2011 AMA Supercross: Ryan Dungey secures first win of season in Toronto
The 12th round of the Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Supercross series went down on Saturday, March 26, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. After an intense
battle of nerves, it was Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey who raced to his first victory of the season. TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed finished one place behind Dungey. Factory Honda’s Trey Canard rounded out the podium after finishing in third place.
The atmosphere at Rogers centre was electrifying with 45,217 in attendance as the showdown between some of the most exciting motorsports athletes went down. A constant air of suspense kept
the crowd on the edge of their seats as the riders battled it out in a 20-lap race.
As soon as the gunshot signalled the start of the race, Kawasaki’s Fabien Izoird clinched the lead. Dungey enjoyed a great start as well and moved to second place. Breathing down Izoird’s neck
for most part of the first lap, Dungey eventually managed to overtake him and snatched the lead before the first lap ended.
Dungey remained in the lead during the second lap, with Izoird in second place and Chad Reed in third. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart sat in
the unthreatening 10th and 13th place respectively after a very poor start.
During Lap three, Stewart, who had moved to 10th place, decided to snatch the ninth place from Villopoto. They both ended up in a battle, which eventually resulted in something that
has become a norm for Stewart now: a collision and resulting fallout. Stewart managed to recover quickly but Villopoto suffered significantly from the fallout went found himself in 16th place by the fourth lap.
Dungey kept on leading the pack, with Reed managing to land himself in second place and Canard clinching the third during lap eight. Stewart had managed to climb all the way to fifth position
by the eighth lap and later moved up to fourth place.
Dungey kept on riding skilfully and sensibly maintaining his position and ensuring that he gave no opportunity to Reed to capitalise on. Even though Reed kept on increasing the pressure on
him, the cautious and consistent riding eventually led Dungey to pass the chequered flag three seconds ahead of his rival to secure his first victory of the season.
“It’s been a tough one (this season) and it feels great to pull (a win) off,” said Dungey. “Everyone goes through this at some point because it’s a tough road. I got a great start tonight which
was huge. The track was really tough and you had to watch the mistakes.”
Reed’s second place finish was good enough to place him ahead of Villopoto in the 2011 AMA Supercross season rankings.
“That’s the positive from tonight,” said Reed after claiming the lead in the standings from Villopoto. “I have to just carry on. Ryan (Dungey) road a great race, he was faster in the whoops
and turns. It took everything I had to pressure him into making a mistake.”
Canard finished 14 seconds behind Reed to secure the last available spot on the podium. Stewart ended the race in fourth place while Villopoto finished in ninth.
After the climax of the Toronto race, Reed enjoys the championship lead with 236 points. Sitting in second place is Villopoto with 233 points. Dungey moved up to third place with 228 points
after his first victory of the season. Stewart sits in fourth place with 216 points, with Canard breathing down his neck with 214 points.
The next round of the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship will take place on April 2 as the riders will take on each other at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
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