Lucas Oils AMA Pro 250 National Champion Posted: 09/05/09 Ryan Dungey. This kid was on his game when he needed to be, and as a result he won the title. That's all it took after gaining 30 points on rival Pourcel last weekend. Dungey was more than ready for the challenge of doing 'just good enough', and played cat and mouse with Pourcel in the first moto to prove he had the pace. As those two had already passed and dropped early race leader Justin Barcia, they set out to settle the title like men. It was one heck of a show, as they traded the lead a few times and set each other up to not be passed. Pourcel ended up going 1-1, but it didn't matter because Dungey left with the title. 1328 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	450 Overall Winner: Tommy Hahn Posted: 09/05/09 Hahn once again came through with a very impressive ride in the first moto, eventually running down early race leader Andrew Short to gain the lead. Once he was out there he was not to be stopped, and put a big gap on the field. Hahn's 2nd moto was spent a bit further back in the pack, but he knew if he finished with a 4th that he'd get the overall and that was his goal. Congrats to Tommy for his first moto and overall wins. 1074 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Dungey's Day Posted: 09/05/09 Dungey was clearly feeling it as he and Pourcel immediately made their ways to the front after both getting good starts. For a few laps it looked like Barcia may have something to say about that, but they found their way past and set out front in a dance back and forth for the lead that lasted 10 laps. 1037 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	250 Moto 1 Posted: 09/05/09 The battle between the two championship contenders was really the first time the two had gone at it aggressively for a whole moto this season. Pourcel clearly wanted to check out at first, but when Dungey was able to catch him and match the pace, it became a game of 'go ahead and come by, see what happens' vs. 'you know what, you're doing great up there, I'll just sit back and watch' - then the lead would change briefly and the roles were reversed. Good stuff. 980 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
Hahn's 2nd moto Posted: 09/05/09 When Tommy got a good start in moto two, he looked to be in a good spot for the overall, quickly moving from 5th to 3rd. Tedesco got around him at around the 11th lap mark, his future was less certain. After some quick math though, his team let him know that 4th was 'good enough' for the overall win, so he settle in and took it to the flag. It was an impressive day for Tommy for sure, and he's probably wishing there were a few more rounds to go. 910 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Chad Reed Posted: 09/05/09 Running the big #1 plate was newly crowned 450 champ Chad Reed. In moto 1, he looked to be interested in taking it to the field yet again but couldn't close the gap to Hahn out front after making his way up from 8th. In moto 2, a mediocre start followed by an early tip-over in a turn left Reedy mired in the back of the pack and despite a hard charge, he ultimately hit the ground again and called it a day. After all, he had little to gain and everything to lose at that point, being the new champ and all. 1065 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Jake Moss Posted: 09/05/09 Monster/Kawasaki's Jake Moss once again put in a fine performance, at least in the 2nd moto. Moss was at the front hounding Brayton for many laps in the 2nd moto before backing off a bit and settling into a comfortable 2nd for his second 2nd place moto finish of the last two weekends. His 1st moto wasn't as hot, though, as he uncharacteristically fell back through the pack as the race wore on, eventually landing in 10th. 1116 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Ryan Sipes Posted: 09/05/09 Sipes once again impressed, starting at the head of the field in moto 1 before succumbing to the Barcia/Pourcel/Dungey freight train. Moto 2 was similar, starting up front and matching the torrid pace for a few laps but ultimately falling off just enough to not be able to keep the leaders in sight. Regardless, it was a good ride for Sipes who ended up 4th overall with his 6-5 finishes. 880 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
Barcia Posted: 09/05/09 Fast, as always, Justin Barcia had everything to gain by getting out with the lead and holding it during that first moto. He couldn't do it though, as Pourcel and Dungey both made it by with no problem, then proceeded to put a bunch of time on him. It'd be safe to say, though, that Justin was well aware of the championship battle he was just about in the middle of, so decided to back it off a notch to stay safely out of the mix. Barcia went 3-13 for 6th overall. 939 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	250 moto 1 start Posted: 09/05/09 Ryan Sipes nabbed the 250 moto 1 holeshot, even making it through the first several turns while maintaining the lead. Barcia was the first to get by him, followed shortly by Pourcel and Dungey, then Weimer and Stroupe. Regardless, Sipes appeared to be the best of the rest at Steel City, where "the rest" is any non-Geico Honda or PC Kawi. 840 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Andrew Short Posted: 09/05/09 Clearly not over his ailments just yet, Short is undoubtedly just happy to get this freakin' season over with and collect his 2nd place money for the series. He faded a bit both motos to go 5-5, which isn't terribly bad, but he had a solid lead going at one point in moto 1 before giving in to Hahn and fading to 5th. 708 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Tedesco Posted: 09/05/09 Tedesco, a member of our 2009 Motocross des Nations team, seemed to be on a bit of a mission at Steel City. He rode his ass off, that much was clear, and the result was... pretty darned impressive. He led for a while, crashed, made some passes, did some battling and looked strong to the end going 4-3 for 2nd overall. He should do just fine in Italia. 760 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes
Justin Brayton! Posted: 09/05/09 Brayton's win was about as solid as a moto win can be. Snag the holeshot, get out front and sprint, and see who can latch on - then do battle. Brayton did all of those things, although he and Moss never really battled since he was able to stay just out of reach before opening up the nice gap he held for the finish. It was Brayton's first podium in the outdoors, plus KTM's 1st 450/premier class win in the states...ever? That's a guess, let us know if we're wrong. 819 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Poorcel Posted: 09/06/09 Never much of a gracious winner, Pourcel's not very good at losing either. At Steel City, his emotions were a little bit mixed, since he won both motos but ended up 11 points shy of the 250 title. It's been fun watching his progression both on and off the bike throughout this season and the Supercross series, and he along with Dungey provided one helluva summertime display of racing skill. It'll be interesting now to see whether he decides to stick it out on a 250 for another season, or whether he sticks to his original intent and searches out a 450 ride. It's safe to say he'll go straight to the front of the class in the 450's, right along Dungey. 836 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Team Honda Posted: 09/06/09 If looked at race by race, it's easy to criticize the Honda team of Tedesco, Short and Millsaps, but when the series as a whole is considered, clearly they were a success. Tedesco made up a bunch of points after being out early in the season, and Short held just strong enough through his various health issues to once again nab 2nd in the final standings. Millsaps, well, the same can't be said for him - but he did get a moto win! 802 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes	Austin Stroupe Posted: 09/06/09 It was unfortunate that Stroupe was injured at Hangtown, as everyone was counting on him running up front all season long. Along with Trey Canard, two of the title favorites were left on the wayside and, at least in Stroupe's case, he never quite found his mojo after returning. He went 5-10 at Steel City for 7th overall. 833 Views 0 Comments Rating: 0 Likes