10 Questions With Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey

---

Brea, Calif. – May 7, 2010 –
Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, the 20-year-old rookie phenom
from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, is officially the 2010 AMA/FIM World
Supercross Champion. Only the second rookie ever to take the title, and
the youngest ever, Dungey has put together an amazing racing resume in
his short career. Going into the final round of the Supercross series
tomorrow at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dungey answered 10
questions about his championship year aboard the Rockstar Makita Suzuki
RM-Z450.


Q: When did it sink in that you had won the title?

Ryan Dungey: It really didn’t hit me until I was back home in Florida
after the St. Louis round, but even then it didn’t really sink in I
guess until after the championship celebration on the podium in
Seattle. Having that No. 1 plate handed to me was something I will
remember for the rest of my life.

Your family has been important to your success. How have they reacted to your Supercross Championship?

They have been there with me at every single race in my career. They’ve
obviously been huge in getting me to where I am today, but seeing the
looks of enjoyment on their faces while I was up there getting my No. 1
plate was something pretty cool.

How important is the bike in Supercross? Was the RM-Z450 a big part of the equation?

I’ve only ridden a Suzuki since I turned pro, and I came up through the
Suzuki Amateur program, and I truly believe Suzukis are the best bikes
out there today. I was able to ride Ricky’s RM-Z450 before making the
jump up to the 450 class, so when the time came to ride the big bike it
felt really, really comfortable. It is an easy bike to ride, both
indoors and out.

How about the Rockstar Makita Suzuki
team: Roger, Ian, Goose, all the guys. How important is it to have a
team like that behind you?
What more needs to be said
about the Rockstar Makita Suzuki guys? The championships tell the
story. I mean Roger is “The Man” for a reason. He brings so much
experience to the team; he has done it all in our sport. And Mike
Gosselaar is such a good mechanic, and a good man to have on the line,
too. Ian on the motors, Adam on the suspension, Ray and Shane…all of
them…what a great team!

You’ve been riding with Suzuki
for a long time now, and the relationship you have there seems very
strong. As the season wore on, you had a lot of responsibility on your
shoulders. At some point does it get to you? How do you deal with the
pressure so well?
Like I said earlier, I feel really
comfortable on a Suzuki. It’s my bike. And the responsibility really
ramps up once you move to the big bikes. I mean people told me that it
would be different but I couldn’t imagine how much different it was.
And the fact that I was in the championship hunt from the start
probably added to the pressure build-up. It was OK though, it’s what
I’ve wanted since I was a little guy. I mean it’s what all of us want,
right? The shot at winning the 450 Supercross title? Absolutely.

Rockstar
and Makita are great sponsors, and you seem to have a really good
relationship with them (as well as all the team sponsors). Obviously
the results are there, but you are thought of as being one of the most
“marketable” guys in the sport. What’s your secret?
It
takes a great team to support one rider in our sport. Rockstar has been
with me since the early days and so has Makita. It takes consistency to
make things work in our sport, and I don’t just mean on the track. I’ve
got to do my job at home during the week and the team has to do theirs
in the shop. It takes both to get results on the track. The sponsors
make it all happen.

The race in St. Louis was described
by Ian Harrison as being “high intensity.” When you are in a race like
that, where you and Villopoto were turning laps one second faster than
the heat races, do you focus more on your lines, the other rider, or a
combination of things?
I try to stick to my game plan in
those situations. We prepare for races like that. They’re definitely
high intensity and you have to try to remain calm and remember to ride
your lines and stay focused on your race, and not what’s happening
around you. And when you crash mid-race, you have to really rely on
your fitness at that point because your heart goes through the roof.

You
have won quite a few titles now in your young career. How do you keep
focused on winning these titles...or do you just concentrate on race to
race?
I definitely try to be prepared for long seasons.
It takes consistency to win championships and to be consistent you have
to be prepared. And yes, race to race is very key. This is a long
season in the 450 class and you have to be prepared for the ups and the
downs so that you can handle it all and keep moving forward.

Will you approach the last Supercross race with a different mindset?

I can’t afford to let my guard down at all. I mean it is nice to have a
title wrapped up early but I want to continue to move forward and try
and win heading into the Outdoors. We can’t get complacent.

What is your focus going to be heading into the Nationals?

We will take the necessary time to get the bike ready for the Outdoors.
We’ll be out in California before Hangtown working hard on getting
ready for 12 big races this summer.


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.