Who’s going to win the Ryan Dungey sweepstakes? For once, Swizzle and I agreed so we kept it short
Who’s going to win the Ryan Dungey sweepstakes? For once, Swizzle and I agreed so we kept it short
Who’s Going to Win the Ryan Dungey Sweepstakes?
Matthes- The hottest free agent in the sport for the 2012 season is Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey who is on the path to becoming one of the winningest riders in the history of the sport. This year’s narrow loss in the supercross series represented the first title he had lost in four straight attempts (winner of the 2009 250 sx and mx titles, then 2010 450 sx and mx titles) and now he’s in the fight for this season’s outdoor title.
It would seem to be a slam-dunk choice to remain with Suzuki as that is the brand that brought him up from the amateur ranks as well as who have helped him win all his titles so far but it seems that’s not going to happen. Insiders say that Dungey’s not happy with the arrangement that Suzuki has made whereas Yoshimura runs the Suzuki racing effort. As well, through no fault of really anyone, Ryan’s suffered three DNF’s this year and I don’t have to be Kreskin to tell you that cannot make him happy. With the loss of Roger DeCoster and Ian Harrison to KTM this past off-season, Dungey’s feeling a little like his team has let him down. It’s not entirely fair to Mike Webb (the new team manager at Suzuki and is a great guy) but that’s the way this big business team stuff works.
So going on the assumption that he’s not going back to Suzuki (which I stress could indeed happen but looks like it’s slim) and seeing as how three people have come out and admitted they have interest in Dungey for next year and beyond (KTM, JGR Yamaha and Chad Reed’s Two-Two Motorsports), where will he go?
In my mind, KTM has the edge over the other two for a few reasons. One is that there is money there to pay what will be a big paycheck for RD. Two is that as I mentioned, KTM has Roger DeCoster and Ian Harrison over there running things and that’s where Ryan had so much success- with those two. Dungey’s got a new agent (the huge massive IMG Corporation which represents many athletes) and they are probably going to want some space for outside industry sponsors and I have a feeling the orange team would let this go. They are not bound by layers and layers of corporate red tape like the Japanese companies, they can make decisions on the go and they are aggressive and looking to take market share away. A signing of Dungey does just that.
Swizcore- There sure is a lot of uncertainty in your opening point but I’ll let it slide since in this sport we can barely get solid info on whether a racer stubbed his toe let alone the current #1’s most likely destination following the outdoors.
I’ll just say it now, I also see Dungey going to KTM next year. Due more to his faith in DeCoster than anything else. I think Dungey feels he can adapt to any bike, as he will certainly receive the utmost support on any brand he signs with, so the reunion with The Man would seem to reestablish the comfort level he’s known every year until 2011. Be it coincidence or not, as Matthes eluded to, the separation of RD and RD lead to the end of Dungey’s impressive title streak. That’s hard to ignore in a sport where confidence swings on a pendulum and you’re searching for solutions to get back to the winning ways you grew accustomed to.
Now, just because I see Dungey convincing himself that KTM is the right choice doesn’t mean I feel it is. Firstly, I’ve heard the KTM 450 development has been halted. That means no fuel injection, which is a scary proposition in SX. So, that leaves the 350. SX has rules which require bore and stroke to be unmodified but MX does not. The 350 is at much less of a disadvantage in SX but it’s undeniable, 100cc’s less is by definition, a disadvantage. Could Dungey make up the difference? He couldn’t this year on a bike that fit him like a glove but theres that pesky mental side and the missing DeCoster formula. Maybe DeCoster in Dungeys corner as well as his head would equate to a metaphorical 150cc’s? Then there is the MX season on a 100cc less machine where the difference is amplified. Sure, KTM could bore the 350 out but two things are certain, 1) we’d never hear a straight answer from orange if they did and 2) the reliability of the bike, which has already shown to be questionable this season, would be tested even more.
How about JGR then? If they stay on Yamaha’s I say hell no. I know its been beaten to death but why would Dungey leave a bike he knows inside and out to take a chance on the polarizing machine which would undoubtedly, at a minimum, plant little shadows of doubt during testing when progress comes slow? What if JGR switches brands? Then it gets interesting. Could JGR do a Suzuki better than Suzuki? Can you imagine Dungey on a JGR Kawi? How about a JGR CRF? Pretty exciting speculation is coming for sure.
The most intriguing situation in my mind is Dungey on TwoTwo Motorsports. Most intriguing because it brings with it the most hurdles to get done but if it did get done would be a big step forward for the sport. A private team receiving(paying for, if Team Honda doesn’t dissolve) factory support, presenting two of the biggest names in the sport, each free to acquire their own additional personal sponsors/funding. Separate trucks? Split awning? This scenario would require some very open minded creative thinking to get to reality for many reasons, not the least of which being Dungey’s salary, which certainly KTM and JGR would be able to meet more easily than TwoTwo.
Just be forewarned, if Dungey starts tweeting “I wanna ride I wanna ride” after this outdoors season, there are three possible destinations which that could be eluding to.
