Two More Podiums for Red Bull KTM at Freestone Motocross National
OutdoorHub 05.27.12
Wortham, TX – Red Bull/KTM Factory riders Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczencame away from the second round of the MC Nationals at Freestone in Texas with second and third placed podium respectively. Both are now second in the points in their respective standings.
Roczen’s French teammate Marvin Musquin, still riding in the 250 class with a yet-to-heal broken hand put in another heroic ride for a 5-8 result for overall sixth.
The hot temperatures and demanding terrain was an obstacle for most, but Dungey came prepared. He rocketed his KTM 450 SX-F off the line at the start of the first moto to round the first corner in third then quickly moved around Nico Izzi on the second lap to tuck behind leader James Stewart. Dungey stayed within a bike’s length of Stewart and his chances of grabbing the lead were spoiled in the final lap when he encountered back marker traffic.
The temperatures continued to rise but Dungey prevailed. He had an even better start in the second moto and was second at the first corner. He again had Stewart ahead of him and the two quickly pulled away from the pack with never more than a second between them. Dungey and Stewart then continued to better each other’s lap times throughout the race. Dungey’s fitness came into play as he continued to push each lap to pressure Stewart and the two frontrunners were able to pull out over a minute ahead of the third place rider.
While Stewart stayed in the lead, Dungey’s heroic second overall still indicated he is highly competitive and he is in a comfortable and consistent second overall in the points after two rounds of the competition.
Roczen third, Musquin sixth in 250 cc class
It was another good weekend for the factory team’s two European imports Roczen of Germany and French rider Marvin Musquin who both rode theirKTM 250 SX-F bikes with flair and determination.
The German teenager backed up his first round results with another podium third and Musquin, still riding with a fractured hand, had a strong result for overall sixth.
Roczen was again sharp out of the start gates in the opening moto to be third at the first corner, a position he maintained throughout the race. Musquin also had a great start in the first moto to be in the top five and managed to maintain the pace throughout the 17-lap race.
But then the second moto did not start as well for either Red Bull/KTM rider who were in the top ten but struggled to fight their way through the pack in the early stages of the race. Roczen had advanced from eighth to fourth by the fourth lap but by then the leaders had made the break. He maintained a steady pace and held on to his fourth place for the remainder of the race and his 3-4 results earned him third overall for the day.
Musquin started back at tenth in the second moto and was able to move up two positions by the third lap. By lap six he had moved into sixth place but several small mistakes in the laps that followed knocked him down to eighth. His 5-8 results placed him sixth at the end of the day but he did say that his hand was improving. “This week I was able to train and build my fitness,” he said.
