VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P69
went away and it was just more
of avoiding things; no sudden
movements, avoiding impacts
of any kind. If I turned my head
to the left too much it was pretty
sore. But the muscles deeper
within the neck loosened up
more over time, and now there's
more range of motion week-to-
week, so that's good. More than
anything, it's just about more
rest and recovery and relaxing.
The season ended a little early,
but we'll regroup and go from
here. That's all we can do to take
things as a positive."
Even though he may be
healed up in time to return to ac-
tion for Team USA at this year's
Motocross des Nations, when
asked about it, Dungey was
emphatic.
"No," Dungey said. "At this
point, I may come back for the
Red Bull Straight Rhythm, and
after the last race of the season
here, and your body needs a
break at some point."
FEELING THE BURN
Because Dungey has been
healthy enough for so long that
he hasn't missed any races in
years, this means he's had very
little time off. As anyone who
works a full-time job knows,
without time off to recharge the
batteries, burnout can set in. It
messes with your outlook, your
motivation, and often your mar-
maybe the Monster Cup, but
other than that, it's just all about
Anaheim 1 right now. I might do
those other races to get some
racing under my belt before Ana-
heim 1, and that could be good,
but mainly Anaheim 1 is the goal.
The main factor on that race is
how late it comes in the off-sea-
son. It's like four or five weeks
riage or other personal relation-
ships, not to mention your job
itself. Dungey has been burnt-
out before, and it's possible this
injury is helping him avoid it for
2017.
"My whole career that [burn-
out] has affected me at points,"
Dungey said. "It's tough because
a lot of it can be brought on your-
In a sport that is
physically tough on its
participants, Dungey has
succeeded in avoiding
big injuries, until now. A
broken vertebra in his
neck put a sudden halt
to his 2016 season.
