Oakland, Jan 28, 2012 – Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey put in another great
showing in Round 4 of the AMA Supercross on Saturday night to finish in
fourth place to maintain his top finishes and hold onto the red number
plate. Factory teammate Marvin Musquin also excelled in the Lites class to
be on the podium in second.
Dungey had a strong showing at Oakland in the early afternoon, earning
second fastest lap time of the combined practice sessions. He topped his
impressive practice time with his first heat win of the season in the
opening SX class heat race to lead from holeshot to checkered flag for the
top gate pick in the main event.
While he failed to get away cleanly in the main and rounded the first
corner in 12th position he quickly began to pick off riders even though
the lead pack was pulling away. By the halfway point he was top five and
in lap 12 he slipped by Andrew Short into fourth. Dungey’s speed and
stamina were impressive throughout the twenty lap main but the time he
spent through the pack had allowed the top three to pull out of reach. He
crossed the line in a strong fourth again underlining his consistency and
continues to hold onto the coveted red plate as standings leader.
Ryan Dungey: “I’m bummed that I didn’t land on the podium tonight.
But overall, it was still a great night. I earned my first heat race win
of the season and I made some good passes in the main event to salvage
some points. It was hard to make passes tonight so I am glad I was able to
pass as many riders as I did. My team has been behind me 100% this season
and I am glad we are still running up front in the points and I am looking
forward to a podium finish at the next event.”
It was also a great night for Marvin Musquin who matched his best finish of
the season with another second place. He was impressive during the
qualifiers and heats but got a late jump at the gate of the main to be mid
pack at the first corner. Eighth at the end of lap one, Marvin then
claimed two more places by the half way mark before turning up the heat,
moving into fifth and settling down in pursuit of the leaders. With three
laps to go he advanced to second and carried it to the checkered flag for
another great finish. Musquin now moves up three positions in the overall
point standings and is now in fourth, just three points off of the third
place position.
Marvin Musquin: “I am so excited with my result tonight. When my mechanic
said I was tenth on the pit board the first lap, I was worried I would not
be able to make the passes I needed. But I rode as hard as I could and
made some smart passes and worked my way up. This helps me a lot in the
point standings and I am looking forward to more success next week.”
JDR/JStar KTM rider Matt Moss of Australia also had an excellent night to
finish fifth in the highly competitive Lites Class. Next round: Anaheim,
CA – February 4, 2012
