Ryan Dungey charged back from a mid-pack start to take second place in Saturday night’s AMA/ FIM World Supercross seventh round in San Diego, California.
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider, who is currently fifth in the standings, closed the gap on leader Ryan Villopoto to 23 points as team mate Brett Metcalfe put in another solid performance on his RM-Z450, finishing eighth overall in the 20-lap Main Event.
Dungey tallied the fifth best time in the day’s qualifying schedule, which was delayed and shortened due to weather conditions. In his heat race, he piloted his Suzuki to a consistent fourth-place finish. A good start in the Main put Dungey in fourth place by the end of the first lap.
“The track was actually in pretty decent shape at the start of the Main,” said Dungey. “I got a great start right up with the front guys and really tried to put my Rockstar Makita Suzuki in a good position and make no mistakes because the rain was coming down. The track was getting greasy so I just tried to keep my lap times good and not make any mistakes. To finish off with a second was good – a great step in the right direction and one step closer to that win. I’m looking forward to Atlanta. We have press day there so we’ll get a chance to check out the track a bit. Atlanta has been really good to me – I really enjoy going back there. The fans are great and it’s always one of the biggest crowds.”
After qualifying 11th, Metcalfe grabbed a sixth-place finish in his heat race aboard his RM-Z450. A tough start in the Main put him in 11th place at lap one. Metcalfe quickly worked his way up to eighth place by lap four and rode a consistent race for the remainder, crossing the line in eighth place.
“I really enjoyed riding the track tonight,” said Metcalfe. “I’m just a little disappointed in my results. I got a bad start in the main – I had a lot of wheel spin at the start because the gate was so slick. I had to fight my way through the pack with my RM-Z a bit but I was a little inconsistent. It was a difficult one, but I still picked up an eighth and I’m happy that my Rockstar Makita Suzuki is still sitting seventh in the points. I need to start pushing and get some better results. I’m glad to go to Atlanta. I’ve done well there in the past and it’s a good layout with a lot of floor space. The dirt is tacky and it suits my style. I look forward to a better result with my Suzuki there.”
The 2011 Rockstar Makita Suzuki team’s next event is Saturday, February 26th, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
Supercross results: 1 Chad Reed (Honda), 2 Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 3 James Stewart (Yamaha), 4 Trey Canard (Honda), 5 David Millsaps (Yamaha), 6 Andrew Short (KTM), 7 Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki), 8 Brett Metcalfe (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 9 Mike Alessi (KTM), 10 Justin Brayton (Yamaha).
