MILLVILLE, Minn. (July 18, 2009) – The second half of the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship got underway on Saturday as Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Chad Reed, of Australia, took his second win of the season at the Honda Motocross National from Spring Creek MX. Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., completed an overall sweep for the Suzuki stable, winning the overall in front of his hometown fans in the 250 Class.
Reed’s return to the series continues to be successful after a two-year hiatus. After a strong outing in the first moto, Reed cruised to the overall win with a dominating performance in moto two. The winner from the series’ last round, JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha’s Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., looked like the rider to beat for the second straight race after taking the opening moto victory. However, the rookie was involved in a first-lap crash in the second moto and had to work his way through the field to ninth place.
"I was disappointed (with the first moto)," explained Reed. "I felt I had a win in me. But we made some changes (to the bike) between races and I felt a lot more comfortable in the second moto. I think this weekend was a huge weight off of my shoulders. I definitely felt more myself and was able to put in a much better effort and ride strong in both motos."
Honda Red Bull Racing’s Ivan Tedesco, of Tallahassee, Fla., garnered the runner-up position (5-2) while Reed’s teammate and fellow countryman Michael Byrne earned his first overall podium of the season in third (3-4). Reed’s point lead extended to 37 points over Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas.
Dungey’s overall sweep resulted in his third overall victory of the season, but his first since the third round of the championship in Texas. Stellar starts in each moto put the Suzuki rider up front early from which he never looked back, fending off the challenges of points leader Christophe Pourcel, of France. Dungey also captured the overall in Millville last year, becoming the first 250 Class rider to go back-to-back at Spring Creek since the 2003-2004 seasons.
"From High Point on it’s been a little bit of a struggle," stated Dungey.. "It doesn’t mean anything if you’re the fastest guy in practice and can’t get a good start. I’ve been working really hard on some stuff and so is Suzuki. It’s awesome to get a 1-1, my first of the season, and especially do it at my home track."
Pourcel brought home a pair of runner-up finishes on his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki for second overall as GEICO Powersports Honda rookie Justin Barcia, of Cairo, Ga., landed the first overall podium finish of his career (3-3). The win moves Dungey to within three points of Pourcel with five races remaining.
The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues with round eight next Saturday, July 25 from Washougal, Wash. for the Motosport.com Motocross National from Washougal MX Park. Live coverage can be seen on SPEED at 9 p.m. ET.
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Honda Motocross National
Spring Creek MX – Millville, Minn.
July18, 2009
Round 7 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
- Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki (2-1)
- Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda (5-2)
- Michael Byrne, Australia, Suzuki (3-4)
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (1-10)
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (6-5)
- Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (7-7)
- Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki (4-13)
- Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Yamaha (8-9)
- Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha (12-8)
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda (33-3)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki, 287
- Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 250
- Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 238
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 234
- Michael Byrne, Australia, Suzuki, 183
- Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha, 157
- Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki, 149
- Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 142
- Ricky Dietrich, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki, 136
- Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 127
250 Class (Moto Finish)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (1-1)
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (2-2)
- Justin Barcia, Cairo, Ga., Honda (3-3)
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (4-4)
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (5-6)
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (6-7)
- Kyle Cunningham, Ft. Worth, Texas, Kawasaki (7-8)
- Matt Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Yamaha (10-9)
- Darryn Durham, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha (15-5)
- Tommy Searle, Great Britain, KTM (9-11)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 299
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 296
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 215
- Tommy Searle, Great Britain, KTM, 213
- Justin Barcia, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 191
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 182
- Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 175
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 172
- Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 158
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 139