Ryan Dungey was on the gas all day turning quick times in his afternoon practices which earned him a top gate pick for his heat race. He nailed the holeshot in his heat and went on to lead every lap in order to take the win and earn a top qualifying spot for the main event.
Dungey pulled off another great start with his KTM 450 SX-F in the main coming off the line in third as the riders rounded the first corner. He quickly jumped into 2nd place before the completion of the first lap while closing in on the rear wheel of the leader, Justin Brayton. The two riders charged ahead never more than two bike lengths apart.
Early in the race, Dungey’s teammate, Ken Roczen, who transferred into the main event from a semi-race win after missing qualifying from his heat by one position, was challenging for the podium. Roczen was on the rear wheel of Dungey with Justin Barcia close behind. The three swapped positions back and forth for a lap before Barcia took a line that cut across Roczen’s clipping front wheel during the move. Roczen went down and lost approximately five positions. Roczen recovered quickly from the crash and was able to move his way back up to 6th place before the checkered flag came out.
Meanwhile, Dungey continued to challenge Brayton while Villopoto moved up behind. The three were nearly side by side with five laps to go when Villopoto made a block pass on Dungey. Villopoto quickly moved around Brayton for the lead but did not pull far from Brayton and Dungey as the race continued. The three riders remained close for the remainder of the race but did not swap positions again. Dungey eventually crossed the line in 3rd place.
“I really wanted the win tonight”, commented Dungey. “I felt great all day today and was really confident in my riding. I just couldn’t make the pass when I needed to tonight but I am glad to remain consistent and finish on the podium.”
Now two races into the series, Dungey sits 2nd overall in the point standings, while his teammate, Roczen, sits right behind in 3rd.
Next Round: Anaheim, CA – January 18, 2014
Results 450SX class Phoenix
1. Ryan Villopoto (USA), Kawasaki, 18:57:438 min (20 laps)
2. Justin Brayton (USA), Yamaha, +1.032 sec
3. Ryan Dungey (USA), KTM, +3.778
4. James Stewart (USA), Suzuki, +8.751
5. Justin Barcia (USA), Honda, +10.652
Other KTM
6. Ken Roczen (GER), KTM, +14.379
7. Andrew Short (USA), KTM, +24.553
12. Ivan Tedesco (USA), KTM, +46.015
Standings 450SX class after 2 of 17 rounds
1. Villopoto, 43 points
2. Dungey, 42
3. Roczen, 40
4. Brayton, 37
5. Chad Reed (USA), Kawasaki, 32
Other KTM
7. Short, 26
15. Tedesco, 10
- KTM's Official Press Release
Supercross LIVE interviews Dungey after the race
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