Dungey looks to make more history with 2011 title defense
16 Dec: Entering the 2010 season as the most touted rookie in Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey walked away from the 17-race Championship as a bonafide star.
Edited copy courtesy of Denny Hartwig from Feld Motor Sports. Photos courtesy of Suzuki Racing.
Bursting onto the
premier class scene with an impressive showdown with San Manuel
Yamaha’s James Stewart, the reigning Monster Energy Supercross Champion,
Dungey went on to win six races en route to becoming just the second
rookie to win the AMA Supercross title.
As
the 2009 AMA Supercross Lites Western Regional Champion, Dungey came
into 2010 with a desire to win and challenge the world’s biggest stars
in Stewart, Chad Reed, Kevin Windham and Ryan Villopoto. After a
breakthrough season the year before, Dungey had reached his true
potential as a rider and knew what it takes to win a championship.
"Before
2009, I seemed to have the speed to put me in contention for
championships, but I was never able to put it all together with
consistency,” said Dungey. "I entered that season with a renewed focus
and a better understanding of what I needed to do and fortunately it all
worked out.”
A
strong outing in the 2009 AMA Motocross championship the following
summer helped Dungey capture his first AMA national title. This victory
gave him considerable momentum during a time when many of his rivals in
the premier class were dealing with moving to a new team or coming off a
hiatus from competition heading into the 2010 Monster Energy Supercross
season.
"I
came into the 2010 season prepared and I felt ready to size myself up
against the best of the best,” he added. "I knew I put in the time and
the entire team was ready to win. I wouldn’t be out there if I didn’t
think I could. I’ve always wanted to compete at the highest level and I
was going to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Fast
forward to five months from the start of the 2010 championship and
Dungey stood atop the rest as the youngest champion in history and in
the elite company of only Jeremy McGrath as a rookie champion.
Along
the way, Dungey endured several challenges and was forced to overcome
his own adversity in a season in which every title contender encountered
some form of misfortune. As his competitors fell by the wayside, Dungey
stayed steady. Despite being tied atop the standings on a pair of
occasions and giving up a large amount of points more often than he’d
like, the Minnesota native never gave up and matured a lot as a rider in
the process.
"There
were some times last season where I really needed to dig deep,” said
Dungey. "I made some big mistakes and left the door open too many times.
In years past, overcoming those mistakes proved to be my biggest
obstacle, but after going through the pressure of winning a title, I
knew that all I could to was bounce back the following weekend and let
things play out.”
With
the spotlight of the motocross world directly on him, Dungey continued
his dominance once again in the AMA Motocross championship where he
captured the title as well to become the first rookie in history to
sweep the premier class championships.
Now
as 2011 approaches, Dungey knows the target will be squarely on his
back as the fastest riders on the planet look to bounce back from a
season of disappointment and unseat the reigning champion.
"I
knew 2010 was going to be a challenging year, but I know for a fact
that 2011 will be the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced in my career,”
added Dungey, who has won the last four championships he’s entered.
"They say that how a rider defends his title is what proves his strength
and solidifies his legacy and I’m ready for the challenge.”
Dungey’s
program remains relatively unchanged for 2011, but the loss of his
longtime team manager Roger DeCoster to KTM will be an intriguing
storyline to the championship.
"It’s
tough to see Roger go,” he said. "He gave me my first opportunity and
he’s been there every step of the way in my career, but I’m happy for
him. More than anything Roger has become a close friend and I want only
the best for him.”
Taking
over the helm of the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team for 2011 is longtime
Suzuki off-road manager Mike Webb and joining Dungey under the tent as a
teammate will be premier-class rookie Brett Metcalfe, a longtime
front-runner in AMA Supercross Lites.
”I’m excited for Mike and
Brett to come on board,” said Dungey. "Mike has a lot of experience and
brings a lot of knowledge of the Suzuki bikes. Brett is a proven 450
rider and will be a great teammate. No matter what, it’s going to be a
memorable season.”