KTM’s Ryan Dungey made it four wins in a row as he dominated the 450cc class at the sixth round of 12 in this year’s United States Motocross Championships art Red Bud at the weekend.

And in the 250cc class, Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett also proved unstoppable once again.

As the season reached its halfway point, Dungey kept his dominant run going in the 450 Class, winning his fourth straight race with another 1-1 moto sweep. In the 250 Class, Californian Baggett raced to his third victory of the season and second in a row with an impressive 1-1 effort.

The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next Saturday, July 14, with round seven from Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota, and the Spring Creek National.

In the opening 450cc moto, it was Dungey who prevailed out of the gate, establishing himself as the rider to beat early while Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart followed in second in his return to action.

As Dungey pushed to open a gap on Stewart, the Suzuki rider went down, allowing Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer and Honda’s Justin Brayton to move past. On the following lap, Stewart encountered misfortune again, stalling his bike and falling to seventh. He eventually worked his way to a sixth-place result.

Out front, Dungey took the checkered flag by over 45 seconds ahead of the field

In Moto 2, Suzuki’s Mike Alessi grabbed the holeshot and led early, but it didn’t take long for Dungey to take over the top spot and pull away. Alessi, who was involved in a first-turn crash in the first moto, settled into second for the remainder of the moto, while Stewart bounced back to run third.

Dungey’s near 35-second win extended his moto winning streak to eight.

“Having James (Stewart) back this week was good to add another challenge, and it’s good for the sport,” said Dungey. “We made some more changes to the bike coming into (today) and I think we’ve made even more progress.

“My starts were good and I knew getting out front would make life easier, having a whole track to work with. It’s (too) early to think points, but you’ve got to be smart. With James back, you knew he’d be there, so I didn’t want to downplay him. I just wanted to get a good start and see how things played out.”

Brayton brought home his first overall podium result of the season in second (3-4), while Stewart finished third (3-6) despite his troubles.

Dungey extended his lead in the 450 Class standings to 72 points over Alessi.

In the 250 class, Baggett needed a pair of come-from-behind performances to take the win.

After crossing the line in sixth at the conclusion of the first lap in moto one, Baggett began a charge to the front of the field. He quickly picked off riders to move into second by lap 5 and overcame a five-second deficit to pass Honda’s Justin Barcia for the lead on lap 12 and pulled away.

In moto two, Baggett put himself in a better position, coming out of the gate in third and working his way to the front of the field by the conclusion of the opening lap. On lap two, a mistake saw Baggett fall, allowing Barcia to take over the lead.

After losing just one spot, Baggett once again set his sights on the lead and managed to take over the position again on lap eight, holding it through to the finish.

“This track is one of the best on the schedule, it’s got a little bit of everything,” said Baggett.

“There’s no formula to the way I ride. It just happens. I had a pitiful start in the first moto and fought my way through the pack. I got a good start in the second moto and just tipped it over. I looked at lines to see where I could pick up ground and I just took a shot (at the lead) when I had a chance.”

Barcia’s pair of second-place finishes landed him second overall, while his team-mate Eli Tomac finished third (5-3).

Baggett extended his lead in the championship to 19 points over Barcia.

 

450 Class (Moto Finish):

 

1.      Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)

2.      Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda (3-4)

3.      James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (6-3)

4.      Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (4-5)

5.      Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (11-2)

6.      Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (5-9)

7.      Cole Thompson, Brigden, Ontario, Canada, Honda (7-8)

8.      Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (9-7)

9.      Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (12-6)

10.    Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (2-20)

 

450 Class Championship Standings:

 

1.      Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 286

2.      Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 214

3.      Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 202

4.      Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 178

5.      Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 162

6.      James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 151

7.      Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki, 142

8.      Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 137

9.      Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 131

10.    Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki, 100

 

 

250 Class (Moto Finish):

 

1.      Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (1-1)

2.      Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (2-2)

3.      Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (5-3)

4.      Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (4-4)

5.      Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (3-6)

6.      Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (6-5)

7.      Gareth Swanepoel, Johannesburg, South Africa, Yamaha (9-7)

8.      Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki (7-12)

9.      Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda (12-9)

10.    Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda (11-10)

 

250 Class Championship Standings:

 

1.      Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 272

2.      Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 253

3.      Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 236

4.      Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 235

5.      Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 189

6.      Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 161

7.      Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 125

8.      Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 121

9.      Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 109

10.    Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda, 105

 

© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com