Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey knows that he needs to repeat his success of last year at Southwick with a double win if he’s to defend his AMA Pro Motocross Championship against an in-form Ryan Villopoto.

Last weekend at the Unadilla national in New Berlin, New York, saw Dungey race to second overall with 2-2 finishes behind Villopoto.

“In the first moto, I high-sided a rut and almost threw it away,” said Dungey. “But I was able to get back on the track and work my way up into second place. In the second moto, the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was running great, but I got stuck in third for a little while.

“I was able to make the most of the bike and the track and also take advantage of some things, and I moved into second place on the last lap. Overall, I’m happy. We had fun and thanks to all the fans and my family and team Rockstar Makita Suzuki.

“We’ve got a short break before Southwick so I’m going to focus on training and getting ready for that race. I won both motos there last year and I’m hoping to do that again this year.”

Dungey currently sits seven points behind Villopoto in the series with just three rounds remaining.