Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Dungey finishes 4th in MX Lites
Round 1 – AMA Motocross Series
San Bernardino, CA
Glen Helen Raceway
May 24-25, 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing’s Mike Alessi started the AMA Motocross season strong by capturing second place overall at this weekend’s season-opening round at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Michael Byrne also had a good weekend, thanks to a sixth-place overall result, while teammate David Vuillemin struggled a bit, finishing 17th overall.
In the Motocross Lites class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey had a fine weekend after taking fourth place overall. Teammate Nico Izzi, meanwhile, had a good first moto, finishing eighth, but had some issues in the second moto and wound up with 13th overall.
Mike Alessi:
“The season-opener at Glen Helen couldn’t have gone any better. I have been working very hard during my time off after breaking my collarbone in Supercross and it showed. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was working great. I love the bike and it lets me ride to the best of my ability, and I think I proved that this weekend by finishing 46 seconds in front of third place in the second moto.”
Michael Byrne:
“My weekend went well. I had some great starts on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450, which definitely made life a lot easier. It felt really good to be back out there racing again. I was definitely nervous about my knee and how I was going to go, since this was my first race back after being injured, but once the gate dropped, I was OK and I forgot about it. Now I’m just looking forward to next weekend at Hangtown and the rest of the series.”
David Vuillemin:
“Glen Helen was a difficult weekend for me. I had a few issues that I hope will be resolved for Hangtown. I am also dealing with a torn meniscus that I will have surgery on after the High Point National. It has been bothering me since the San Francisco Supercross and I can’t put it off any longer, especially with all the ruts on a motocross track.”
Ryan Dungey:
“It was a good weekend overall, I’m pretty happy with how I rode and the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 was running great. I feel like my endurance is good and I’m just working at getting better and improving over the season.”
Nico Izzi:
“The first moto was pretty good and I got eighth. And then the second moto was also going good and I had four laps to go and then I had some problems with the bike and couldn’t finish the race. But overall, I was happy with my endurance and my fitness. I was pretty pumped, really, because I was waiting for myself to get tired and it never happened.”
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California, the weekend of, May 31 – June 1, 2008.
AMA Motocross Top 10 (Moto Finishes)
1. James Stewart, Kawasaki, 1-1
2. Mike Alessi, Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Factory Racing, 2-2
3. Davi Millsaps, Honda, 3-3
4. Timmy Ferry, Kawasaki, 4-4
5. Ivan Tedesco, Honda, 7-5
6. Michael Byrne, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing, 9-7
7. Sean Hamblin, Yamaha, 8-8
8. Cody Cooper, Suzuki, 14-6
9. Nick Wey, KTM, 10-10
10. Jeff Alessi, Honda, 13-9
AMA Motocross Lites Top 10 (Moto Finishes):
1. Austin Stroupe, Kawasaki, 2-3
2. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, 5-1
3. Jason Lawrence, Yamaha 1-5
4. Ryan Dungey, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing, 4-2
5. Brett Metcalfe, Kawasaki, 3-4
6. Jake Weimer, Honda, 7-7
7. Matt Lemoine, Yamaha, 6-9
8. Trey Canard, Honda, 14-6
9. Kyle Cunningham, Honda, 10-11
10. Tommy Hahn, Kawasaki, 15-12
