Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/674407
SUPERCROSS MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES, AN FIM WORLD ROUND 16 / APRIL 30, 2016 EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY / METLIFE STADIUM P48 450SX After a conservative ride—remi- niscent of the Ryan Dungey of years past who earned the nickname "Diesel" for his consis- tency—Red Bull KTM's defend- ing AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey clinched the 2016 AMA Supercross Championship in New Jersey. It was the first time he has ever successfully defended a championship in his long and storied career. This constitutes the most champion- ships ever won by a single racer (seven national championships and one regional supercross title) before successful defense of a championship. It's obvious the title was wear- ing on Dungey in New Jersey, though. After fighting off the advances of former teammate Ken Roczen at rounds 12, 13 and 14 to win the main events, Dungey struggled at round 15 in Foxborough to grab third, while Roczen ran away with the race. And in East Rutherford, he strug- gled even more, as it took him nearly half of the race to pass BTOSports.com KTM's Justin Brayton for third place, then hecouldn't get around Honda's Cole Seely for second, and was eventually passed by Monster Energy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac for third. Tomac ended up second in the race (20 seconds behind Roczen), ahead of Seely and Dungey. "The goal coming into this year was to defend the title; I wanted to repeat, back it up and do it again," said Dungey of his third SX title. "That was going to be a challenge and some- thing that I haven't done before. Tonight, there was pressure and I definitely wanted to give it my best but I didn't want to do anything stupid either. It's nice to have the cushion and wrap it up one round early." Meanwhile, Roczen was once again trying to do every- thing in his power to not be overshadowed by Dungey. The RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John's rider had a flawless night at MetLife Stadium, win- ning his heat race, then taking the holeshot in the main and leading every lap en route to his second consecutive win, and fifth of the season. It was a nearly perfect night for Roczen, all except for the part where he conceded the 2016 Supercross Championship to Dungey. Still, Roczen chose to focus on the positives of his New Jersey efforts. "We grabbed the holeshot and never looked back," said Roczen. "I felt great out there. We were as consistent as you could possibly be out there, in my eyes. It's exactly what we were shooting for. Now we have to keep the ball rolling. I think that's the first time I've gone back-to-back so hopefully [we'll win] another one next week and make it three in a row." While Roczen led the way, Seely held second place for much of the race, and had his hands full fending off Dungey for the point. The two were side by side on several occasions but Dungey was never able to make the pass. Their sparring al- lowed Tomac to close in and slip past both of them to ultimately capture second place. Seely rounded out the podium in New Jersey, which marked the first podium of the season without Ken Roczen had a stellar ride in New Jersey but his victory was all but eclipsed by Dungey's championship.