Photo: Carl Stone
Ryan Dungey - a great one in the making.Motocross racer Ryan Dungey won his eighth consecutive AMA Outdoor 450 class race of the season last weekend at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, N.Y.

Even with the momentum of an indoor Supercross title earlier in the year, Dungey's success in the outdoor circuit is notable for several reasons.

He is a 450-class rookie. Adapting fast to the larger, more powerful bikes, Dungey's talent and work ethic is clarion. "Moving up from the 250 to the 450 takes a lot more fitness," he says. "We had to up that as far as off-the-bike physical training, but it was always a challenge I was looking forward to."

Dungey holds a 111-point advantage over the field and is just one win away from tying 10-time AMA Motocross champion Ricky Carmichael for the most wins ever by a rookie.

Dungey comfortably warded off the return of James Stewart in at Unadilla who last raced AMA outdoor in 2008.

Throughout it all Dungey's focus has remained narrow. "Going into the season, the championship was the goal," he says. "You put all this work in, and don't do it to get second or third. To win is what we're after, and I'm just trying to fulfill that."

In the 250-class, a tight battle between France's Christophe Poucel and Oklahoma's Trey Canard is shaping up for AMA's final three races. Only 16 points separate the two.

The next Lucas Oil AMA Outdoor moto race is Aug. 28 at Southwick, Mass.

As see in USA Today