KTM's 'take' on Anaheim II

Red Bull KTM factory Ryan Dungey came off a heat 1 win in the Angel stadium at Anaheim2 in the AMA Supercross Championship to finish fourth to retain his place in the ‘Big Four’ - the all former SX Champions who are at the forefront of this year’s edition. Meanwhile KTM teammate Marvin Musquin continued his charge for dominance claiming yet another podium in the Lites class.

Dungey is now third in the championship behind Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed of Australia. The Big Four have all topped the podium in the first five rounds and the top three are separated by only five points, proof enough that this 2012 series is going to go right down to the wire.

Dungey looked very strong in the lead up to the main and a win in the heat race gave him a top gate choice. When the gate dropped he leaped forward and found himself in sixth place at the end of the first few corners. It took him four laps to pass Davi Millsaps but he finally got around him with a smooth inside pass through a corner. He then concentrated in reeling in Justin Brayton in fourth place and slipped past him in lap 12. He continued to knock off impressive lap times throughout the remainder of the event but the top three riders had already pulled out to a sizeable gap that he was not able to close.

"I am not pleased to finish off the podium for a second weekend in a row. I had a better start in the main event this weekend but I struggled to make my passes and allowed those guys to move ahead. I will continue to work on my starts for next weekend and make sure I get my KTM back on the podium to remain in the points chase for the championship,” Dungey said.

Musquin delivers in sold out Angel Stadium
KTM’s French rider, double MX2 World Champion Marvin Musquin continues to make his mark on the Lites East division, delivering yet another podium and underlining that consistency is the name of the game for this competition. Musquin wowed the audience with a near holeshot in his heat event followed by a quick pass into the lead.

His second place heat finish earned him a top gate pick for the main event and he had already positioned his 250 SX-F into third position behind Eli Tomac and Cole Seely in the opening laps. Musquin was able to maintain third place throughout the 15-lap main event despite heavy pressure from Dean Wilson in the final five laps. "I could feel that Wilson was close but I just continued to ride my own lines and I was able to hold him off and secure the podium spot,” he said after the race. "I really focused on my starting technique this week during my training.” Musquin’s third place finish moved him to third overall in the point standings. With three rounds remaining in the West Lites, Musquin is only seven points shy of second place.

JDR/J-Star/KTM’s Moss comes back strong after bad start
Also strong in the Angel stadium track was Australia’s Matt Moss of JDR J-Start KTM who converted a poor start in the Lites category into a remarkable race as he recovered to cross the finish line in seventh place. While Moss conceded he wasn’t happy with his starts he still has bigger plans for the series. "I am happy with how I rode through the pack and the passes I was able to make. Next week I need to improve my starts and battle in the front of the pack at the beginning of the race,” he said.Teammate Ryan Marmont finished in seventeenth place and now returns to Australia to prepare for the outdoor national series.

AMA Supercross Class Results

1, Ryan Villopoto

2, James Stewart

3, Chad Reed

4, Ryan Dungey – KTM

5, Justin Brayton

AMA Supercross Class Overall Point Standings

1, Ryan Villopoto – 108

2, Chad Reed – 105

3, Ryan Dungey – 103

4, James Stewart – 95

5, Kevin Windham – 72

AMA West Supercross Lites Race Results

1, Eli Tomac

2, Cole Seely

3, Marvin Musquin, France, KTM

4, Dean Wilson

5, Nico Izzi

Other KTM

7, Matt Moss, Australia, KTM

17, Ryan Marmont, Australia, KTM

AMA West Supercross Lites Overall Point Standings

1, Eli Tomac – 113

2, Dean Wilson – 91

3, Marvin Musquin – 84

4, Cole Seely – 79

5, Zach Osborne – 67