Ryan Dungey initially got into racing because his dad, Troy, raced as an amateur and instilled his passion for the sport into his sons. His rise to the pro ranks in the summer of 2006 surprised some, but Dungey performance since turning pro has validated the decision to move him up. Dungey begins his fourth year with the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing team in 2010. His outlook has moved from awe at the opportunity to expectations of championships. The 20-year-old racer from Minnesota has become one of the most talked about racers in both Supercross and Motocross competition.
Dungey is considered by many in the motocross industry to be at the top of the next crop of talented riders, so it was no surprise that he was named AMA Rookie of the Year for Supercross/Motocross in 2007. He went straight from the amateur ranks to the factory Suzuki rig. He is only the second rider from his home state of Minnesota to ever win a major AMA National Championship (the late Donny Schmidt is the other).
Dungey was crowned AMA West Coast SX Lites Champion as well as AMA 250 Motocross Champion. Dungey also placed first in the MX1/Open class at the Motocross of Nations in Italy, and helped Team USA place first in the event.
In 2010, Dungey moved up to race the Suzuki RM-Z450 under the guidance of Roger DeCoster and Mike ‘Goose” Gosselar he became the first rookie to win the Supercross Series Championship this spring. Dungey remained in the 450 class for the AMA Outdoor Nationals in 2011 where he finished second. He is truly doing some extraordinary things early on in his career, which can be attributed to his steadfast work ethic and training with 15-time AMA Champion Ricky Carmichael.
