Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Byrne brings home 3rd in MX race
Round 10 – AMA Motocross Series
Millville, Minnesota
Spring Creek Motocross Park
August 16 - 17, 2008
Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ryan Dungey won his second straight AMA Motocross Lites race in front of his hometown crowd at Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minnesota. The Belle Plaine native brought home second- and first-place moto finishes to take the overall victory on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250. Teammate Nico Izzi endured a rough first moto but rallied in the second moto with a sixth-place finish, landing him an 11th-place overall result. Currently, Dungey is in second place overall in the championship, while Izzi is in fifth place
In the Motocross class, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Michael Byrne celebrated yet another podium finish after bringing home a strong third-place result at Spring Creek on Sunday. The Australian charged hard on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 after a get-off in the first moto to get a sixth-place finish and then followed that up with a second-place result in the second moto, for a third-place overall finish. Suzuki’s Cody Cooper had a strong showing in the second moto, picking up a third-place finish. This result follows Cooper’s recent first-ever AMA MX podium at Unadilla. Currently, Byrne is in fourth place overall in the championship points and Cooper is in fifth place.
Ryan Dungey:
“I’m pumped to get two MX Lites wins in a row, today was awesome. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 was running good and my team has been working really hard for me and I appreciate it. Two months ago I was just settling for second. I had to believe in myself to get where I am now and, compared to last year, when I didn’t win at all, I’m thankful to be healthy and having success.”
Michael Byrne:
“I had a good start in the first moto, but I fell in the back of the track and went back to within the top 10. I was able to come back up to sixth and then I was able to stay in a good pace. By the second moto, the sand was really bad, and I got it in my goggles. But I got into third place and I was just trying to be patient and wait for the guy in front of me to make a mistake or get tired. I couldn’t have done it without my Rockstar Makita Suzuki team.”
Nico Izzi:
“It was a rough weekend for me. In the first moto, I got a decent start, I was in the top 10 but somebody got squirrelly and I got hit, and then I hit somebody else and I fell, and I got run over a few times. So I took off last and before I could even get a full lap done, I fell again and I was down a whole lap. I ended up making it up to 17th. In the second moto, I started in about 10th and worked my way into sixth – though I really felt I should have been in the top five. So it was a rough day, but overall, I’ve had a pretty good season and one bad weekend is not going to kill me.”
Cody Cooper:
“In the second moto, I wanted to get the holeshot but I settled in third or fourth, and I’m happy with that start. My start in the first moto was a crap one so I was really happy with the start in the second moto. Thanks to my Suzuki team for giving me a good bike with the RM-Z450, now we’ll go home and ride in some more sand to get ready for the next race.”
AMA Motocross Top 10 (Moto Finishes)
1. James Stewart, Kawasaki, 1-1
2. Andrew Short, Honda, 2-5
3. Michael Byrne, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing, 6-2
4. Nick Wey, KTM, 10-4
5. Tim Ferry, Kawasaki, 3-12
6. Jeff Alessi, Honda, 8-6
7. Matt Goerke, KTM, 9-7
8. Broc Hepler, Yamaha, 5-11
9. Cody Cooper, Suzuki, 19-3
10. Charles Summey, Yamaha, 13-10
AMA Motocross Lites Top 10 (Moto Finishes):
1. Ryan Dungey, Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing, 2-1
2. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, 1-2
3. Brett Metcalfe, Kawasaki, 4-3
4. Jake Weimer, Honda, 7-5
5. Blake Wharton, Honda, 10-4
6. Kyle Cunningham, Honda, 5-11
7. Andrew McFarlane, Kawasaki, 9-9
8. Wil Hahn, Yamaha, 8-10
9. Justin Brayton, KTM, 12-7
10. Josh Grant, Honda, 3-34
