ROCKSTAR MAKITA SUZUKI’S RYAN DUNGEY WINS THE 2010 AMA MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

AUGUST 30, 2010 La Mirada, CA – Makita, a worldwide manufacturer of technologically advanced power tools that are more compact with less weight yet deliver industrial strength power and results, is proud to announce that history has been made: Ryan Dungey is the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross Champion, and is the first to win the Supercross and Motocross titles as a rookie.

Dungey secured his second title of the year this weekend at Southwick MX-338 in Massachusetts. The 20-year-old rookie has gained enough points in the series with his complete domination of the 450 motocross class to take home the trophy with two races still left on the schedule. Dungey claimed the 2010 AMA Supercross title in May, making him the youngest rookie racer ever to do so, and on Saturday added the Pro Motocross championship to his list of accomplishments, making him the only rookie ever to clinch both titles. Dungey has been unstoppable on his Makita Tools-tuned Suzuki RM-Z450 and has taken home the win in the past nine races in a row and won 16 out of 20 motos.

“What Ryan has done, no one has ever done before including McGrath, Stewart, Carmichael,” Team Manager Roger DeCoster said. “No one has ever won both the Supercross and a National Championship back to back as a rookie. It's pretty impressive. Sometimes, because Ryan is such a subdued nice guy, you don’t really realize what a big thing that he has done. I expect more and more perfection, but you look back and see that he is doing things that no one has ever done before – it's pretty impressive.”

“Ryan Dungey is the real deal,” said Brent Withey, director of marketing, Makita. “He’s a talented athlete who prepares both physically and mentally, and then expects nothing less than a win. For Makita to be associated with Ryan Dungey and his awesome accomplishment in his rookie year is just unbelievable.”

Dungey Clinches Championship with Ninth Win in a Row

Dungey went into Southwick focused on racing his best race, like always. He lined up at the gate determined to give his best performance on the sandy, technical track in Massachusetts, and at the start of moto 1, Dungey started near the front of the pack. He moved into second place and stayed there most of the race. During the last lap, Dungey was battling for the lead when the opportunity to move up presented itself. Dungey took the lead with less than a lap to go and took the win.

With the championship in view, Dungey lined up for moto 2 focused on finishing strong again. Dungey moved into the lead early in the race and by the time the checkered flag flew, he was more than 24 seconds ahead of second place. Dungey clinched the title by ending the day 151 points ahead of second place with only two races left on the schedule.

“This feels great,” Dungey said after the race. “It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of long weeks in the off season to prepare for this, but its all the better when you pull it off and win the championship. It's not all me, everyone on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team put in 110 percent into everything they do and that’s all I could ever ask. We work well together and enjoy working together at the same time. It makes it fun.”

“It's been a perfect season; probably a season we will remember for the rest of our lives,” DeCoster said. “It's never happened before – a rookie has never won back to back championships. Ryan has done it.”

Dungey has made history winning a total of four national titles in the past two years. Ryan won two titles in 2009, the AMA Supercross Western Regional Lites and the 250 Motocross championships, as well as being the hero of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in Italy. Now with the 2010 Supercross and the Motocross title in his possession, Dungey was named the captain of Team USA and hopes to keep the Motocross of Nations championship in the U.S.

The next AMA Pro Motocross race takes place at Steel City in Delmont, PA, on September 4. Dungey, despite having clinched the title, will be focused on battling for the lead there.

Makita’s Presence in Racing and Action Sports

During the six year partnership between Makita and Suzuki, their sponsored riders have collected over 20 championships in Supercross, Motocross, Superbike, ATV, and Amateur. Makita is also a sponsor of Rockstar Makita LeDuc Racing in closed-course off-road racing, and Scheuring Speed Sports in snocross racing. In every case, Makita power tools – including 18V LXT Lithium-Ion cordless drills, impacts, and grinders – can be found in the hands of race mechanics in the garage and in the pits.

About Makita U.S.A.

Makita is a worldwide manufacturer of industrial quality power tools and offers a wide range of industrial accessories. Makita utilizes leading-edge technology and innovation to engineer tools that are more compact with less weight yet deliver industrial strength power and results. Makita’s extensive line of cordless lithium-ion tools includes 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion, 18V Compact Lithium-Ion®, and 10.8V Ultra-Compact Lithium-Ion®. Other best-in-class products include rotary and demolition hammers and saws equipped with Anti-Vibration Technology™ (AVT™), 4-Cycle outdoor power equipment, Super Joint System (SJS) grinders, miter saws engineered with Deep and Exact Cutting Technology (DXT), and more. Makita U.S.A., Inc. is located in La Mirada, California, and operates an extensive distribution network located throughout the U.S. For more information, please call 800/4-MAKITA (800/462-5482) or visit the website at makitatools.com. You can follow Makita at facebook.com/makitatoolspage, twitter.com/makitatools, and youtube.com/makitapowertools. The Makita Teal color is the trade dress of Makita Corporation and is protected under common law and registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Makita is Best in Class Engineering.