DUNGEY 4TH IN SUPERCROSS DEBUT
 Rockstar
Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Ryan Dungey made a huge splash
in his AMA Supercross-class debut by finishing fourth on the
RM-Z450 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis on Saturday night.
Dungey started the evening with a third-place finish in his
heat race and then he finished it with an impressive fourth-place
result in the 20-lap main. Dungey got great starts in both
races and put on a strong showing for his first time in the
premier class.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's David Vuillemin rounded out the
night by winning the Last Chance Qualifier and then picking
up his fourth top-10 Supercross finish in a row.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mike Alessi is still recovering
after breaking his collarbone at the San Diego round and did
not race.
In the AMA Supercross Lites class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's
Nico Izzi celebrated his first podium finish in only his second-ever
Pro Lites race. At the beginning of the night, the young rookie
rode his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 to a fifth-place finish
in his heat race and then followed that up with a third-place
result in the 15-lap main event. With this finish, Izzi is
now fourth in the overall championship points chase.
Ryan Dungey:
"It's not a win but it feels like one. Coming into this
race, I was just looking to put in 20 good laps and I feel
like I did that. It's my first SX race and there's definitely
room for improvement, but I'm just stoked on how I rode. Coming
off the West Coast rounds in SX Lites, well, it hasn't been
so great, so to come here and get seat time and be racing,
it was just great. I learned a lot in this race, mostly that
I
just need to be patient. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450
is a rocket -- it's got a lot of power and it's a lot of bike,
and I have to respect that. Twenty laps is a good race, it's
five more than I'm used to, but I gave it my all and I was
just trying to have fun. I race dirt bikes for a living and
you've got to enjoy that while it lasts."
David Vuillemin:
"It was a pretty rough day. I wasn't very comfortable
with all those ruts, but I felt like I got better as the night
wore on. I had to go to the LCQ again, which actually wasn't
too bad, and I got the win. And in the main event, I think
I could have gotten a few spots better but I just haven't
been able to ride in the races the way I've been riding during
training in the week. Now, I need to work on that."
Nico Izzi:
"I had a real good ride on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki
RM-Z250. I'd had kind of a tough day, I was struggling a bit
in practice, but I pulled it together. It seemed like every
time I went out, I got better. In the main, I got a good start
and was riding good and then a couple of guys fell and I was
battling for a podium spot. But I really couldn't have done
any of it without the whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki
team behind me during the week and at the races. I'm so pumped
about the race. I just tried to get in the groove and I guess
I feel like this is what I was born to do."
AMA Supercross Top 10 Finishers:
1. Chad Reed (Yamaha)
2. Josh Hill (Yamaha)
3. Andrew Short (Honda)
4. Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
5. Kevin Windham (Honda)
6. Travis Preston (Kawasaki)
7. Paul Carpenter (Honda)
8. Nathan Ramsey (Yamaha)
9. David Vuillemin (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
10. Josh Hansen (Yamaha)
AMA Supercross Lites Top 10 Finishers:
1. Trey Canard (Honda)
2. Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki)
3. Nico Izzi (Rockstar Makita Suzuki)
4. Ben Coisy (Honda)
5. Ryan Sipes (KTM)
6. Branden Jesseman (Kawasaki)
7. Tyler Bowers (Yamaha)
8. Billy Payne (Honda)
9. Matt Goerke (KTM)
10. Martin Davalos (KTM)
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