Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Champion Ryan Dungey will miss 6-8 weeks with a broken C6 vertebrae; it could’ve been much worse.
The injury happened when Dungey crashed on the opening lap of Moto 2 at the Thunder Valley, Colorado, round of the 2016 Lucas Series last weekend. Dungey not only got up and complete the moto, he raced from 19th place to fourth place, netting second overall behind rival Ken Roczen. After evaluation by doctors this week, the cracked C6 vertebrae was discovered. Dungey has been ordered to take 6-8 weeks to heal.
“It’s very difficult to share such disappointing news,” Dungey said. “It’s heart breaking mainly because of all the hard work the team and I have put in preparing to defend the motocross title this year. But I’m very thankful that the injury wasn’t worse. I will use this time away from racing to recover fully, knowing this will only make me stronger and more motivated. Thank you everyone for your support and understanding.”
Red Bull KTM Team Manager Roger DeCoster said that the news of Dungey’s injury has been tough on the whole team.
“At the time we didn’t know about his injury, and we were so proud of the way he raced that second moto in Colorado coming from 19th place all the way to almost finish on the podium,” DeCoster said. “But to now know that he accomplished that battling through the pain of a cracked vertebrae shows what an unbelievably tough champion rider he really is. The plan right now is to reassess his return to racing in 6 weeks’ time once he is reevaluated by his doctor.”
Your Privacy Choices