Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard and Andrew Short claimed a come-from-behind victory at the 64th edition of the Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations at Thunder Valley Raceway in Denver, Colorado, giving Team USA the coveted Chamberlain Cup trophy for the 21st time and sixth time in a row.
As with last year’s race, this year’s win wasn’t easy to come by. The US squad suffered a crash by Canard in the first turn of the MX1-MX2 moto, and another by Short while he was leading the MX2-Open moto, leaving Team USA trailing the Belgian team of Steve Ramon, Jeremy Van Horebeek, and Clement Desalle, by five points heading into the final moto. However, Dungey and Short dominated the final race, finishing first and second to give Americans the title by 10 points over the Belgians, 20 to 30. Germany (Max Nagl, Ken Roczen, and Marcus Schiffer) finished third with 44 points with Great Britain finishing fourth with 45.
“This weekend was quite amazing,” said Dungey. “The track was rougher and better than yesterday. I felt the pressure from Cairoli in the beginning but the line choice increased as the race went on. This is right at the top considering what I have won this year. Everything must go right to win at this event. It is hard to put into words but it’s like the experience of a lifetime. I felt like we really stuck together as a team and that helped a lot. We never quit and always kept pushing. I want to thank the team and everyone behind us.”
Dungey was perfect for the Yanks, winning both of his motos and thrilling the partisan crowd by beating newly crowned MX1 world champ Antonio Cairoli in a race-one head-to-head grudge match. Short added a second place finish in the MX1-Open combined moto to the American tally, while Canard contributed a seventh and a 12th in his two motos. Short led the MX2-Open race but tangled with Ben Townley and went down, finishing an eventual 13th, which was not needed in the final count since a teams best five of six scores are figured.
Over 32,000 spectators witnessed Team USA’s triumph at Thunder Valley, making this year’s event a successful one. In a press conference before the race, Youthstream officials announced that the 2011 MXoN will be held in Saint Jean D’Angely, France.
2010 Motocross of Nations Results:
Moto1 (MX1 and MX2): 1. Ryan Dungey (USA, Suzuki), 35:56.436; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:05.598; 3. Brett Metcalfe (AUS, Honda), +0:22.000; 4. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:25.704; 5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:32.917; 6. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:39.361; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:43.201; 8. Dean Wilson (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:47.329; 9. Rui Goncalves (POR, KTM), +1:15.068; 10. Tanel Leok (EST, Honda), +1:22.218.
Moto2 (MX2 and MX Open): 1. Ben Townley (NZL, Honda), 36:11.627; 2. Kyle Regal (PUR, Honda), +0:06.246; 3. Ken Roczen (GER, Suzuki), +0:07.235; 4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:30.171; 5. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:37.809; 6. Dean Wilson (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:41.751; 7. Trey Canard (USA, Honda), +0:56.298; 8. Brad Anderson (GBR, Honda), +0:58.070; 9. Manuel Monni (ITA, Yamaha), +1:20.316; 10. Jeremy van Horebeek (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:25.010.
Moto3 (MX Open and MX1): 1. Ryan Dungey (USA, Suzuki), 36:41.709; 2. Andrew Short (USA, Honda), +0:10.230; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Suzuki), +0:17.577; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:22.593; 5. Brett Metcalfe (AUS, Honda), +0:27.187; 6. Steve Ramon (BEL, Suzuki), +0:29.778; 7. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:31.946; 8. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Suzuki), +0:33.135; 9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:58.530; 10. Jay Marmont (AUS, Yamaha), +1:05.494.
MX of Nations Overall: 1. USA, 20 points; 2. Belgium, 30; 3. Germany, 44; 4. Great Britain, 45; 5. Italy, 50.
