DUNGEY WINS THIRD-STRAIGHT AMA 450SX CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A HARD-FOUGHT PERFORMANCE IN LAS VEGAS
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was a big night in Las Vegas for Ryan Dungey and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team as they secured their third-straight AMA 450SX Championship on Saturday in an exciting 19-lap battle all the way to the finish.
Dungey came into the finale with a nine-point lead over the 2nd place rider of Eli Tomac and the now four-time AMA 450SX Champion knew what he had to do in order to come out on top. Dungey kicked off the evening with a victory in the 450SX Heat 2, giving him high confidence and a favorable gate position for the evening’s Main Event.
450SX Main Event
Dungey shot off the line to capture the holeshot aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, with Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/WPS/KTM’s Blake Baggett close in tow. Dungey led the way on the opening lap until Tomac came into him from the inside, causing Dungey to slow down to a complete stop. From there, Dungey engaged in a multi-rider battle for the 2nd place position, which he settled into by lap five.
From there, Dungey applied heavy pressure on Tomac out front as the two riders put on an excellent show for the fans. Knowing his place in the overall championship, Dungey played it safe on the final lap to avoid the chaos and ultimately secure 4th overall for the night.
Dungey: “I felt really good tonight - the bike felt good and I was able to hit my marks. The only struggle for me on the track, I feel, was maybe the whoops a little bit. Still, it was good and consistent. It was good hard racing [tonight], the fans I think got a show and it’s nice and rewarding to be able to get this championship. Probably one of the sweetest ones – it just was a very challenging season.”
It was a challenging night for Musquin, who ultimately finished 22nd after a big crash on lap 10. Musquin got off to a 7th place start where he was able to climb into the top five battle after a few laps of racing. Unfortunately the Frenchmen went down on lap 11 and wasn’t able to continue on due to the damage on the motorcycle.
Musquin: “Coming into Vegas I knew it was going to be tough and dry conditions so we tried to work on it and be better. I had a rough day, we tried a couple of things on the bike and ended up in the very last practice doing some good laps and my speed was pretty good, I just made a lot of mistakes all day. During the Main Event I was right there, maybe like 5th or 6th place, and I knew things were going to happen in front - everyone was going to try something. Unfortunately I made some mistakes and lost some ground and after that I made another big mistake and it cost me – I went down and landed on my lower back and the bike was all twisted so I went to the mechanics area and that was it for today. It’s a really big bummer to end the season like that but to finish 3rdplace in the overall championship is good for my second year in the 450 class. We always want to do better but in the end it’s like a podium finish at the end of the season so it’s a good step forward for me and for the team. We just have to keep moving forward.”
KTM North America, Inc. would like to congratulate Ryan Dungey, Marvin Musquin, Trey Canard and the entire Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team on a hard-fought season of racing!
450SX Main Event Results
- Jason Anderson
- Eli Tomac
- Josh Grant
- Ryan Dungey (KTM)
- Dean Wilson
OTHER KTM
- Blake Baggett (KTM)
- Davi Millsaps (KTM)
- Marvin Musquin (KTM)
250SX Main Event (Combined East and West) Results
- Adam Cianciarulo
- Justin Hill
- Aaron Plessinger
- Dylan Ferrandis
- Mitchell Oldenburg (KTM)
OTHER KTM
- Shane McElrath (KTM)
- Jordon Smith (KTM)
450SX Championship Standings
- Ryan Dungey (359)
- Eli Tomac (354)
- Marvin Musquin (293)
- Jason Anderson (273)
- Davi Millsaps (221)
- Blake Baggett (220)
250SX East Championship Standings
- Zach Osborne (173)
- Adam Cianciarulo (171)
- Joey Savatgy (166)
- Jordon Smith (161)
- Dylan Ferrandis (144)
250SX West Championship Standings
- Justin Hill (202)
- Shane McElrath (164)
- Aaron Plessinger (163)
- Martin Davalos (145)
- Jimmy Decotis (137)
Press Release from KTM 5-7-17