"Our goal was to get on the podium and we had a hard fight with team Belgium, and this is history for us and the whole team," Roczen said. "We will definitely enjoy it next year with the 1-2-3 number plates." Almost as big as the news of Germany winning for the first time was the United States losing for the first time since 2004, when the race was also held in the sand but in Holland. After struggling in the sand during Saturday's qualifications at Lommel, it was obvious the U.S. team, made up of Ryan Dungey, Blake Baggett and MXoN rookie Justin Barcia, were going to have to rely on consistency if it was going to have any chance of winning for the eighth straight time.
Crashes by Dungey, Baggett and a broken wheel on Barcia's Honda (after colliding with another rider), however, prevented that from happening. As a result, the U.S. team will go home, but still proud, with a bronze medal. Dungey finished out the day with a 7-9, while Baggett went 14-6.
Barcia got together with Belgium's Ken De Dycker in his first moto which left his front wheel with a bunch of broken spokes. The wheel finally gave up on the last lap, though he was just able to get into the pits and swap out wheels, preventing a DNF. Barcia finished third in his second moto, giving Team USA its best moto finish of the day.
Content credits: Cyclenews
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