KTM’S Ryan Dungey made it three outright wins in a row at the fifth round of the United States Motocross Championships at Budd’s Creek in Maryland, just south of Washington DC, at the weekend.

It was his third straight 1-1 moto sweep.

In the 250 Class, Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett secured his second victory of the season thanks to a triumphant effort in the second moto.

In the opening 450 class moto, Honda’s Justin Brayton grabbed the holeshot, but Dungey wasted little time in making his move to the front. Once in the lead, Dungey extended his advantage over the field every lap, eventually winning by over 40 seconds.

In moto two, Suzuki’s Mike Alessi assumed the early lead and stayed out front for three laps before Dungey moved past. The KTM rider then pulled away from the field consistently en route to the chequered flag.

“It was good (today), starting from practice and into the (races),” said Dungey, who has won six consecutive motos. “I got good starts, which helped get me out front. Mike (Alessi) and Broc (Tickle) both rode well, so I had to do some work in that second moto. We have a couple weeks off now, so I’ll use it to my advantage and see if we can (still) get a little bit better.”

Kawasaki’s Broc Tickle captured the best finish if his career in second (2-2), while Alessi rounded out the podium in third (4-3).

Dungey extended his lead in the 450 Class standings to 54 points over Alessi.

In the 250 class, Baggett started the day off with a strong runner-up effort in the opening moto, following Honda’s Justin Barcia across the line. However, after Barcia started moto two outside the top five, it allowed Baggett to put himself in position for the win.

KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany, looked poised to challenge for his first career victory on US soil by leading the majority of each moto. However, the former FIM World Motocross MX2 Champion was passed late in the first moto by both Barcia and Baggett, and ultimately gave way to Baggett in moto two as well.

By virtue of his second moto win, Baggett solidified the overall victory with 2-1 moto results.

“Last year, I crashed (in) both motos,” said Baggett. “Today, I didn’t crash and came out with a win. After last week (finishing fourth), it feels good to be back (up) here. I knew we would be catching lappers (in Moto 2) and you never know with them, so I just kept pushing and it worked out.”

Roczen extended his podium streak to five rounds with a career best second-place finish (3-2), while Barcia fought his way to a solid result in the second moto to finish third overall (1-5).

Baggett extended his lead in the championship to 13 points over Barcia.

Following a two-week break from competition, the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues on July 7, with round six from RedBud in Buchanan, Mich., and the Red Bull RedBud National.

Results from round five of 12:

450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (2-2)
3. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (4-3)
4. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (3-4)
5. Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda (5-8)
6. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki (8-6)
7. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (10-5)
8. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha (9-7)
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (6-10)
10. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha (7-11)

450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 236
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 182
3. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 179
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 154
5. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki, 142
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 134
7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 116
8. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 111
9. Nico Izzi, Rochester, Mich., Yamaha, 95
10. Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 93

250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (2-1)
2. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (3-2)
3. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (1-5)
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (5-3)
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (4-4)
6. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki (7-6)
7. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (6-7)
8. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda (13-8)
9. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda (12-10)
10. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Honda (14-9)

250 Class Championship Standings
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 222
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 209
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 200
4. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 200
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 153
6. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 130
7. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 106
8. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 102
9. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 99
10. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha, 96

© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com