Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey returned to form at the Los Angeles round of AMA Supercross last weekend, the defending champion battling for the victory before eventually finishing third.

Dungey had struggled to match the speed of Ryan Villopoto and James Stewart in early races this season, however a Dodger Stadium he was well and truly in the mix at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m happy about the day,” said 21-year-old Dungey. “Winning the heat race was definitely a step in the right direction. In the main I got a good start on my RM-Z450 and we had to battle pretty much all race long – it was kind of cat and mouse.

“Overall, happy on the day, we just came up a little short. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and I accomplished a lot, so we can’t complain about anything.

“I’m definitely looking forward to Oakland and going to another new stadium. We’ll do some work this week and show up to Oakland ready to go.”

Australian teammate Brett Metcalfe was also content with his result, finishing eighth despite a crash while leading on lap two.

“It was a good day,” said Metcalfe. “My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team was able to make some changes to my Suzuki that made me much more comfortable on the bike this week and that made me be able to get up to speed earlier in practice.

“In the main event, I just dropped the hammer and my RM-Z hooked up and I was able to get the holeshot and led the first lap. I made a mistake on the second lap and went down and lost quite a few positions.

“Overall, I was happy with the ride – it was just that mistake that disappointed me. I’m really looking forward to Oakland – another new stadium. The dirt should be a little looser and more tacky, which will suit my style a little better.”