AMAMX – Dungey takes fourth consecutive win at RedBud

Thousands of motocross fans braved the scorching heat on Saturday to cheer on the world’s best motocross riders as the sixth round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship took place at RedBud MX Park. The round marked the halfway point for the season, with Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey continuing his dominating run going in the 450 Class, wining his fourth straight race with another 1-1 moto sweep. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett racing to his third victory of the season and second in-a-row with an impressive 1-1 effort.

Dungey declared himself as the rider to beat early in the game, scoring the fastest qualifying time and taking the hole shot in the first moto. As Dungey pushed to open a gap on Stewart, the Suzuki rider went down, allowing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer Honda’s Justin Brayton to move past. Stewart encountered misfortune again on the following lap, stalling his bike and falling back to seventh. He eventually worked his way to a sixth-place result, while out front, Dungey took out the checkered flag by over 45 seconds.

In the second moto, Suzuki’s Mike Alessi grabbed the holeshot and led early, but it didn’t take long for Dungey to take over the top spot and pull away. Alessi, who was involved in a first-turn crash in the first moto, settled into second for the remainder of the moto, while Stewart bounced back to run third. Dungey’s near 35-second win extended his moto winning streak to eight.

“Having James (Stewart) back this week was good to add another challenge, and it’s good for the sport,” said Dungey. “We made some more changes to the bike coming into (today) and I think we’ve made even more progress. My starts were good and I knew getting out front would make life easier, having a whole track to work with. It’s (too) early to think points, but you’ve got to be smart. With James back, you knew he’d be there, so I didn’t want to downplay him. I just wanted to get a good start and see how things played out.”

Brayton brought home his first overall podium result of the season in second (3-4), while Stewart finished third (3-6) despite his troubles. Dungey now sits a staggering 72 points over Alessi in the Championship standings.

In the 250 Class, Baggett mastered up a pair of come-from-behind performances to take the win. After crossing the line in sixth at the conclusion of the first lap in Moto 1, Baggett began a charge to the front of the field. He quickly picked off riders to move into second place by Lap 5, then managing to overtake GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia for the lead on Lap 12 and pull away for the win.

Baggett put himself in a better position in the second moto, coming out of the gate in third and working his way to the front of the field by the conclusion of the opening lap. On Lap 2, a mistake forced Baggett to fall, allowing Barcia to take over the lead. After losing just one spot, Baggett once again set his sights on the lead and managed to take over the position again on Lap 8, holding it through to the finish.

“This track is one of the best on the schedule, its got a little bit of everything,” said Baggett. “There’s no formula to the way I ride. It just happens. I had a pitiful start in the first moto and fought my way through the pack. I got a good start in the second moto and just tipped it over. I looked at lines to see where I could pick up ground and I just took a shot (at the lead) when I had a chance.”

Barcia’s pair of second-place finishes landed him second overall, while his teammate Eli Tomac finished third (5-3). Baggett extended his lead in the championship to 19 points over Barcia.

450 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Ryan Dungey, KTM (1-1)
2. Justin Brayton, Honda (3-4)
3. James Stewart, Suzuki (6-3)
4. Tyla Rattray, Kawasaki (4-5)
5. Mike Alessi, Suzuki (11-2)
6. Broc Tickle, Kawasaki (5-9)
7. Cole Thompson, Honda (7-8)
8. Josh Grant, Kawasaki (9-7)
9. Andrew Short, Honda (12-6)
10. Jake Weimer, Kawasaki (2-20)

450 Class Championship Standings

1. Ryan Dungey, KTM, 286
2. Mike Alessi, Suzuki, 214
3. Jake Weimer, Kawasaki, 202
4. Andrew Short, Honda, 178
5. Broc Tickle, Kawasaki, 162
6. James Stewart, Suzuki, 151
7. Brett Metcalfe, Suzuki, 142
8. Josh Grant, Kawasaki, 137
9. Justin Brayton, Honda, 131
10. Kyle Chisholm, Kawasaki, 100

250 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Blake Baggett, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Justin Barcia, Honda (2-2)
3. Eli Tomac, Honda (5-3)
4. Marvin Musquin, KTM (4-4)
5. Ken Roczen, KTM (3-6)
6. Wil Hahn, Honda (6-5)
7. Gareth Swanepoel, Yamaha (9-7)
8. Blake Wharton, Suzuki (7-12)
9, Jessy Nelson, Honda (12-9)
10. Travis Baker, Honda (11-10)

250 Class Championship Standings

1. Blake Baggett, Kawasaki, 272
2. Justin Barcia, Honda, 253
3. Eli Tomac, Honda, 236
4. Ken Roczen, KTM, 235
5. Marvin Musquin, KTM, 189
6. Wil Hahn, Honda, 161
7. Blake Wharton, Suzuki, 125
8. Jason Anderson, Suzuki, 121
9. Jessy Nelson, Honda, 109
10. Jake Canada, Honda, 105