KTM RACING
Brilliant debut performance for Dungey in his debut competition for KTM

Red Bull KTM’s new US signing Ryan Dungey may have been a last minute entry for the Monster Energy Cup in the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas but achieving second overall in his first ever competition in Orange garb thrilled his manager Roger De Coster and all of KTM’s vast following.

After barely two weeks on his new KTM 450 SX-F, Dungey geared up for this inaugural Monster Energy Cup primarily to test how he stacked up against the competition. His success is a huge boost for the KTM US factory team as they start a major push into the competition.

Dungey: “I’m happy with my overall result today. Of course, you always want to win, but to come out here after only two weeks on the bike and get on the podium is very exciting. We have made great progress with the bike this weekend and we know how we need to move forward with our testing from here. I’m very happy with the team so far and am looking forward to the 2012 season.”

The Monster Energy Cup offered three main event races of 10 laps, with each moto counted toward the overall score. When the gate dropped for moto one, Dungey had a bad jump and got pushed to the back as they rounded the first corner. He stormed through the pack to be back in the top ten in the second corner and went on to finish third. Team-mate Marvin Musquin, riding the KTM 350 SX and making his debut US ride in SX after he was locked out with injury at the beginning of 2011, finished eighth.

Dungey got away well in moto two, was second behind Ryan Villopoto and carried that position through to the chequered flag. He then blasted his KTM 450 to another great start in the final race, was third at the start behind Villopoto and Mike Alessi. Meanwhile Musquin suffered a crash in the first corner with Justin Brayton that put him out of contention. Dungey settled down to close in on Alessi and finally fought his way past over a double but by then Villopoto had got away and he had to settle for second. Villopoto took the big cash purse but Dungey’s 3-2-2 moto scores earned him second overall in his debut race on the KTM.

Red Bull/KTM Factory Team Manager, Roger De Coster: “I was not so excited about coming to this race at first since we have only had two weeks on the bike, but I am glad I was convinced to come. This race gave us a good indication about what we have done well and where we need to improve. We have our work cut out for us during the next few months but I think our goal is feasible. Come Anaheim, I believe we will be in the hunt.”

TEAM SUZUKI

SUZUKI PODIUMS AT MONSTER CUP SX
Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki celebrated a podium finish at the inaugural running of the Monster Energy Cup Supercross at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday as Brett Metcalfe raced his Yoshimura-equipped Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 to third overall.

This new stand-alone Supercross race capped off the 2011 season and incorporated both Motocross and Supercross styles in the lengthy track as well as the racing format. The hybrid track was the longest Supercross track ever built, and the format included Supercross heat races and main events, but the scoring was all Motocross: three 10-lap Open Class main events combined to provide riders with one overall best score.

"This was a really exciting race," said Metcalfe. "The whole Rockstar Makita Suzuki team worked great. It was really awesome to see the bike become better and better over the course of one day and seeing the team making all these changes in one race was incredible. We had a few practice sessions, and I was feeling pretty comfortable. The track was different than what I'm used to, so it was a little challenging at first. But by race time that night, I was ready to go."

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider started the night on a positive note by putting in an impressive ride in the first heat race. He got a great start on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450, led all the laps before making a small mistake at the end of the heat and finishing second. In the three main events, Metcalfe continued to ride aggressively and focused races, finishing fourth in the first main, third in the second main and third in the final main. All of these results combined to hand Metcalfe an impressive third-place finish overall.

"All through the heat race, I led every lap until the last lap," said Metcalfe. "Then I spun out and lost a position. But I felt good going into the main events. I knew to do well and get up on the podium it would be key to get good starts. I was able to get three pretty good starts and really come out of the first corner in a good position each time. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was unreal out there; it worked awesome for me and I'm happy with third overall. Now we have the off-season to prepare for Supercross next year. We learned a lot this weekend that we can put to use in testing and come out ready next year."

DAVALOS TAKES 4TH AT MONSTER CUP SX
Riding the Yoshimura-equipped Rockstar Energy Suzuki RM-Z450 instead of the RM-Z250 that he usually races in the Supercross Lites class, Martin Davalos carded an impressive fourth-place overall in the Open Class of the first-ever Monster Energy Cup at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Although Davalos struggled a bit in the first heat races, the Rockstar Energy Suzuki rider rallied and went on to win the Last Chance Qualifier to transfer to the three main events.

"My weekend was pretty good," said Davalos. "We struggled a bit with traction during the day and I was feeling uncomfortable with the track. But the Rockstar Energy Suzuki guys worked really hard for me, trying to help me get more comfortable on the RM-Z450. We made some major changes after the first heat race and that made me feel a lot better for the rest of the night."

Davalos rode three remarkable races, bringing home two seventh-place finishes and then a fifth-place result in the third main event. His final result for the night was a solid fourth-place overall.

"The Rockstar Energy Suzuki RM-Z450 was working great," said Davalos. "I got good starts and put in consistent lap times and I finished seventh in the first and second main events. I had some energy left then and I got a good start in the third main event; I pushed hard and was able to get fifth in the race and fourth overall for the night. I feel like we did a good job for my first 450 race, but we couldn't have done it without the whole Rockstar Energy Suzuki team effort. Now I'm looking forward to getting back on my Suzuki RM-Z250 and the start of the next Supercross Lites season."

This new stand-alone Supercross race capped off the 2011 season and incorporated both Motocross and Supercross styles in the lengthy track as well as the racing format. The hybrid track was the longest Supercross track ever built and the night's format included Supercross heat races and main events, but the scoring was all Motocross: Three 10-lap Open Class main events combined to provide riders with one overall best score.

Monster Energy Cup Open Class Overall Results:
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Brett Metcalfe
4. Martin Davalos
5. Eli Tomac
6. Kyle Chisolm
7. Nick Wey
8. Jimmy Albertson
9. Jake Weimer
10. Mike Alessi