Dungey and Roczen Finish 1-2 at Glen Helen Motocross
OutdoorHub 05.27.14
Red Bull KTM Factory riders Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen had a great start to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series with a 1-2 result after a hard fought last lap in the second moto of the 450 Motocross class an the Glen Helen circuit. Both ride the KTM 450 SX-F
Factory teammate Marvin Musquin made a return to racing after a long injury pause and finished a solid tenth in the 250-class on his 250 SX-F.
Dungey and the German teenager Roczen finished in the 450s as they had started earlier in the day in qualifying. It was Dungey who was fastest in the first practice while Roczen topped the board in the second qualifying session.
When the gate dropped for moto one, it was Roczen who had the edge, rounding the first corner in third with Dungey behind in fourth place. Both riders advanced past Phil Nicoletti in lap two then stayed close together. At the end of the moto, Roczen had the edge and claimed second. Dungey was third across the line.
Both KTMs were up front in the second moto after Roczen pulled the holeshot with Dungey in tow. The two teammates quickly pulled away from the field as the race evolved into a two-way battle. With four laps to go, Dungey began to pressure Roczen for the lead and the ensuing battle had the crowd on their feet.
Dungey finally made his move tick on the final lap with just three corners to go to seal the race win and the overall. Roczen finished right behind him to give the factory team a 1-2 overall in the opening round of the season.
“The track was really tough today,” stated Dungey. “The crew did a great job prepping it but it definitely got to be one-lined in the second moto. It was hard to make a pass and that is why it took so long for me to challenge for the lead. I’m really happy with my result today and hope to carry this momentum to Hangtown.”
Roczen commented, “I had a lot of fun today. I have raced the GP here before and ridden this track a lot so I knew what to expect. I was fortunate to get good starts and that kept me up front. I’m pumped to have a podium at the first round to get this season started right.”
Musquin Finishes tenth in 250-class opener
Red Bull KTM Factory’s Marvin Musquin made a commendable return to competitive racing at the Glen Helen Raceway to finish with a 10-8 in the 250-class for overall tenth.
The team’s French rider placed just outside of the top ten in the practice session and was happy with his times in his first session back since recovering from a torn ACL.
Then in the second practice, Musquin got sideways down a choppy straight and tweaked his shoulder. He was unable to put a fast time in and had to pull off early to get his shoulder looked at. Luckily, Musquin was able to race but did struggle with his shoulder throughout the day as the track continued to get rougher.
Musquin took his signature holeshot start in the opening moto and led for the first lap. He dropped to seventh in the second lap and a few mistakes in the next few laps pushed him back to twelfth by lap six. The French rider did claw back two positions to be tenth at the flag.
Musquin took an eighth place start in the second moto and fought to hold in that position throughout most of the race, only dropping back as low as tenth. With two laps to go, he advanced the eighth place and carried it to the finish. His 10-8 result gave him eighth overall.
“I had a rough time with my shoulder today,” stated Musquin. “Luckily, my knee felt really good and I think my shoulder will be fine at Hangtown. I am looking forward to making progress at each round until I am 100%.”
Next Event: Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova – May 31, 2014
US Motocross 2014 Rd. 1 at Glen Helen
Overall Results 450
1, Ryan Dungey, KTM, 3-1
2, Ken Roczen, KTM, 2-2
3, Trey Canard, Honda, 7-3
4, Brett Metcalfe, Kawasaki 4-5
5, Josh Grant, Yamaha, 1-15
6, James Stewart, Suzuki, 6-6
7
, Malcolm Stewart, Honda, 8-8
8, Jake Weimer, Kawasaki, 10-7
9, Weston Peick, Suzuki, 5-13
10, Chad Reed, Kawasaki 9-10
AMA Motocross 450 Championship Points
1, Dungey, 45
2, Roczen, 44
3, Canard, 34
4, Metcalfe, 34
5, Grant, 31
6, Stewart, 30
7, Stewart, 26
8, Weimer, 25
9, Peick, 24
10, Reed, 23
Overall Results 250
1, Jeremy Martin Yamaha 1-1
2, Cooper Webb Yamaha 2-2
3, Cole Seely, Honda 4-4
4, Blake Baggett, Kawasaki 8-3
5, Christophe Pourcel Yamaha 7-5
6, Justin Bogle Honda 5-9
7, Matt Bisceglia Honda 11-7
8, Marvin Musquin, KTM, 10-8
9, Jessy Nelson Honda 15-6
10, Kyle Cunningham, 14-12
AMA Motocross 250 Championship Points
1, Martin, 50
2, Webb, 44
3, Seely, 36
4, Baggett, 33
5, Pourcel, 30
6, Bogle, 28
7, Bisceglia, 24
8, Musquin, 24
9, Nelson, 21
10, Cunningham, 16
