gap on Dungey and just wasn't making any mis-
takes on his RCH/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John's
Suzuki RM-Z450. None!
Dungey, on the other hand, did make a few tiny
bobbles, and those were enough to let Roczen get
away for a bit. Dungey eventually found his groove
and reeled in Roczen; Dungey seemed a little
quicker entering the whoops and through some of
the slick turns, and got stronger as the race pro-
gressed, which is something he always does.
At one point, Dungey tried to make a move on
Roczen, who wouldn't budge. Dungey bobbled
again and with lapped traffic now becoming a
factor he would end up watching Roczen ride
off with a very impressive win.
Roczen took the checkered flag 1.4 seconds
ahead of the Red Bull KTM Team rider. It was a
well-deserved victory and he earned every bit of
it, and with it, whittled three points off Dungey's
26-point lead going into the race. If Roczen
can keep riding like this, things could get very
interesting. It might be a little too early to start
talking about momentum change, but another
Roczen win would certainly confirm that. And
Roczen did serve notice that he's not going to
roll over and let Dungey have his way with this
championship.
Dungey hinted after the race that the track
was difficult to pass on, which was the same
sentiment for some of the other riders.
"The track was really tough today," said
Dungey. "It was a fight until the end. I really tried
to push hard at the end but couldn't make that
pass. It's just part of racing but I'm glad to finish
on the podium."
Dungey didn't seem too disappointed af-
terward and said that if getting second place
is considered a bad day, then he's still feeling
pretty good about himself and where he is in the
series.
Finishing third on the night was a happy Ja-
son Anderson who hasn't been on the podium
since his opening-round win seven weeks ago
at Anaheim 1. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna
Team rider finally got a decent start—but was still
sixth after the first lap—and made good use of
it. He got around fast starters Mike Alessi and
Justin Bogle, and then, what he has done so
many times in his career, made a late-race pass
on HRC Honda's Cole Seely to nab third.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
VOL. 53 ISSUE 7 FEBRUARY 23, 2016 P41
Dungey chased Roczen all race long
but couldn't get past him.
