Home state rider Andrew Short led the early laps of Moto One in the 450cc class at the Thunder Valley National in round five of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship before he high-sided his factory Honda in the deep Lakewood, Colorado, ruts. Series points-leader, Ryan Dungey, inherited the lead and set the cruise control on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki. But, Dungey’s pace couldn’t hold off a late race charge by Josh Grant aboard his Toyota Yamaha.
New Zealand motocross racer Ben Townley finished second overall at Lakewood's Thunder Valley National. Townley has shown tons of speed this season aboard his Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda. Photo courtesy of www.troyleedesigns.com.
Grant would take the win with Dungey crossing the finish line second followed by Suzuki’s Tommy Hahn who had disposed of a hard charging Brett Metcalfe to claim third. Defending outdoor AMA Lucas Oil Pro MX national champion Chad Reed could only muster a 10th place in Moto One. The KTM 350cc rocket ship of Mike Alessi didn’t appear to like the air at the mile-high Thunder Valley track as Alessi struggled to a 12th overall in Moto One.
The second moto looked to be a carbon copy of the first with Andrew Short controlling the early laps of the race. Unfortunately, Yamaha’s Josh Grant would crash in turn one after the start spoiling his chance for an overall MX victory. This moto, Suzuki’s Dungey would have to pick up his pace with a very fast Ben Townley aboard the TLD/Lucas Oil Honda breathing down his neck. Both riders passed Short to finish “one, two, three” respectively. Brett Metcalfe brought his Geico Powersports Honda home in fourth ahead of Jagermeister KTM rider Mike Alessi.
This was Dungey’s fourth win in a row and propelled the Rockstar rider to a 51 point lead in the championship. Australia’s Brett Metcalfe moved ahead of fellow compatriot Chad Reed for second place in the series standings after finishing third on the day at Lakewood. Alessi, Short, Grant and Townley are now separated by a single point each as they fight for fourth thru seventh. Next weekend, teams travel to Buchanan, Michigan, for the annual AMA outdoor motocross event at Red Bud MX.
Be sure to check E3 Spark Plugs’ blog for a wrap-up of all the racing action.
