Suzuki Dungey Increases Supercross Lead
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey increased his lead in the AMA Supercross Championship by winning Saturday night's third round at Anaheim in California - his second victory in three races.RM-Z250-mounted Dungey now leads the West Coast series by 23 points from former Suzuki rider Broc Hepler (Yamaha).
He said: "I was just trying to be consistent. The track was really choppy and I made a couple of mistakes, but I just tried to not make the same mistake twice. We are just doing our program and trying to be as consistent as we can be."
In the Supercross class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mike Alessi captured his second consecutive holeshot of the season in the 20-lap main event. Alessi charged hard on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and brought home a fourth-place finish. This is Alessi's best result of the season so far and he moved into third place in the series.
Team mate David Vuillemin won the Last Chance Qualifier and then had a bit of bad luck in the main when he stalled his bike. Even so, his 11th-place finish improved his overall standings in the championship points race.
Ryan Dungey, "The first couple of practices were decent today. The whole team and I were working on getting the bike better for the heat and we definitely got it set up the right way. We won the heat race, taking the lead on the last lap, and it was great to get that win but the main is what counts. In the main, I got a good start and was in second for about five laps. Then I got in first… It was tough, though, I was struggling a little, but I dug deep and worked through it. The RM-Z250 worked great and the whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team did a great job."
Mike Alessi, "It was a good race, partly because I've been trying to improve a little every weekend. Two sixths and now a fourth - I'm just gradually getting better every week. In the heat race I got a good start and was riding well and had a good flow and came in second. In the main, I got a killer jump and a big holeshot. Then I was in second for a few laps and then third, but I could tell the rider behind me was catching me. I tried to fight back but I couldn't get him. I started to push it a little toward the end and made a little mistake. So I thought, I'm riding good here in fourth, nobody's behind me so I put it on cruise control and kept being consistent. The RM-Z450 is running great and my mechanic and everybody on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team are doing a great job, as always."
David Vuillemin, "Practice was OK today, though I had a tough time getting used to the retro track. I was not happy with the heat race as I didn't ride very well. I was following other guys and had to go to the Last Chance Qualifier where I got a good start and won the race. For the main, I was all the way on the outside of the gate, but I got a decent start. I got up into ninth and then stalled the bike - my mistake - and a few guys passed me and I ended up 11th. Actually, the bike started easily on the second kick. I have to say that we've made a lot of progress in our testing and the RM-Z450 was really good tonight."
Supercross results: 1. Chad Reed (Yamaha), 2. Josh Hill (Yamaha), 3. Kevin Windham (Honda), 4. Mike Alessi (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 5. Ivan Tedesco (Honda), 6. Tim Ferry (Kawasaki), 7. Nathan Ramsey (Yamaha), 8. Josh Hansen (Yamaha), 9. Andrew Short (Honda), 10. James Summey (Yamaha). 11 David Vuillemin (Rockstar Makita Suzuki).
