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.
“It was a pretty tough day for me at Mt. Morris,” said Metcalfe. “I didn’t get the results I wanted and I had two bad starts at a track where it’s really important to get a top five start in order to be in contention for a decent overall finish. It was just one of those days where things just didn’t happen. I feel like I rode strong and my Rockstar Makita Suzuki worked great and my team did a great job getting my bike dialled in. It was a rough day, but we still came away with some points. We know what we have to do moving into Budds Creek. I’m looking forward to Budds – It’s a good circuit and I really like it there. I’m looking forward to going there and redeeming myself with some better results.”
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki team’s next event is the fourth round of the 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, June 18th at the Budds Creek National in Mechanicsville, MD.
Mt. Morris 450 Class Overall Results:
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
3. Chad Reed
4. Mike Alessi
5. David Millsaps
6. Kevin Windham
7. Tommy Hahn
8. Brett Metcalfe (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
9. Jake Weimer
10. Nick Wey
2011 Motocross 450 Class Standings:
1. Chad Reed – 138
2. Ryan Villopoto – 123
3. Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) – 111
4. David Millsaps – 104
5. Brett Metcalfe (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) – 88
6. Kevin Windham – 76
7. Ricky Dietrich – 72
8. Jake Weimer – 68
9. Tommy Hahn – 65
10. Christian Craig – 59
