Dungey takes fourth Washougal triumph to narrow title battle

Ryan Dungey (Rockstar/Makita Suzuki) scored his fourth successive win at Washougal Motocross Park on Saturday, his third triumph of the 2011 campaign and one that moves him to within a single point of the AMA Motocross championship lead.

The opening moto saw a heated battle between Dungey and Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto, the points leader fending off Dungey until the Suzuki man fell attempting a pass for the lead. Villopoto was thus able to cruise to the win whilst Dungey recovered to take second.

In moto 2 Villopoto took an immediate lead but this was eliminated when a red flag was thrown early on. At the restart Dungey seized the initiative, snatching the lead out of the gates and building an advantage he would not surrender.

Behind him Villopoto gave chase, but the gap steadily built. The Suzuki rider took a comfortable win and netted the overall event - his fourth in a row at Washougal - thanks to the second moto tiebreak. Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Brett Metcalfe completed the overall podium, his best finish of the season, after taking fourth in the first moto and P3 in the second.

"The first moto was good," said Dungey afterwards. "I was slow in the first few laps, but I was able to inch up on Villopoto and find some lines. I tried to make the pass, but he pinched me off. I tried again, and hit something, which spun me right around.

"I got a good restart in Moto 2, and Villopoto was on me, but I found some good lines and started to pull away.

Dungey was also pleased to have narrowed the championship gap between himself and Villopoto to just one point.

"To be back in position to win the title brings a sense of joy,” said the Suzuki rider. “We just have to take it one moto at a time for the rest of the year. Everyone's speed is really good right now."

In the 250 class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Blake Baggett took his fifth overall win of the season, taking victory in the first moto and a solid third in the second. Tyla Rattray was second and Scotsman Dean Wilson third.

The next event takes place on August 13th, with AMA Motocross travelling to New York State’s Unadilla circuit for round nine of the 2011 campaign.

Watch live AMA Motocross on Motors TV


James Weeks