The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship returned to the West Coast on Saturday for the Motosport.com Washougal Retro National from Washougal Motocross Park, Round 8 of the 12-race championship.
Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., swept the day’s motos to grab his seventh-consecutive 450 Class overall victory. GEICO Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., also swept both 250 Class motos to capture his third-straight win.
After a pair of solid starts in Moto 1 and Moto 2, Dungey methodically worked his way into the lead, using time to his advantage. Once he secured the top spot, the rookie never looked back, expanding his significant points lead en route to his 12th victory in the last 14 motos.
“Every championship is hard no matter what the case may be,” said Dungey, who won at Washougal for the third consecutive season dating back to his time in the 250 Class. “You don’t look at it until its all said and done because there’s a lot of racing left. I just take it one race at a time. When you don’t you tend to get ahead of yourself and make mistakes.”
Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas, parlayed holeshots from both motos into a runner-up effort (2-2) while GEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe, of Australia, posted a pair of solid efforts to secure third (3-5).
Dungey now holds a 95-point advantage heading into a two-week break and sits just two wins away from tying 10-time AMA Motocross champion Ricky Carmichael, of Tallahassee, Fla., for the most wins ever by a rookie. He also leads the division in average finish at 2.1 and laps led with 121.
Over the last two rounds, Canard has taken the smaller-displacement division by storm. On Saturday, he grabbed both 250 Class holeshots and led every lap of the day. Never winning an AMA Motocross race prior to 2010, Canard has won four of the last six motos and moved from fourth to second in the championship standings.
“I’m thankful I made it out of here safe with a 1-1,” said Canard, who competed at Washougal for the first time since 2008. “This is just unbelievable. I wouldn’t call (my improvement) confidence. I’d call it more self worth for myself. It takes a lot to come into these races and I’m excited to go into the break this way.”
Current 250 Class points leader Christophe Pourcel, of France, put his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki second overall thanks to strong runner-up moto efforts while his teammate Tyla Rattray, of South Africa, finished third (4-3).
After losing six points to his rival, Pourcel’s advantage over Canard sits at 38 points. However, the French rider still has the best average finish in the class at 2.8 and has led the most laps with 99.
After a two-week break, the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship resumes for Round 9 and the Rockstar Energy Unadilla National from Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, N.Y., on Saturday, August 14.
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