastest from practice and earned a fourth place finish in his heat to transfer to the main. Once he lined up on that gate, everything went his way.
“! was definitely motivated by my teammate tonight,” Dungey said on the podium. “I saw Marvin (Musquin) got second in the Lites main and knew I had to step up my game to match him and do well for our team. This win feels so incredible. The whole crew at KTM has been behind me 100% since I joined them in October and it is amazing to earn this win together!”
Red Bull/KTM Factory Team Manager Roger DeCoster, commented, “It is not just our team in the US but the whole crew in Austria at our factory that have helped us get here. It’s amazing to get a podium in only our second race of the season. It feels really good that we were able to deliver for the people that backed us. We have proved ourselves with a win and intend to keep progressing.”
It was naturally also a great night for Dungey’s teammate, 2 x MX2 World Champion Marvin Musquin of France who picked up his first career SX Lites podium when he finished second overall in Round 2 of the West Supercross Lites Series. Plagued with injury throughout the season in 2011, Musquin has now shown he is a serious player in the West Coast Lites category.
The French rider finished fifth place in his heat race to easily transfer to the main event. When the gate dropped for the Lites main event Musquin rocketed off the line to be second in the first corner. He tried to block pass holeshot winner Tyla Rattray to take the lead on the second lap but wasn’t able to make it stick. On the third corner he moved around Rattray but the pass slowed him up and allowed Wilson to overtake for the lead. Musquin crossed the line in second after 15 laps with Dean Wilson taking the eventual win.
“It feels awesome!” Musquin said after the race. “I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a young kid. This is honestly a dream come true.”
After two rounds Musquin is tied for third place in points with Dean Wilson. The next round of the series is in Los Angeles, CA on January 21, 2012.
– Reed Report
TwoTwo Motorsports Chad Reed has finished fifth at Round 2 of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship at Phoenix Chase Field tonight.
The Australian, was the second fastest qualifier following the afternoon practice sessions, but a crash in his heat race while battling James Stewart for the race lead set the scene for a tough evening.
Reed’s 7th place heat finish afforded him a less than ideal gate pick and a bad start in the ‘main event’ saw him buried mid pack as the field approached the first turn.
Sitting seventh at the halfway point Reed traded blows with Stewart before working his way past Canard and Strong to secure fifth.
“We were actually better this week to last week the results on paper just don’t show it,” Reed said.
“I felt like for the most part it was positive. What we worked on since last round was better and we learnt some things throughout the day that were both negative and positive.
“The first four laps of my heat race was good, I went forward and was charging. We had an issue during testing last week which rose its head again in the heat and I lost the front,” he continued.
“In the ‘main event’ I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time every time. Everyone I came up on was racing hard and instead of me racing hard and charging forward and putting myself in the right position I was continually in the wrong place each time.
“I felt like I rode great here and there and it was a step forward in many ways, its just the result wasn’t there,” Reed added.
Reed now sits third in the championship standings seven points behind Ryan Villopoto and tonight’s winner Ryan Dungey who are tied at the top of the standings on 45points.
TwoTwo Motorsports will return to the test track ahead of next weekends third round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross at Los Angeles Dodger Stadium.
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Round 2 Results: Phoenix
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
2. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
4. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
5. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
7. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
8. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
9. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
10.Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Season Standings (After Rd 2 of 17)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 45
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 45
3. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 38
4. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 38
5. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 31
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 29
7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 28
8. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 25
9. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 22
10.Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 22
Overall Results Supercross Lites Class
1, Dean Wilson
2, Marvin Musquin – KTM
3, Tyla Rattray
4, Eli Tomac
5, Cole Seely
Overall Results Supercross Lites Point Standings:
1, Tyla Rattray – 42
2, Cole Seely – 41
3, Dean Wilson – 40
4, Marvin Musquin – 40
