KTM’s factory riders were in bristling form at Southwick after the summer break to indicate that the team intends to make its mark on the remainder of the events.
Dungey had a decent start in his first moto and was third at the first corner. He slipped past Phil Nicoletti into second in lap two and began to reel in Mike Alessi in the lead. At the half way mark Dungey assumed control of the race, shot into the lead and extended it to an impressive 16 seconds by the end of the race.
Dungey was in a better position when the gate dropped for the second race putting his KTM 450 SX-F into the lead position within the first few turns.
He quickly pulled out to a seven second lead on the rest of the field. It looked like it was going to he an open and shut case for the Red Bull/KTM rider until he cross-rutted near the halfway point and crashed. In the process his gas cap fell off and he lost a large amount of fuel. Dungey quickly recovered, slipped into second place and after two laps had passed Alessi for the lead.
The team then decided to pull him in for a quick for a quick fuel stop. With the help of some of the KTM off-road mechanics that were there to assist with Mike Brown and Kurt Caselli they made a lightning quick stop and he was back on the track only losing one position to Tyla Rattray.
With four laps remaining, Dungey tried to close the gap on Rattray to retake the lead. He couldn’t make the pass, but he was able to hold on to second to secure his seventh overall victory of the season. With three rounds remaining, Dungey now holds an 85-point lead in the championship point standings.
Roczen makes welcome return to podium
Both of Red Bull KTM’s European riders, Roczen and Musquin were also in good form at Southwick with Roczen back on the podium in third place after a 4-2 result while Musquin picked up an impressive 2-5 for overall fourth.
But it was not all plain sailing for Roczen who was in the bottom ten when the gate dropped for moto one while Musquin ripped off in second place. Musquin dropped back to third in the opening phase but powered his KTM 250 SX-F back into the runner-up position by the sixth lap and went on to claim his best finish of the season.
Meanwhile, Roczen worked his way up from tenth at the start to sixth by lap two and was up to fourth by the half way mark. From there, he put 17 seconds on the 5th place rider as he tried to close in on the top three. After a valiant attempt he wasn’t able to close the gap and crossed the line in fourth
It was Roczen who had the better start in the second moto and he was second to Musquin’s eighth place after the gate drop. The German rider quickly passed Jessy Nelson for the lead by the start of the second lap and stayed out in front for most of the moto. It was only when the two-lap board went out that Blake Baggett began to apply heavy pressure. Baggett passed once and Roczen was able to put a wheel on him and slip back into the lead but Baggett made his challenge stick on the second attempt. Roczen held on for a hard fought second place while Musquin secured fifth at the flag to give the two European riders third and fifth overall places for this classic event.
Roczen, who has just returned from a mid season holiday in Germany said he felt much better in Saturday’s race, saying: “I felt much better at this round than I have in the past couple races. I felt like I had the speed to win a race today. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the win but I am a step closer than I was before and am excited to have my confidence back.”
Next Event: New Berlin, NY – August 18, 2012
Overall 450 Motocross Class Results –
1, Ryan Dungey – 1-2 – KTM
2, Mike Alessi – 2-3
3, Broc Tickle – 6-4
4, Davi Millsaps – 7-6
5, Tyla Rattray – 20-1
6, Mike Brown – 9-7 – KTM
7, Josh Grant – 8-8
8, Andrew Short – 5-11
9, Kyle Chisholm – 11-9
10, Tommy Hahn – 3-35
11, Robbie Marshall – 4-32 – KTM
Other KTM
16, Les Smith – 37-10 – KTM
Overall 450 Motocross Point Standings –
1, Ryan Dungey – 430
2, Mike Alessi – 345
3, Jake Weimer – 290
Overall Results 250 Motocross Class –
1, Blake Baggett – 3-1
2, Eli Tomac – 1-3
3, Ken Roczen – 4-2 – KTM
4, Marvin Musquin – 2-5 – KTM
5, Justin Barcia – 7-4
6, Malcolm Stewart – 6-7 – KTM
7, Alex Martin – 8-6
8, Jessy Nelson – 5-11
9, Travis Baker – 10-10
10, Ryan Sipes – 12-12
Other KTM
16, Jacob Hayes – 16-16 – KTM
18, Zack Freeberg – 33-15 – KTM
Overall Point Standings 250 Motocross Class –
1, Blake Baggett – 400
2, Justin Barcia – 376
3, Eli Tomac – 368
4, Ken Roczen – 345
5, Marvin Musquin – 294
Image credits: KTM
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