AMA Pro Racing News Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 7, 2011) - AMA Pro Racing is proud to announce the introduction of the XR Showdown, a $60,000 year-end points fund that…
Team Suzuki News Flash
CHINO, CA (November 7, 2011) - Yoshimura Racing and American Suzuki Motor Corporation are proud to announce plans for the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship Series that…
Ducati Racing News Flash
After a positive first two days during the final round of the 2011 MotoGP season, the Ducati Team had an unfortunate and premature end to the Valencia…
Factory Yamaha Racing News Release
MOTOGP SEASON FINALE FREE PRACTICE: Yamaha Factory rider Ben Spies made it count this afternoon in difficult weather conditions to take third on the grid for…
It is with mixed emotions that Yamaha Factory Racing arrives in Valencia this weekend for the final Grand Prix of the 2011 season.
MotoGP’s tragic loss of rising star Marco Simoncelli…
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki used the power of its Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450s to tackle challenging conditions at the Rockstar Energy High Point National in Mt. Morris on Saturday.
The weather was fine for the first moto at the notoriously-fast High Point track but a quick downpour hit just before the start of moto two, leaving the track extremely muddy and slippery. Ryan Dungey rode strong, grabbing a convincing second in the first moto, battling the tough conditions for a third in moto two and ending the day with a second overall. Team mate Brett Metcalfe suffered a couple of bad starts but was able to fight his way to an eighth-place overall finish.
Dungey was strong all day, with solid morning practices and great starts in both motos. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider pulled the holeshot in moto one but a little bobble put him back to second. Dungey proceeded to pilot his RM-Z flawlessly for the next 16 laps and cross the line for a convincing second-placed finish. In moto two, Dungey powered his Suzuki out of the gate again in second; however, a couple of miscues in the slick conditions put him on the ground and he fell back to sixth. Dungey pushed his RM-Z450 hard for the remaining 12 laps and was able to come away with a third-placed moto finish and second overall for the day. Dungey has moved into third place in the Championship points race.
“It was a good weekend,” said Dungey. “I had a couple good practices and we were good going into the two motos. I got the holeshot in the first but had a little bobble and got passed but was able to get back to second. I lost some time in those first few laps. All in all, I felt good. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team made some changes on my RM-Z for the second moto, but it rained really hard just before the start, so the track was really muddy, slick, and very technical. I got off to another good start but fell twice in the beginning but was able to catch up for a third and a second place overall. It’s a good step in the right direction. We just gotta keep plugging away and improving in the areas that we can and be consistent and put ourselves in a good spot to be there in the end. Next stop is Budds Creek and I really like that track. I was able to come away with the overall last year there and I’m looking forward to another good result.”
Team mate Brett Metcalfe started the day with the sixth fastest time in the morning practices aboard his Suzuki RM-Z450. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider suffered from a bad start in moto one but worked his way to 12th at the end of the first lap. Metcalfe was able to fight through the field to capture an eighth-placed finish. In moto two, Metcalfe was caught up in a first turn pile-up and essentially started from the back on the field. He charged as hard as conditions would allow in order to work his way up for a 10th-placed finish and an eighth-placed overall for the day. Metcalfe sits fifth in championship points.
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki had a strong showing on their Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450s in the second round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Rockstar Energy Freestone National in Wortham, Texas at the weekend despite a fuel issue ruining Ryan Dungey’s chance of victory.
Conditions were tough as usual with high temperatures and humidity throughout the day as Dungey rode strong scoring a convincing second place in the first moto, then led every lap of the second moto until a fuel problem hit with just two laps to go that resulted in a DNF.
Team mate Brett Metcalfe had a solid performance in the Texas heat as well, scoring a fourth-place overall for the day.
Dungey claimed the fastest time in the morning timed practices. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider didn’t have the best of starts in the first moto, but he rode hard and powered his RM-Z450 through the field to cross the line in second position. In moto two, Dungey blasted out of the gate just behind his team mate and quickly moved into the lead by the end of the first lap. He led for the next 14 laps and built a 20-second plus lead until the extreme temperatures caused the fuel in his RM-Z to boil. The unfortunate end result was that fuel was expelled through the vent system, which depleted his fuel supply, robbing him of the moto win and the overall victory. Dungey was credited with a 25th-place finish in the second moto and an eighth-place overall for the day.
“Overall, I felt awesome all day,” said Dungey. “My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team worked really hard and it’s just too bad we had the issue in the second moto. It’s a bummer for the team and myself – for all of us together, as we’re all in it together. I feel bad because we all work too hard for something like this to happen. We just need to keep looking forward; keep moving in the right direction and keep our heads down. We have a lot of racing left, so we have a lot to be thankful for. We have a weekend off and we’re gonna do a little testing and see if we can’t improve on a few areas and be ready for High Point. It’s a great track; it’s got some hills and elevation and the dirt’s awesome there. It’s a fun track and I was able to get a win there last year, so I’m really looking forward to it. ”
Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey raced to second place in Saturday night’s AMA/ FIM World Supercross final round, but lost his bid to defend the title.
The 2010 Champion trailed series leader Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) by 12 points and second-placed Chad Reed (Honda) by three points coming into the 17th and final round at Sam Boyd Stadium, and despite clawing back from sixth at the start of the 20-lap Main Event to finish in Reed’s wheeltracks, the 22-point haul wasn’t enough.
Reed won the race ahead of Dungey and Villopoto – who lifted his first Supercross title with 338 points. Reed finished second on 334 and Dungey was third overall on 328 points.
Dungey and his RM-Z450 showed their strength all day, starting with scoring the third fastest lap in the afternoon timed practices. The reigning Champion grabbed a second-place in his heat race, which resulted in the third best gate pick for the Main Event in front of more than 39,500 fans.
In the Main, Dungey blasted out of the gate to a solid start and into the front group. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider was able to work his way into third by lap six and kept pushing hard to eventually pass for second on lap 12. From there, Dungey had the capacity crowd on its feet as he and the frontrunner battled for the remaining eight laps. He pushed hard on his Suzuki, catching the leader, but unfortunately was unable to make the pass and crossed the line in second.
“It was a good weekend,” said Dungey. “We got off to a good start with solid practices and I was able to get a second in my heat race, which gave me a good gate pick. I didn’t get such a great start in the Main, which is something I need to work on, but I was able to get up into second and got close to Chad Reed, right up to his wheel, but I wasn’t able to get around him.
“A big thanks to my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and my family. Without them and my great bike, I wouldn’t be able to be out here doing what I do. They are incredible. It was a long, tough season and I think we can learn a lot from it and apply it to the future and move forward and leave the past behind. The outdoor series is right around the corner and these next few weeks will be crucial to get ready and be in the best position to start the season.”
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki team’s next event is the first round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, May 21st at Hangtown in Sacramento, California.
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey charged through the pack to take third place in Saturday night’s AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship round in Salt Lake City.
The defending Champion and his RM-Z250 had a lot of ground to make up at the start of the 20-lap Main Event at Rice Eccles Stadium behind race leader James Stewart, Chad Reed and Davi Millsaps, but raced back from a several-seconds deficit to finish on Reed’s back wheel at the flag.
Dungey is now 12 points behind series leader Ryan Villopoto and three behind second-placed Chad Reed with the final 17th round taking place at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas next weekend, May 7th.
The conditions were tough in Salt Lake, with snow flurries through the morning and cold temperatures throughout the day, but Dungey and his RM-Z adapted well and were strong for the duration. After scoring the third fastest time in the shortened afternoon practice, Dungey had a solid ride in his heat race, scoring a second-place finish.
In the Main, after a fifth-place start, the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider quickly moved to fourth and was able to pick up third on lap eight. Then the reigning Champion and his RM-Z450 laid down a strong and consistent 12 more laps to claim a third-place podium finish.
“It was a pretty good weekend,” said Dungey. “We made a lot of changes to my RM-Z to adapt to the conditions here in Salt Lake. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team did a good job finding areas we could improve. I had a pretty good heat race and got out to a pretty decent start in the Main and just started to put in laps. I felt good, but I just wasn’t matching the lap times and was losing a lot of ground. Overall, we did the best we could and we just have to put this away and learn from it and look forward to Vegas next weekend and try to go for a win. I like Vegas. It’s a little more slippery and takes good throttle control; I’ve done pretty well there.”
Supercross results: 1 Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki), 2 Chad Reed (Honda), 3 Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 4 Andrew Short (KTM), 5 Davi Millsaps (Yamaha), 6 Kevin Windham (Honda), 7 Jake Weimer (Kawasaki), 8 Thomas Hahn (Yamaha), 9 Justin Brayton (Yamaha), 10 James Stewart (Yamaha).
Ryan Dungey is still in the hunt to successfully defend his AMA/ FIM World Supercross crown despite finishing off the rostrum in fifth place at Saturday night’s Seattle Supercross.
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider has dropped a position to third in the series but is still only seven points behind leader Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) with two rounds to run and 50 points still up for grabs.
A week of rain made for a heavily rutted, highly technical track in Seattle, but Dungey and his RM-Z adapted well and were strong all day.
After scoring the third fastest time in the shortened afternoon practice, Dungey pulled the holeshot in his heat but fell back a bit to finish third.
A decent start in the Main put the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider up to sixth, but a tip-over on the first lap put him near the back and he ended up finishing the first lap in 14th place.
Dungey’s RM-Z450 powered him through the tough conditions as he steadily progressed up to fifth place by lap 10. A bobble in the whoops on lap 11 put the reigning Champion back to sixth, but Dungey was able to get the position back within two laps.
Dungey pushed hard for the remaining six laps and ended up crossing the line in fifth.
“All in all, it was a pretty good night,” said Dungey. “I got off to a good start in my heat and ended up finishing third. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team did a good job all day adapting the bike to the conditions. We made a few changes to my Suzuki before the Main; nothing too crazy – just a few suspension adjustments to adapt to the ruts. The track was really gnarly tonight. It ‘kinda wanted to just come up and bite you, especially by the end of the 20 laps. I got off to a decent start, but I fell down in the first lap and I think I was near last. But at that point, I just put my head down and tried to pick off as many guys as I could and was able to move up and finish fifth. Everyone did a great job today. My RM-Z450 ran great and my team adapted it well to this track. Going forward, we have a two-week break and then we’ll get into Salt Lake and will be ready to give it a hard push for the last two rounds.”
Ryan Dungey has moved to second place in the AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship after racing to second place in Saturday night’s 14th round at Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s defending Champion and his RM-Z450 are now just five points away from the leader Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) with three more rounds to go; and 75 points up for grabs.
Dungey and his Suzuki were strong all day in front of a crowd of almost 60,000. After scoring the fifth fastest time in the afternoon timed practice, Dungey pulled the holeshot and walked away with the win in his heat race. Another great start on his RM-Z in the Main put him in second place going into the first turn. After a bit of shuffling, he dropped one position in the first lap but was able to power his way back to second by lap three.
“I think that all in all, it was a pretty good day,” said Dungey. “Practice went really well. We were fighting a few areas, but my whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team went to work and made a few changes that made me really comfortable out there on the track. My Suzuki got me off to a great start in my heat race and I was able to get the holeshot and come away with a win. That helped a lot and gave me a good gate pick going into the Main Event.
“I got another good start, which put me in second. I got passed and put into third but was able to get back to second in the next lap. I’m really thankful for a second on the night. I’m focusing on just being really consistent and smart. A big thanks to my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and the Yoshimura guys – They all have done a great job. We’re heading to Seattle next week and I’m looking forward to that one. I really enjoy going there. The dirt is a little different in Seattle; a little more sandy and usually will rut up and deteriorate a bit. I look forward to getting there next week and putting in another solid ride.”
Supercross results: 1 James Stewart (Yamaha), 2 Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 3 Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki), 4 Chad Reed (Honda), 5 Trey Canard (Honda), 6 Kevin Windham (Honda), 7 Davi Millsaps (Yamaha), 8 Ivan Tedesco (Kawasaki), 9 Austin Stroupe (Yamaha), 10 Andrew Short (KTM).
Defending AMA/ FIM Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey has closed the points gap right up in the race for the 2011 title after racing to third place in Saturday night’s 13th round in Arlington, Texas.
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider sits just one point behind second-placed Chad Reed (Honda) and seven behind series leader Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) with four rounds remaining and a total of 100 points still up for grabs.
He gated fifth in the 20-lap Main Event - held in front of a crowd of 51,000 - moved into second, but fell back to third when he clipped a lapped rider and crashed.
Dungey and his RM-Z450 were strong all day on the tough and technical Arlington track, scoring the fourth best time in the afternoon qualifying and grabbing a second-place finish in his heat race. In the Main, he rode hard but consistent and was able to work his way into second by lap nine before a tangle with a lapped rider on lap 11 put him back to third. Dungey pushed hard for the remaining nine laps and was able to catch back up to the second-place rider but fell just short of making the pass.
“All in all, it was a good day,” said Dungey. “My whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team and I worked really good together and they did a great job with my Suzuki tonight. The track was tough; especially the whoop sections were really big and technical. I got off to a good start in the Main and was able to work my way up to second in like the tenth lap, but then a couple of laps later I came up on a lapper and just misjudged what he was gonna do and went down. I got back up in third and made a hard charge for second and got close but just came up a little short. All in all, I felt great and my RM-Z felt great too. I’m looking forward to St. Louis. It’s always a tough track; tacky and technical. We got a win there last year so it would be good to go back there and get another win.”
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Brett Metcalfe raced his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 to a ninth-place finish at Saturday night’s 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship fifth round at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, as reigning Champion Ryan Dungey suffered a derailed chain and was forced to retire.
Metcalfe piloted his Suzuki to a fourth-place finish in the first 450 heat race, then after a tough 13th-place start in the Main Event, he worked his way through the pack to score a ninth-place finish.
“It wasn’t one of my better days,” said Metcalfe. “Everything for me today was just difficult. But you learn a lot from these days and we’ll take it and move forward.
I want to thank the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for sticking by me and we’ll just concentrate on Houston. I’ve always liked Houston and have generally done pretty well there.”
Dungey started the day with a strong practice and finished first in timed qualifying on his RM-Z. He grabbed the holeshot in his heat race and finished with a convincing win.
A mid-pack start in the Main put him in 10th after the first lap. But he kept his head down and was able to work his way through the pack up to sixth place by lap seven. Unfortunately, on lap eight, the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider threw the chain and ended with a DNF in the. Based on initial observations, his Rockstar Makita Suzuki team concurs that the chain loss was a result of a rock or other foreign object in the sprocket or possible contact with another rider.
“Well, obviously the Main event didn’t go our way tonight,” said Dungey. “The bad part is that we had a really good day; a good practice and a really great bike setup. We won the heat and then ran into some bad luck in the Main. It’s a pretty tough pill to swallow because the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team has been working really, really hard. I don’t know the last time we’ve had a DNF, which is pretty amazing in itself. This is a tough one and I’ll take the weekend to blow off some steam for sure because we aren’t going to quit and we aren’t going to let this keep us down. The goals are still the same. We will be there at Houston.”
Team Suzuki Press Release
Team Suzuki Press Release
Team Suzuki Press Release
Team Suzuki Press Release
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider has dropped a position to third in the series but is still only seven points behind leader Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) with two rounds to run and 50 points still up for grabs.
Team Suzuki Press Release
Team Suzuki Press Release
Metcalfe piloted his Suzuki to a fourth-place finish in the first 450 heat race, then after a tough 13th-place start in the Main Event, he worked his way through the pack to score a ninth-place finish.