Ryan Dungey passes Ricky Carmichael for most wins at Washougal
By Dan Trujillo
Published: July 27, 2015, 5:00pm
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Ryan Dungey made history at Washougal Motocross Park Saturday, and so did the weather.
For the first time that many racing fans could remember, rain turned the twisted and elevated course into a muddy and sloppy mess. Dungey overcame these challenging conditions to earn the seventh victory of his career at Washougal.
“Personally, I like to be great in all conditions. These were probably the toughest I’ve raced yet,” Dungey said. “You have to be able to ride the track to the maximum of what you are capable of without overstepping your boundaries.”
The 24-year-old Red Bull KTM rider from Bell Plain, Minnesota, now has more wins in Washougal than Ricky Carmichael. Racing fans from all over say Carmichael is the greatest motocross rider of all time. But these days, Dungey is king. On July 15, he received a 2015 ESPY Award for Best Male Action Sports Athlete.
“The years are flying by. I can’t believe it’s already been eight years, and we’ve won seven of them in Washougal,” Dungey said. “I work hard every week to be in that position to win every time, but it doesn’t just stop there. I have to keep getting higher and reaching for more goals. As a little kid dreaming about these moments, it feels good to see hard work paying off.”
Justin Barcia cruised to victory in the first moto of the 450 class. He crossed the finish line 29.523 seconds before Dungey did.
“I was able to make some quick passes, but there weren’t a lot of lines to make passes,” Dungey said. “By the time I got into second, Barcia was gone.”
The rain let up by the time the second 450 moto started. Barcia snagged his seventh straight holeshot out of the gate, but said he could hear Dungey’s engine revving up behind him. Dungey slipped by Barcia with four laps to go and held on for the victory by 6.757 seconds.
“The second moto was a barn burner. [Dungey] was on my tail the whole way,” Barcia said. “This was the hardest loss for sure because I felt like I had this one. Then, I pretty much just blew it in one turn and gave it away.”
Dungey and Barcia both gained 47 points, but the overall tiebreaker goes to the winner of the second moto.
“The whole goal was to pressure [Barcia] and run him down,” Dungey said. “He made a mistake, and I was able to capitalize.”
Dungey leads the 450 class by 69 points with three races to go. Barcia and Ken Roczen are tied for second place with 331 points.
A tiebreaker was also needed to determine the overall winner of the 250 class. The first moto turned into a thrilling scramble between Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb. Both had ditched their muddy goggles, veered off the course at times, but got back on and kept going. Musquin edged Webb by a 2.305 second margin.
“It was frustrating to get beat like that,” Webb said. “I couldn’t wait to get back in the mix.”
Webb turned his frustration into fuel during the second moto. He gained a three-second lead after the first lap and kept his foot on the gas. Musquin and the other competitors couldn’t catch him.
“I’ve been a competitor every race, and it shows,” Webb said. “Racing is the best practice, and there’s no substitute for that. You don’t get paid to practice. You get paid to race.”
Jeremy Martin still leads the 250 class with 375 points, but Musquin is only four points behind him. The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross riders head to New York for the Unadilla National Saturday, Aug. 8.
“It’s like a roller coaster. One race, you win. And the next one, you get third or fourth,” Musquin said. “It’s just a cool championship right now. It’s great for the fans and exciting to watch.”
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