News

4/21/2010 - IT'S OFFICIAL! RYAN DUNGEY CLINCHES 2010 AMA 450 SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP:
When You Have A 77 Point Lead Over The Next Active Rider With Only 75 Points Left In the Season, You Can Start Celebrating



Ryan Dungey can relax. He has put the 2010 AMA 450 Supercross Championship in the bag...no matter what happens at the next three races. When his closest competition, Ryan Villopoto, crashed out of the St. Louis Supercross and broke his leg, Dungey secured the permanent points lead in the series. It became unofficially official when Team Kawasaki sent out the press release announcing that Ryan Villopoto would not continue in the Supercross series this season.



Ryan Dungey can't be caught...even if he decides to take a three-week vacation to Tahiti. But, Dungey won't be taking any time off. Although he has clinched the 2010 title and earned at least a $1,000,000 bonus from Suzuki for the crown, he still has the ability to win the three remaining races (each of which should provide him with a $100,000 bonus per win).



Dungey and Villopoto provided a great season of racing, and with the swift demise of both James Stewart and Chad Reed early in the year, the two Ryan's kept the excitement level high. They had a see-saw battle that saw the tide shift every couple races...and, in fact, Villopoto was leading the race in St. Louis when he misjudged a triple and crashed. Had Villopoto stayed upright in St. Louis (and kept his win streak alive after that) the 2010 Supercross series might well have been the closest finish in Supercross history (one that would have been determined by the number of victories by each rider).



Dungey will now try to take his success outdoors for the 2010 AMA 450 Natinal Championship (which starts on May 22 at Hangtown).