Ryan Dungey seals KTM’s first-ever 450 Supercross Title

2015-04-12 06:17
Red Bull KTM Factory Team rider Ryan Dungey on Saturday sealed the first ever 450-class Supercross title for the Austrian brand when he put himself in an unbeatable points position with a second place in Round 14 at Houston.

Winning the title marks a milestone for KTM and Dungey succeeded with three rounds still in hand. He has been on the podium for 13 of the 14 rounds so far this season, including six wins. A fourth place in the opening round was his worst result in this hotly contested championship.

All eyes were on Dungey throughout the day as he has consistently proven to be the man to beat in the championship series. He was placed in heat one where he earned a second place start, made an easy pass into the lead on lap two and stayed out in front throughout the race to pick up a top gate pick for the main event.

Then when the gate dropped for the main event, Dungey, a Red Bull athlete got pinched out on the start and came around the first corner outside the top ten. He quickly began making passes to move his Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F through the pack and was up to sixth place at the halfway mark. He then went on the charge and rode aggressively through the pack to move into the podium position and up to second place. Once in second he maintained his pace and cruised across the finish line to be acclaimed the 450 Supercross Championship, the first-ever for the KTM brand.

“The team and I worked so hard to get to this point,” remarked Dungey on the podium. "There are hardly words to explain how good this feels. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way, but my team stood behind me through it all and provided me the best bike. I am so excited for this championship but am looking forward to the next goal. We aren’t done yet.”

KTM CEO, Stefan Pierer, commented, “To win any World Championship is an outstanding success and is of immense importance for KTM. But the US Supercross title is very special and highlights our huge commitment in the worldwide motocross sport. With tenacity we made it to the top in this sport, which releases a vast amount of emotions. I would like to thank all those that have been involved and helped to push forward this extremely important project, and of course, I’d like to thank Ryan who has had a great season in 2015.”

Head of KTM Motorsports, Pit Beirer, stated, “One of my personal dreams came true today. We started our Supercross race department completely from scratch in 2011, and what has been achieved in this very short time is outstanding. The key to everything, and I call it the best trip of my life, was my first meeting with Roger De Coster in the summer of 2010. Together with Roger we have formed the best and strongest team you can imagine. >From there our worldwide race network has become stronger and it has been a 24-hour effort each day. With the full commitment of our R&D and Motorsports departments in Austria and the USA, we managed to create the best bike in a short time. However, we cannot perform without the best riders on our bike, which is why we are thankful to Ryan. He trusted us at a very early stage of the project. Ryan has set some major milestones for our company; first 450 SX win, first professional Motocross Championship title and now he has brought our final goal of the 450 Supercross title. I would like to say thank you “team” and thank you Ryan.”

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Hill Finishes Sixth in 250-class West at Houston

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Justin Hill finished sixth overall at the Houston Supercross, which represented the seventh round of the West 250 series.

The KTM rider picked up a top three start when the gate dropped for the first 250 SX heat then quickly closed in on the second placed rider. But then Hill and the other rider went down while he was attempting an inside pass around a corner. He scrambled back into the action and moved back into second position for an easy transfer to the main event.

Hill was sixth at the start of the main but went off the track on the opening lap and rejoined the race at the back of the pack. On the third lap of the race he checked in at fourteenth position. He then raced hard, moved into the top ten and wrapped up a solid sixth place by the end of the moto.

“I was really hoping to get on the podium tonight,” commented Hill after the race. “Unfortunately, I made a mistake early on that cost me. Hopefully, I can ride mistake-free at the next round and get back up where I belong.”

Hill, like Marvin Musquin, his Red Bull KTM Factory Teammate and points leader in the East Series 250 class, rides the KTM 250 SX-F.

Pics: Simon Cudby

US Supercross Round 14 at Houston, Texas

Overall Results – 450- class Round 14
1, Cole Seely
2, Ryan Dungey KTM (2015 450-class Champion)
3, Eli Tomac
4, Joshua Grant
5, Chad Reed
6, Andrew Short KTM
7, Davy Millsaps
8, Broc Tickle
9, Justin Barcia
10, Justin Brayton KTM

450-class Points after Round 14
1, Dungey 318 (2015 450-class Champion)
2, Tomac, 236
3, Seely, 223
4, Canard, 204
5, Reed 199
6, Baggett, 175
7, Anderson 170
8, Tickle 159

West Coast Overall Results – 250-class
1, Cooper Webb
2, Shane McElrath – KTM
3, Malcolm Stewart
4, Aaron Plessinger
5, Alex Martin
6, Justin Hill – KTM
7, Zach Osborne
8, Matt Bisceglia
9, Chris Alldredge
10, Tommy Hahn

Overall Point Standings – 250-class West Coast after Round 7
1, Webb – 161
2, Osborne – 116
3, McElrath – 108
4, Nelson – 106
5, Bowers – 105
6, Plessinger – 99
7, Hill – 94

Source: KTM

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