Page 12 - ISSUE _38

RYAN DUNGEY
450 SX / 1ST
IMAGE /MPG WORDS /HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> Coming into the race in Atlanta, there were murmurs throughout the industry that Ryan Dungey was not his usual self this year. He had not won a race in the last four marking his longest draught since the beginning of the 2015 season. However, in those four races, he podiumed in three of them and his worst finish was only a fourth. Those results would be stellar for any other racer but we have become so accustomed to Dungey’s dominance we sensed a chink in the armor of the three-time champ. So, when the Factory KTM rider pulled into the Georgia Dome on Saturday, he had a little extra motivation to prove to everyone he is not beginning a decline.
Dungey’s quest to silence the “critics” did not start off so hot. He struggled throughout the morning practice sessions and was even visibly frustrated after
a small crash. He managed to persevere and still qualify fourth but the crit-
ics were yet to be silenced. When the gate dropped in the heat race, whatever Dungey may or may not have been grappling with mentally, faded away into the rafters. He ripped the holeshot and instantly built a comfortable lead en route to
a very easy win. It was just what he needed to jumpstart his night and get back on track for the main event. That heat must have jazzed up the Dunge because when the gate dropped in the main, he replicated his start from the heat race
and immediately jumped out to an early lead. He capitalized on fellow champion- ship contenders Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac suffering poor starts and built a commanding lead which he would hold all the way to the checkered flag. His lead did get chopped down in the latter stages by a hard-charging Tomac but he never really got close. The win marked his second of the year but more importantly it extended his points lead to twenty-five. This was just the performance Dungey was looking for to regain a little confidence and put those critics away.
12 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 26, 2017