Dungey Earns First Win of the 2012 Motocross Season at Thunder Valley Hot

James Stewart’s total domination of the 2012 Lucas Oil Motocross Championship came to a sudden end during Round 3 at the Thunder Valley MX Park in Lakewood, Colorado. After crashing early in the first moto, Stewart was forced to sit out both races due to an injured hand.

Meanwhile, Ryan Dungey took full advantage of Stewart’s absence and scored his first wins of the season.

450 Class

Stewart (Yoshimura Suzuki) started out strong in the first moto of the day, quickly working his way up from third to first by the second lap. However, in Lap 4, Stewart went down in a rutted section and was unable to restart.

With Stewart off the track, Dungey (Redbull KTM) had no problem taking over the lead and finishing first in the moto. Following Dungey in second was Jake Weimer (Kawasaki), who has really stepped up his game this season. Although Weimer would drop back a couple of places in the second moto, he took second overall with a 2-4 record for the event.

Dungey's First-Place Finish

In the second moto, Dungey took control of the race from the get-go. He picked up the holeshot and then went on to establish a lead over the pack that he would maintain for the remainder of the moto. Wrapping up things at Thunder Valley with a 1-1 record, Dungey put KTM in the number one podium slot for the first time this season.

Dungey couldn’t help but acknowledge the role Stewart’s fall had in his double win on Saturday.

“I hate to win like that," Dungey said. "James and I have pushed each other to new levels and although he won the first four motos (this season), it’s been good. Hopefully he heals up and comes back (next week). My game plan is always the same, to take it one race at a time. You can’t focus on the end result and we saw that today. I just do my own thing, put my best foot forward, and never underestimate anyone.”

Colorado native Andrew Short (Honda) performed well in front of his home crowd, placing seventh in the first moto and runner-up in the second. He would take third overall at Thunder Valley and couldn’t be happier to be standing on the podium in his home state.

After two scoreless motos, Stewart dropped down to third in the standings, while Dungey heads up to first and Weimer into second.

A Closer Look at Stewart’s Crash

Footage from Stewart’s GoPro camera reveal that a track worker walked across the track just as Stewart was landing off the finish line jump. Although it appears Stewart was clear of the worker, his presence could’ve been enough of a distraction to cause Stewart to stumble in the ruts.

Naturally everyone on the Yoshimura Suzuki team was quite upset when they saw the GoPro footage. Stewart’s hand was hurt badly enough that he had to sit out the second moto, but he hopes to be back on his bike for the next round at High Point.

250 Class

In the 250 class, Justin Barcia (Honda) put an end to a 27-race winless streak by winning the first moto and placing runner-up in the second. He finished first overall, followed by Blake Bagget (Kawasaki) in second (3-1) and Ken Roczen (KTM) in third (2-4).

Barcia may’ve beat Bagget out for the overall win, but Bagget still maintains a solid 16-point lead over Barcia in the Championship standings.

Women’s MX

Jessica Patterson (Suzuki) picked up the win in both motos for her second overall win of the season. This only helps extended her points lead over runner-up Ashley Fiolek (Honda) who finished third overall (2-6) despite a fall in the second moto. Tarah Gieger (Honda) picked up a solid 3-2 record for the day, earning her secone overall at Thunder Valley.

The High Point National

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend at High Point in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania.

450 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
2. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (2-4)
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (7-2)
4. Nico Izzi, Rochester, Mich., Yamaha (5-5)
5. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki (3-10)
6. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (4-9)
7. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Honda (9-6)
8. Michael Byrne, Rockhampton, Australia, Suzuki (12-7)
9. Billy Laninovich, Temecula, Calif., Honda (11-8)
10. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki (10-11)

250 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (1-2)
2. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (3-1)
3. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (2-4)
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (4-3)
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (5-5)
6. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., KTM (8-6)
7. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki (6-9)
8. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (10-7)
9. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha (9-10)
10. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda (7-14)

WMX Class (Moto Finish)

1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki (1-1)
2. Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda (3-2)
3. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (2-6)
4. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Honda (7-3)
5. Jacqueline Strong, Cottonwood, Ariz., KTM (4-5)
6. Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda (6-4)
7. Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM (5-7)
8. Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM (8-11)
9. Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda (12-9)
10. 1Amanda Brown, Baltimore, Md., Honda (11-10)