Ryan Dungey emerges triumphant in Thunder Valley National
The latest stop of Lucas Oil American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Motocross (MX) Nationals, Thunder Valley National, went down in Saturday, June 25th, in Lakewood, Colorado.
After two exhilarating battles, it was Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey who managed to walk away with top honours. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto settled for the runner-up finish, while Two-Two Motorsports/Bel-Rey’s Chad Reed rounded out the
third position.
The Washington-based Villopoto turned out to be formidable force in Moto 1. Despite the commendable fight put up by Reed and Dungey during the race, the 22-year-old rode to victory to gain an advantage in the fifth round of the AMA MX National series.
The Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team rider edged past the Two-Two Motorsports/Bel-Rey team rider in the last few minutes to take the runner-up place, leaving the latter to finish third.
However, the battle for victory was very much on, as Dungey still had an ample opportunity to get his hands on the overall win by securing a win in Moto 2.
During the second race, Reed looked extremely threatening in the initial stages of the race, but he was soon overcome by Dungey and Villopoto. As the two rivals moved into first and second place respectively, a really intense battle broke out between them.
Both riders managed to stay at par with each other, lapping almost identical times for majority of the race.
Determined to keep the victory from slipping from his fingers, Dungey gave it his everything to widen the gap between him and his persistent rival. The excellent effort carried him to success and his first overall victory of the latest AMA Nationals season.
Talking to the media after the race, the over-excited Minnesotan-based Dungey said, “It was good to come away with a win. We've been looking for one for a while this season. I never felt like anything was missing, we just needed to put it together. I try
to go out and give it my all every weekend. It's not a matter of aggression. You need to be there in the beginning, or the guys will get away from you.”
Villopoto, who finished second in Moto 2 to take an overall second position, did not seem to disappointed with the end result.
“The track was tough. But that was the best second moto I've had all year. Ryan was riding well. He was strong on one side of the track and I was faster on the other. We played cat and mouse, but he gained some time on me at the end,” said Villopoto.
Reed finished third in both Moto 1 and 2 to take an overall third and maintain his top position in the season standings. Villopoto sits in second place, while the win in Thunder Valley moved Dungey to third spot.
The riders now head to Buchanan, Michigan, for the sixth round of the Lucas Oil AMA MX National Championship, Redbud National, on July 2.
Tags: