California dreaming
By TMX Archives on 22nd Apr 15
Dungey & Webb keep on charging
With both the 450 and 250 West titles already decided in favour of Ryan Dungey and Cooper Webb the 15th round of the AMA Monster Energy SX series at the Levi Stadium in Santa Clara was always in danger of being an anti-climax.
And it was the new champions who did he business on Saturday night in California.
But while Dungey had a fairly uneventful night – starting second and leading for 17 laps of the 20-lap Main Event – Cooper had to scrap for his win after going down in a first-turn pile-up.
Justin Barcia holeshot the 450cc final but Dungey, who had sewn up his second 450SX crown the previous weekend in Houston, was perfectly poised to take the lead.
And once he was through to lead on the fourth lap the race was effectively over.
The Red Bull KTM rider hit cruise control, pounding out consistently quick laps.
Aussie Chad Reed had held second but crashed back down the the field before recovering for eighth as Eli Tomac – Dungey's only real title challenger in the second half of the season – worked his way through to second after a poor start.
Weston Peick picked up his first podium of the season with third but the night belonged to Dungey who took his seventh win of the season to underline his status as the alpha male of 2015.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE TMX NEWS, APRIL 23 (ISSUE 1968)
