Supercross star Dungey fast, steady off starting line
The wait in between championships was long enough for Ryan Dungey, so when this Supercross season rolled around, he made quick work of winning the title.
He wrapped up the Monster Energy Supercross 450 class championship on April 11, taking out all the drama with three races remaining in the season.
Dungey then did the same in the season finale Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. Before a crowd of 35,241, Dungey easily raced to his eighth victory of the season in what also was his 100th career start.
In the 250 class East/West Shootout, East champion Marvin Musquin claimed his seventh victory of the season.
For Dungey, 25, this was the season that everything finally came together, ending a five-year drought between titles. It’s the longest time between championships in Supercross history.
It didn’t hurt that Ryan Villopoto, who won the previous four titles, opted to race in Europe.
But Dungey had been close, finishing second last season and third the year before. Then in this past offseason, he upgraded his equipment and began a workout regimen with a trainer after trying without much success to put together a program on his own.
He also was in an ideal state of mind, getting married in November.
“With her and my program, and the team and everybody making it better and easier on me, it was helpful to be able to be refreshed and ready to go into this season, better than I was most (years),” Dungey said.
The result was a season that was a model of consistency.
He finished fourth in the season opener Jan. 3 at Anaheim, Calif., one spot from taking a place on the podium after the race. Then Dungey proceeded to make the next 15 podiums leading into Las Vegas.
“It’s all about consistency,” said Eli Tomac, who is second in the points standings. “How do you beat a guy that gets 15 out of 16 podiums? That’s what you’ve got to do to win.”
Dungey took the same strategy into each race, one that applied no matter the makeup of the track or how the competition performed.
The podium streak “doesn’t always happen like that, but at the same time, that’s what we work hard to do,” Dungey said. “Whether it’s winning or it’s podiums, it’s trying to be solid, especially with how many good guys there are these days. It’s getting harder and harder.
“What I tried to focus on every race was getting the best start I could possibly get. So getting to that first turn first, that’s ideal. That’s half the battle, I think, and then able to execute … and racing the track and staying away from all the carnage in the back. That’s when things get hairy and people get bumped around. You don’t want to be back there.”
The first sign this could be a truly special season for Dungey, who recently moved to Clermont, Fla., occurred not far away in Daytona Beach, Fla.
He already was rolling, having won three of his previous five races before that March 7 event. But Dungey had never won in Daytona.
This time was different, and Dungey won without much of a challenge.
“I think it was one of the key races,” he said. “At that point of the season, we’re starting to pass the halfway point, and that’s the turning point. And able to get my first win there was special as well and motivating.”
Now he is motivated to build on this season, and Dungey said he thought there was still much to be done. He has plenty of reason to be optimistic, having signed a two-year extension to remain with the Red Bull KTM team through 2017.
“It doesn’t stop here,” Dungey said. “I want to be in it for the long haul, and not just for racing and wins but for the sport. There’s a lot left I want to accomplish and go after yet.”
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.
