Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey earned consistent 2-2 for overall second in the penultimate 450-class race of the US Pro MX Championship at Miller Motorsports Park. Toole, Utah while 250-class teammate Ken Roczen of Germany was third overall.
Dungey started his first moto in seventh but four minutes into the race he had advanced to fourth behind James Stewart. After jumping past Stewart he then set out to chase down to Trey Canard who was sitting second. The two riders battled for the next three laps before Dungey slipped by on the inside with only Ryan Villopoto ahead of him. Dungey held strong for the remainder of the race on his KTM 450 SX-F to finish in that position.
Dungey improved his start for the second moto and came around the first corner in fourth. He made two passes around Canard and Ryan Sipes early in the race and had settled into second before the end of the first lap. He again put together a solid performance on the rough course to hold onto his position for the remainder of the race to pick up another second to finish with a podium second at this new venue.
Roczen and Musquin go 3-7 in 250s
The Red Bull KTM Factory Team’s two European riders Ken Roczen and Frenchman Marvin Musquin wrapped up their day at the new venue with third and seventh overall in what was a mixed day of racing for them.
Both riders missed the start in their opening moto. Roczen was back at fourteenth at the close of the first lap and Musquin was in eighth place. Roczen quickly set to work to pick off riders and had moved into seventh by lap four. He continued to plug away and improve his pace and moved up to top five around the halfway point. With five laps to go, Roczen made his way around Zach Osborne to take over fourth position but ran out of time to catch the podium riders.
“I really made a lot of mistakes at the beginning of the race and lost a lot of time,” Roczen said. “I felt really good near the end of the moto and thought my bike was running well for the track conditions. Unfortunately, I just took too long to get started.”
His teammate, Musquin, was able to finish one position behind him in fifth in the opening moto but said he didn’t feel comfortable on the new track. “The track was tough, but they always are. I just struggled a little and have some things I need to work on. My thumb got a little sore so I will need to work on that before the next moto.”
In the second moto, both KTM teammates came around the first corner together in about fifth place. Roczen then advanced to third in the second lap while Musquin raced for fourth place in the first half of the race. But then the French rider crashed hard at the halfway point, sacrificing both time and places as he scrambled back int the action. He returned to the track in tenth spot and was able to move up two places by the end of the moto. His 5-8 results earned him seventh overall for the day.
Roczen, meanwhile had moved into the lead position by the end of the fourth lap and held on for the next eight laps before losing out to Eli Tomac. It was around this time that the wind began to kick up and caused a huge dust storm to blow across the track and the pits. Many spectators believed the race would be red flagged. Visibility was so poor that many riders, including Roczen, slowed and stopped jumping some of the jumps. But the race continued and meanwhile Blake Baggett had closed in on Roczen and slipped by him into second in the final lap. Roczen went on to finish the moto just behind him in third.
“It was definitely scary to race the last few laps with the wind,” stated Roczen. “Visibility was really poor and it did not feel safe to race at the normal pace so I had to back off. I am bummed it cost me a position, but happy to finish safely and on the podium.” Roczen’s 4-3 moto results put him on the podium in third overall.
Next Event: Lake Elsinore, CA – August 24, 2013.
Overall Results 450s
1. Ryan Villopoto – 1-1
2. Ryan Dungey – 2-2 (KTM)
3. Trey Canard – 3-3
4. Weston Peick – 5-5
5. Justin Brayton – 6-7
6. Justin Barcia – 11-4
7. Jake Weimer – 8-6
8. Phil Nicoletti – 12-8
9. Matt Goerke – 9-11 (KTM)
10. Ben LaMay – 13-10
11. Andrew Short – 15-9 (KTM)
Overall Point Standings 450s
1. Ryan Villopoto – 513
2. Ryan Dungey – 463
3. Justin Barcia – 375
Overall Results 250s
1. Eli Tomac – 1-1
2. Blake Baggett – 2-2
3. Ken Roczen – 4-3 (KTM)
4. Adam Cianciarulo – 3-9
5. Justin Bogle – 9-4
6. Darryn Durham – 8-5
7. Marvin Musquin – 5-8 (KTM)
8. Cooper Webb – 7-7
9. Zach Osborne – 6-10
10. Justin Hill – 10-14
Overall Point Standings –
1. Eli Tomac – 505
2. Ken Roczen – 454
3. Marvin Musquin – 388
