News 13 Jun 2010

AMA MX: Dungey leads after High Point, Metcalfe podiums

Ryan Dungey won his second National in a row at High Point to take over the points lead.

Ryan Dungey won his second National in a row at High Point to take over the points lead.

The third round of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship endured a mixture of rain and sun on Saturday as the series made its East Coast debut at the Rockstar Energy High Point National Presented by Centra Bank from High Point Raceway.

After breaking through for his first 450 Class victory last weekend, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey made it two in a row while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray, of South Africa, raced to his first career victory in the 250 Class.

Dungey maintained the momentum he garnered last weekend, going 1-1 on the day to establish a four moto win streak. After grabbing the lead early in moto one, he never looked back but was forced to chase down Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short in moto two.

Overcoming a multiple-second deficit, he closed in during the closing stages and made the winning pass to lead the final five laps.

“It feels good,” said Dungey. “The track turned out better than I thought after the first moto. I got good starts and put us in a good position to be out front. There were a lot of passing lines today. Sometimes you get caught behind someone and have difficulty moving through the pack and that’s where starts play a big role.”

By virtue of the win, Dungey moved into the 450 Class points lead, surpassing Australia’s defending champion Chad Reed, who suffered from misfortune en route to an 18th-place effort. Short held on for second overall (3-2) while South Australian GEICO Powersports Honda rider Brett Metcalfe grabbed his first career podium finish in the premier class in third (6-3).

Reed finished 13th in moto one after his goggle lens popped out, before a first lap incident damaged his front brake caliper and forced him out of the running.

Next best Australian behind Metcalfe was Queenslander Dan Reardon in 15th, while his Valli Motorsports Yamaha teammate and countryman Michael Byrne suffered a broken bone in his hand during the opening moto.

Current Australian Pro Lites MX Nationals Champion Matt Moss was 20th overall in his best performance yet for Rockstar Makita Suzuki as teammate to Dungey, running strong in second on the opening lap of moto two before falling.

Moss rode inside the top 10 for much of the moto after remounting, only to eventually DNF after taking 17th in moto one earlier on in the day.

Intermittent rain created difficult track conditions for the 250 Class which once again showcased the depth of talent in the entry level division.

GEICO Powersports Honda’s Justin Barcia captured the first moto victory but found trouble in moto two. Current class points leader Christophe Pourcel, of France, assumed the winning role in the final moto but Rattray’s consistent 2-2 moto scores helped him to his inaugural overall victory.

“It feels good,” said Rattray. “I’ve been working for it and to finally get one now really means a lot to me. Being consistent is what it takes to win the championship. It would have been nice to go 1-1 but at least I was consistent. I’ve been working hard and it feels good to finally get on top of the podium.”

Pourcel took the runner-up spot (4-1) to maintain his points lead while GEICO Powersports Honda’s Blake Wharton, of Pilot Point, Texas, posted a career best result in third (8-3).

The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend for round four and the MotoTees.com Budds Creek National from Budds Creek MX Park on 19 June.

OVERALL RESULTS:

450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (1-1)
2. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (3-2)
3. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (6-3)
4. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda (4-6)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (7-5)
6. Matt Goerke, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (5-7)
7. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki (11-4)
8. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (2-24)
9. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha (10-11)
10. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha (9-12)

450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 126
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 101
3. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 98
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 95
5. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 87
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 82
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 79
8. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 76
9. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki, 71
10. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 55

250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (2-2)
2. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (4-1)
3. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda (8-3)
4. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki (3-9)
5. Dean Wilson, Canada, Kawasaki (5-6)
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (9-5)
7. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda (14-4)
8. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (1-21)
9. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Yamaha (11-7)
10. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (7-11)

250 Class Championship Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 129
2. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 102
3. Dean Wilson, Canada, Kawasaki, 100
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 93
5. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 90
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 89
7. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 80
8. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 79
9. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 72
10. Tommy Searle, England, KTM, 60

Click here for detailed results

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