Rockstar Makita Suzuki Riders Podium in Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida – March 28, 2010 –
Some of the best dirt of the series is found at the home of the
Jacksonville Jaguars. This year, the dirt and the layout at Jacksonville
Municipal Stadium were both excellent and a great night of racing was
had for the fans and Rockstar Makita Suzuki riders Ryan Dungey (#5) and
Austin Stroupe (#45).

In the Eastern Regional Lites class heat
race, Austin Stroupe’s RM-Z250 powered him up into second before the end
of lap one. On lap two, Stroupe moved into the lead and instantly
pulled a sizeable gap for the win.

In the first 450cc
Supercross heat race, Dungey got a fourth place start but passed up to
second by the end of lap one. Although he closed down the gap on the
leader of the heat, he was unable to pull off the win.

With
the heats out of the way, it was time for the main event action. Dungey,
having almost a full race points lead, was out to add even more.
Stroupe, sitting five points out of championship lead in second, was
looking to get a win and be the leader of the Lites pack.


Austin got a second-place start. By lap four, the top three riders were
bunched up. While attempting to pass the leader, the leader bobbled and
Austin collided with him briefly. This allowed the third place rider to
pass both of them. The next lap Stroupe passed back into second and
started the tough job of trying to close down the gap to the leader. In
spite of closing up to within one second, it was not to be and Austin
had to settle for another second place. The good news is that he is
still right there in the points hunt.

"I had a good start and
got into second but Pourcel got past me and I tried to make a charge for
the lead but couldn't," Stroupe explained. "It was a good night though,
winning my heat race and getting on the podium."

At the start
of the Supercross Main, Dungey's Suzuki RM-Z450 came out of the gate in
fourth, bobbled and ended up fifth. After some solid racing, Dungey
slowly closed in on second place, while the top three riders slowly
started to form a group. About midway through the race, Ryan caught and
passed second. At the checkers, Ryan had to settle for second but still
enjoys a commanding points lead.

“I went in to pass Windham,
and my front end tucked a little,” Dungey said. “We made some contact
and I lost a ton of time. I finally passed him a few laps later, but by
then it was a long way up to the lead. I rode hard, but tonight we’ll
just have to settle for second."

Roger DeCoster reflected on
the evening after the race. "Of course, it would have been better to
win. All of the fast guys in front of him, and when he got up to Windham
he tried to make a pass and tangled a little with him a little and
tweaked the front end. Then the bike was twisted in the front and that
made him make more mistakes. Once that happened, I was happy with
second. Austin did a really good job, especially considering that he has
some tweaked thumb ligaments from his crash on the start last week. So
with a sprained thumb, to finish a close second was good."

The
series takes a break next weekend, and then picks up the action in
Houston on April 10th.

450cc Supercross Class
1. Ryan D Villopoto
2.
Ryan Dungey, Rockstar Makita Suzuki
3. Trey G Canard
4.
Kevin Windham
5. Ivan Tedesco
7. Joshua R Hill    
8.
Thomas K Hahn     Rockstar Energy Suzuki
9. Justin D Brayton

10. Michael Byrne
 
450cc Supercross Class Overall Points
1. Ryan M Dungey 261, Rockstar Makita Suzuki
2. Ryan D
Villopoto 240
3. Joshua R Hill 206
4. David D Millsaps 189

5. Kevin W Windham 179

Eastern Regional LItes Class

1. Christophe Pourcel
2. Austin Stroupe, Rockstar Makita Suzuki

3. Brett Metcalfe
4. Justin L Barcia
5. James A Decotis

6. Troy K Adams    
7. Kyle B Cunningham
8. Matthew J Lemoine

9. Steven J Clarke    
10. Justin M Sipes

Eastern
Regional Lites Overall Points
1. Christophe Pourcel 134
2.
Austin L Stroupe 126, Rockstar Makita Suzuki
3. Justin L Barcia
102
4. Brett Metcalfe 95
6. Blake Baggett 66, Rockstar
Energy Suzuki

Ryan Dungey flying high in Jacksonville


 Dungey in the chase


Supercross Podium Finish For Dungey


Austin Stroupe charging for the leader


Stroupe putting the pressure on


Supercross Lites Podium Finish for
Stroupe
 

Team
sponsors: Rockstar, Makita, Yoshimura, Dunlop,
Maxima, Tag Sprockets, Pro Taper, Alpinestars, ONE Industries, Mechanix
Wear, Showa, Road Champs, CP Pistons, Hinson Clutch Components, Snap-On,
Twin Air, D.I.D., Excel, NGK, Works Connection

About
Suzuki: The Motorcycle/ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor
Corporation (ASMC), Brea, Calif., was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor
Corporation. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer
network throughout 49 states. ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor
Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide
manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles and marine
engines. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120
distributors in 191 countries. www.suzukicycles.com

About Rockstar:
ROCKSTAR is the world's most powerful Energy Drink. Enhanced with the
potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle,
ROCKSTAR is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those
who lead active and exhausting lifestyles - from athletes to rock stars.
ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in fourteen amazing flavors:
Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango, Juiced Guava, Juiced
Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Energy Cola, Recovery
Lemonade, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, Roasted Light Vanilla, and
Roasted Espresso. ROCKSTAR ENERGY SHOTS are available in Wild Berry and
Tropical Punch flavors, and coming in 2010 - ROCKSTAR ENERGY GUM.

About Makita: Makita is a worldwide manufacturer of industrial
quality power tools and offers a wide range of industrial accessories.
Makita applies leading-edge technology and innovation to engineer tools
that are more compact with less weight yet deliver industrial strength
power and results. Makita innovation includes Makita LXT, the industry’s
first 18V lithium-ion cordless lineup. For more information, visit makitatools.com. Follow Makita at facebook.com/makitatools and twitter.com/makitatools. Makita is Best in Class
Engineering.