Round 2 - AMA Motocross Series
Rancho Cordova, California
Hangtown Motocross Classic
May 31 - June 1, 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing's Ryan Dungey brought home a strong second-place overall finish in Sunday's AMA Motocross race at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California. The young Minnesota rider carded second- and third-place moto finishes on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 en route to the impressive result. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Nico Izzi had a good first moto, finishing eighth, but then a lap-one crash resulted in Izzi being unable to finish the second moto. Dungey is in second place in the championship points standings, while Izzi is in 15th.
In the Motocross class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Mike Alessi rallied in the second moto, after crashing in the first, to bring home a seventh-place overall finish. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Michael Byrne rode a consistent race and finished up with an eighth-place overall result. In the championship points standings, Alessi is in fifth and Byrne is in seventh.
Mike Alessi:
"In the first moto, I lost my cool and I got impatient because I didn't get the start I wanted. I ended up crashing in the same place that I crashed in practice on Saturday. When I got up, I was still in the same position but I had to pull into the mechanics' area because my front wheel was facing right and I couldn't ride the bike. I am OK after the crash, though I'm a little banged up. In the second moto, I was going pretty good and the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was running fine, but for some reason I got suckered into following another rider and I kind of rode his pace after that."
Michael Byrne:
"The weekend was OK, though I didn't really get the result I wanted. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and my crew were great but the track was kind of hard-packed and rocky. I was consistent and a lot of the guys weren't, and I guess eighth is still not bad, considering I'm coming back from an injury. Sometimes I forget that I've been off for six months. I just need to work on it each weekend and get better."
Ryan Dungey:
"It was a great race this weekend. The first moto was really good, I got a good start on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 and we definitely started battling right from the beginning. I was lucky to come out in second place. By the second moto, the track was starting to get really rough and rutted. I didn't get as good a start as I had in the first moto, but I was happy to come out with a good overall finish and get the Rockstar Makita Suzuki up on the podium."
Nico Izzi:
"The first moto was really good. I got a good start on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 and was in fourth place behind Dungey. Then I got into a battle with another guy and I got a little tired and faded back to eighth. In the second moto, I crashed pretty hard and hit my head and couldn't finish." Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Texas, the weekend of, June 7 - 8, 2008.
AMA Motocross Top 10 (Moto Finishes)
1. James Stewart, Kawasaki, 1-1
2. Timmy Ferry, Kawasaki, 2-2
3. Ivan Tedesco, Honda, 4-3
4. Davi Millsaps, Honda, 3-5
5. Steve Boniface, Honda, 6-6
6. Ben Townley, Honda, 8-7
7. Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Factory Racing, 16-4
8. Michael Byrne, Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Factory Racing, 9-10
9. Josh Hill, Yamaha, 11-9
10. Andrew Short, Honda, 14-8
AMA Motocross Lites Top 10 (Moto Finishes):
1. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, 1-1
2. Ryan Dungey, Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Factory Racing 2-3
3. Jason Lawrence, Yamaha, 5-2
4. Austin Stroupe, Kawasaki, 3-4
5. Brett Metcalfe, Kawasaki, 4-5
6. Trey Canard, Honda, 11-6
7. Jake Weimer, Honda, 7-10
8. Branden Jesseman, Kawasaki, 6-12
9. Ryan Sipes, KTM, 12-7
10. Dan Reardon, Honda, 15-8