Dungey is the 2016 Monster Energy Supercross 450SX Class Champion. Photo Credit: Simon Cudby
Roczen kicked off the 450SX Class Main Event with his third SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award ahead of Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely. BTO Sports/WPS/KTM’s Justin Brayton and Monster Energy/360fly/Chaparral/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Chad Reed engaged in an early battle for third, with Brayton eventually getting the upper hand, while Dungey positioned behind them in fourth.
With an open track in front of him, Roczen quickly surged to a healthy lead while Seely settled comfortably into second. Brayton, Reed and Dungey remained close, with Dungey moving into fourth on Lap 2. For the next handful of laps Dungey applied heavy pressure on Brayton and after several unsuccessful attempts finally made the pass stick on Lap 7 to move into podium position.
As Roczen continued to extend his lead Dungey closed in on Seely for second. The two would find themselves side by side on several occasions, but Seely maintained the position, which ultimately allowed a hard-charging Eli Tomac to close in on his Monster Energy Kawasaki after starting seventh. Tomac took advantage of Dungey’s inability to pass Seely and got alongside Dungey in the whoops to take over third on Lap 15. He continued to push and was able to get by Seely on the following lap for second.
The battle between Seely and Dungey resumed again in the closing laps, this time for third, but after a few more unsuccessful attempts Dungey was forced to settle for fourth.
Roczen crossed the line nearly 20 seconds ahead of Tomac with a wire-to-wire effort, bringing his season win total to five.
“We did exactly what we wanted to do [tonight]. We got the holeshot and put in 20 solid laps. The track was in great condition,” said Roczen. “We did what we have to do and we’ll look ahead to try and get another one next weekend.”
Tomac secured back-to-back runner-up finishes, while Seely earned his first podium since the sixth race of the season. Dungey’s championship celebration was bittersweet as his record 31-race podium streak came to an end, but his third career 450SX Class title puts him in elite company as just the sixth rider in Monster Energy Supercross history with a trio of championships.
“It’s a bummer [to have the podium streak come to an end], but the real goal this year was to back up the title [from last season]. It was a tough challenge and we had to bring it every single weekend,” said Dungey. “[My competitors] were tough and they brought it, but we kept fighting and here we are, back where we wanted to be. I couldn’t have done this without the support of my entire team and family. There’s definitely no I in team and this could have never happened without their commitment.”
Dungey will seek a career-best ninth victory this season next weekend at the season finale.
KTM rider Dakota Alix started the 15-lap Eastern Regional 250SX Class Main Event by capturing his second consecutive SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award, but it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Martin Davalos who had the momentum to assume the early lead, with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers slotting into second. After starting inside the top five, Stewart was able to make a push to secure third on the opening lap.
As Davalos chased a second straight win, Stewart started his march to the front with an impressive pass on Bowers for second on Lap 1, using the momentum from a surge through the whoops to slip inside on the final corner and take the position. Stewart duplicated that pass in the same spot one lap later to take over the lead from Davalos, closing in through the whoops and making the pass on the inside of the turn before the finish. He opened a gap the following lap and never looked back, taking his second win of the season and the third of his career.
“It’s a lot of hard work [during the week] coming into these races. It’s starting to pay off now,” said Stewart. “[My] strategy is to not even focus on the points lead. That’s what I did tonight. Win or lose, I put it all out there [on the track]. It’s definitely better to go [to the last race] with a 14-point lead instead of a one-point lead, but anything can happen.”
Davalos settled into second and was never challenged by Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin, who passed Bowers for third on Lap 6 and maintained the position through to the finish.
Stewart extended his points lead to 14 points over Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger, who started 15th but battled his way through the field to pass 10 riders an earn a fifth-place finish. Martin sits third, 19 points out of the lead. These three riders are the only ones with a mathematical shot at the championship heading into the final race next weekend, when the Eastern Regional Championship and Western Regional Championship converge in a head-to-head battle to crown a champion in each region.
The 2016 season will come to an end next Saturday, May 7, with the Monster Energy Supercross Finals from Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium. Action gets underway at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT.
450SX Class Results
1. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
3. Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
5. Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., KTM
6. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
7. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
8. Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda
9. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha
10. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda
450SX Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 366
2. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki – 330
3. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna – 293
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 270
5. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha – 232
6. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM – 213
7. Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda – 207
8. Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., KTM – 186
9. Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda – 183
10. Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha – 125
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda
2. Martin Davalos, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
3. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha
4. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM
5. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
6. Tyler Bowers, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki
7. Gannon Audette, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki
8. Dakota Alix, Jay, Vt., KTM
9. Luke Renzland, Hewitt, N.J., Yamaha
10. Cedric Soubeyras, France, Kawasaki
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
1. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda – 160
2. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 146
3. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha – 141
4. Martin Davalos, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 130
5. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 109
6. Tyler Bowers, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki – 108
7. Gannon Audette, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki – 105
8. RJ Hampshire, Brooksville, Fla., Honda – 99
9. Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., Kawasaki – 78
10. Matt Bisceglia, Weatherford, Texas, Suzuki – 68
The entire 2016 Monster Energy Supercross Championship will air live on FOX Sports, including two races on the FOX broadcast channel. In addition, the authenticated FOX Sports Go app will live stream each race.
As a precursor to the live television, don’t forget to catch all of the pre-race coverage with Supercross Race Day Live presented by AMSOIL, which will stream on SupercrossLive.com each Saturday during the season. Practice, qualifying, behind the scenes features, and key rider interviews will all be highlighted on the Supercross Race Day Live presented by AMSOIL webcast.
For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log onto www.SupercrossLive.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross
