Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Ryan Dungey capped off the 2008 AMA Supercross Lites season by not only winning the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout for the second year in a row, but by also being honored with the Rising Star Award as well. In the Las Vegas season finale event, Dungey finished second in his heat race and then came from behind to take the win in the 15-lap SX Lites main. Later in the weekend, he was honored with the new Rising Star award at the Live Nation awards banquet. Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Nico Izzi had a rough night in the SX Lites main and finished 15th, while teammate David Vuillemin picked up his 10th top-10 finish in the premier Supercross class.
"To win this race two years in a row is huge for me. It was a very special win for me because I came from behind and rode smart on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250. I lost some time in the beginning of the race, but I was able to find my groove as the race progressed. We're getting ready to start testing for AMA Motocross now and I'm glad to take the momentum from this win into the upcoming race season."
"I always enjoy racing in Las Vegas, though it was a pretty tricky track and the whoops were really bad this year. But I felt like I rode good in practice, and I had a decent heat race and main event. On the first lap of the main, though, I lost three spots right off the bat. But I finished in the top 10 and I can't complain. Now, it's time to turn the page and get ready for motocross. We have three weeks until that series starts, and we'll be testing the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and getting ready for the season."
"I had a pretty good heat race, and practice was going good but I had a little bit of a rough main. Igot caught in the first-turn pile-up and then I caught up to about sixth place, but then I fell and went off the track. There's only so much you can do after that. Overall, I felt like I rode pretty good -- I was hammering out the whoops and everything. I definitely learned a lot, but I had some unfortunate bad luck. Now I'm just looking forward to the motocross season." Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at round one of AMA Motocross at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, on May 24 - 25, 2008.
David Vuillemin, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450, #12
10th Place - Las Vegas Supercross
8th Place - Overall Championship Points Standings
Ryan Dungey, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z250, #28
1st Place - Las Vegas Supercross Lites East/West Shootout
Nico Izzi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z250, #341
1st Place - Las Vegas Supercross Lites East/West Shootout
AMA Supercross Top 10 Finishers:
1. Chad Reed, Yamaha
2. Kevin Windham, Honda
3. Andrew Short, Honda
4. Josh Hill, Yamaha
5. Davi Millsaps, Honda (Holeshot)
6. Nick Wey, KTM
7. Josh Summey, Yamaha
8. Travis Preston, Kawasaki
9. Tim Ferry, Kawasaki
10. David Vuillemin, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
AMA Supercross Lites Top 10 Finishers:
1. Ryan Dungey, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing
2. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki (Holeshot)
3. Trey Canard, Honda
4. Dan Reardon, Honda
5. Ryan Morais, Yamaha
6. Justin Brayton, KTM
7. Brett Metcalfe, Kawasaki
8. Kyle Chisholm, Kawasaki
9. Broc Hepler, Yamaha
10. Austin Stroupe, Kawasaki