from ... Ryan Dungey
Friday 08 April: Only 4 to go and St Louis this weekend where he won last year. Ryan's blog courtesy of the Team Suzuki Press Office.
After
another wild weekend in Toronto, the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship
changed dramatically as some of the top contenders were hit with some
misfortune. I was able to get the start that I needed and ultimately won
my first race of the season, which felt amazing. Based on what happened
behind me, I also ended up benefiting from the change in the points and
I entered this past weekend's race in Dallas just eight points out of
the lead.
Last year, Dallas was one of my biggest wins of the
season, so on Saturday I felt really confident heading into the night
show after a pair of strong practices. I posted the fourth-fastest lap,
which gave me a good gate pick for the heat races. The track at Dallas
was extremely difficult. The whoops were extremely big and hard to get
consistency through while the fastest way through the rhythm lane was a
tricky triple-triple combo that could easily force you to lose ground if
you missed it.
I felt good in the heat race and I was looking to
just settle into a rhythm, post a good finish, and get a solid gate
pick for the main event. Unfortunately, I pushed a little harder than
the track could handle and I went down pretty early. As a result, I was
forced to work a little harder than I had planned, but in the end, I
felt like I recovered well and ultimately I was really happy to come
away with second place.
My Rockstar Makita Suzuki RMZ-450 got
awesome traction out of the gates for the main event and I was where I
wanted to be coming into the first corner. Unfortunately, I got together
with Mike Alessi and it forced me to check up and lose some ground. I
had an inside line through the first triple and it put me in good
position to move past a lot of guys. Before I knew it, I was back with
the leaders.
I knew the track was really slick so I bided my
time behind Chad Reed and James Stewart. Both guys were very fast and
ready to battle. I didn't want to force the issue so early in the race
so I did my best to run consistent lines and keep them within reach. The
next thing I know, James loses control and runs right into Chad. Both
riders went down and I set my sights on the lead now that I was in
second.
I felt like I was running my fastest laps of the entire
day and then I came up to Michael Byrne. I misjudged what line he was
going to take and unfortunately we made contact and I went down. I got
up pretty quick, but Ryan Villopoto had slipped by already. From there, I
just wanted to get that spot back. I charged hard and I knew I was
closing in on Ryan, but in the end I couldn't get through traffic quick
enough to get to him and make a move.
Regardless, I walked away
with another podium and I was really happy with the ride despite going
down. I'm doing everything in my power to keep chipping away at this
Championship and now I'm only seven points out of the lead. I really
feel like my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team is hitting its stride and it
couldn't be at a better time. I'm excited about St. Louis this weekend. I
was able to get a win there last year and I know my Rockstar Makita
Suzuki team can help me do it again.