San Diego, CA – Red Bull/KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey put his KTM back on the podium at the sixth round of the AMA Supercross Series held during perfect weather at Qualcomm Stadium.
Dungey was placed in the second Supercross class heat where the first attempt at the heat race was red flagged after three laps. On the restart, Dungey came around the first corner in 2nd place and began a battle with James Stewart throughout the remaining laps for the position. On the final corner, Dungey attempted a block pass to try and steal the position from Stewart but fell short of making the pass and finished a solid 3rd place overall.
In the main event, Dungey lined up in a similar gate to his heat and earned another impressive start. He was within the top five around the first corner but made a small mistake in the first rhythm section and fell back to 5th place. He remained in the 5th spot for the first seven laps of the race, chasing the pack ahead of him. On the seventh lap of the race Stewart went down handing Dungey 4th place and then Dungey made a quick pass on Brett Metcalfe to move up an additional spot. Once in podium position, Dungey maintained his pace and held on through the checkered flags to secure the podium spot.
“I struggled a little bit tonight in some sections and it held me back from fighting for the top spot. Overall, I am glad I was able to get on the podium and salvage some points but I need to battle for the win to help my fight in the championship chase. I am looking forward to heading east and hoping to run up front next weekend,” remarked Dungey.
After six rounds Dungey now sits 3rd in the points chase just 10 points behind Villopoto.
Next Round: Dallas, TX – February 18, 2012
AMA Supercross Class Overall –
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Chad Reed
3. Ryan Dungey – KTM
4. Brett Metcalfe
5. Josh Hansen
6. Justin Brayton
7. Davi Millsaps
8. Kyle Chisholm
9. Mike Alessi
10. Nick Wey
11. Jason Thomas
12. Cody Mackie
13. Weston Peick
14. Robert Kiniry
15. James Stewart
16. Kevin Windham
17. Matt Goerke
18. Broc Tickle
19. Kyle Partridge
20. Jake Weimer
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AMA Supercross Class Points –
1. Ryan Villopoto – 133
2. Chad Reed – 127
3. Ryan Dungey – 123
4. James Stewart – 101
5. Kevin Windham – 78