Makita USA

Brett Metcalfe records a top ten finish in his 450 class debut

The gate dropped on the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship season last night in Anaheim, CA and Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki was there and ready to race. In one of the most competitive fields in supercross history, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey and his MNakita tools tuned RM-Z450 were strong all evening long and finished out the night with a second-place podium finish in the first 450 main event of the 17-round season. Teammate Brett Metcalfe rode his way to an eighth-place finish in the first 450 supercross race of his career.

Dungey started the evening’s program with a solid ride in his heat race, which resulted in a third-place finish. In the main event, his Makita backed RM-Z450 powered him to a fourth-place start, putting him in a great position for the 20-lap event. Dungey moved past his teammate, Brett Metcalfe, for third and eventually passed for second place, which is where he finished up the night.

“This is a great start to the season,” said Dungey. “We started out a little slow in practice, but the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team was able to make some good adjustments and by the main we had a great setup for my bike. I got a decent start and was about fourth, and I worked my way up to second. Ryan Villopoto was just a little too far ahead to catch, but I’m real happy with the second-place finish. It’s a good start and we’ll take from what we’ve learned and keep moving forward. I’m looking forward to Phoenix; it’s been good for me the last couple of years and I’m looking for a good race there."

Brett Metcalfe, the newest member of the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team, had a great first-ever 450 heat race aboard his Makita backed Suzuki RM-Z450 with a solid third-place finish. Metcalfe took the momentum of his heat race to the main, where he propelled his bike to a third-place start, just ahead of Dungey. After being passed by Dungey, Metcalfe made a mistake, suffering an off-track excursion, and lost several positions. Metcalfe hung in there and was able to hold onto an eight-place finish in his career’s first AMA 450 supercross race.

“I started out a little tight and uncomfortable in practice,” said Metcalfe. “My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team was able to make some adjustments and by the time we got to the heat race, I was feeling really good and I was happy with my setup on my bike – it was time to go racing. My heat race turned out really good. I got a good start and ran up to about second and ended up finishing third. I had another great start in the main, and was up front, and I felt comfortable and felt like I was in the groove, but then I made a big mistake and went off the track and that really upset my rhythm for a few laps. After that, I lost touch with the lead group and just wanted to finish out those twenty laps and not make any more mistakes. We had a pretty good first day and learned a lot and I’m looking forward to going to Phoenix.”

The 2011 Rockstar Makita Suzuki team’s next event is Saturday, January 15^th, at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. You can meet the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team riders at RideNow Powersports, 8546 West Ludlow Drive, in Peoria, AZ from 6 - 7 PM on Friday, January 14^th.

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ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI’S RYAN DUNGEY SCORES A SECOND-PLACE PODIUM FINISH IN ANAHEIM 1 OPENER

Brett Metcalfe records a top ten finish in his 450 class debut