DUNGEY EARNS 2ND AT DAYTONA SUPERCROSS

Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen were placed in heat number one. Both riders got off to great starts with Roczen sitting in third position while Dungey was two spots back in fifth. Roczen rode strong on the first two laps to catch the second place ride of Broc Tickle. He made the pass for second at the end of lap two and set his focus on the led KTM ride of Andrew Short. Roczen battled with Short for the next two laps before he found a line around Short and made a pass for the lead. Roczen then led the next three laps holding off a hard-charging James Stewart as well as his Red Bull KTM teammate, who had moved into third.

With one lap to go, Roczen held the lead. As the riders entered the whoop section, Roczen made a mistake which allowed Stewart to make a pass. Roczen fought back but was unable to get around Stewart before the checkered flag. Roczen held on to finish an impressive second place in the heat while Dungey was right behind in third.

When the gate dropped for the main event, Roczen launched off the gate to a second place start. His teammate, Dungey, was not far behind in fifth. As the riders neared the end of the first lap, Roczen inherited the lead after Ryan Villopoto went off course. Roczen continued to lead for two more laps before losing the lead back to Villopoto. Roczen fought hard for a top position but eventually fell back after struggling with arm pump. At the end of the twenty lap main event, Roczen was able to hang on for a top ten finish taking home seventh overall.

Meanwhile, Dungey moved up from his fifth place start to second place before the halfway mark of the race. He continued to turn impressive times throughout the main event to earn a podium finish and secure important points toward the championship hunt.

“It’s pretty rough track tonight,” commented Dungey. “Luckily, we got my suspension dialed in after practice and my bike worked really well. I got off to a great start and was able to put myself in a good position early on. It feels great to get back up on the podium.”

Next Round: Indianapolis, IN – March 16, 2013

Results 450 SX Class Daytona
1. Ryan Villopoto (USA), Kawasaki, 27:14.644 min (20 laps)
2. Ryan Dungey (USA), KTM, +5.287 sec
3. Justin Barcia (USA), Honda, +11.889
4. Eli Tomac (USA), Honda, +18.365
5. Chad Reed (USA), Honda, +24.848
Other KTM
7. Ken Roczen (USA), KTM, +39.567
11. Matt Goerke (USA), KTM, +1:14.086 min
12. Andrew Short (USA), KTM, +1:23.121
14. Les Smith (USA), KTM, 19 laps, +10.928 sec
 
Standings 450 SX Class after 10 of 17 rounds
1. Villopoto, 202 points
2. David Millsaps (USA), Suzuki, 200
3. Dungey, 188
4. Trey Canard (USA), Honda, 163
5. Reed, 163
Other KTM
8. Short, 122
11. Goerke, 95
24. Smith, 17
27. Roczen, 14

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