After watching the heroic efforts of Ryan Dungey, Jake Weimer and Ivan Tedesco, I can’t help but want to wave the old Red, White and Blue. This underdog team of working-class motocross racers stunned the MX world by capturing the Chamberlain Trophy for a record 20th time and extended the current winning streak to five years. Our riders put together a masterful performance that emphasized teamwork and gritty determination.

I have respect for the conventional naming of this event, but this kind of story harkens back to the old days of Motocross and Trophy des Nations. For some reason, the lack of a superstar on our squad has brought out the patriotism in me and my enthusiasm for the MXdN is at an all-time high. Even though we claimed victory with a trio of “average” riders, that fact alone has changed the 2009 teammates.

Dungey has officially emerged on the world stage as a motocross superstar. The quite, hard-working kid from Minnesota has been rising through the ranks in AMA competition and is currently at the top of the national food chain. Obviously he learned the fine art of international ass-kickin’ from his mentor, former teammate and American MXdN great, Ricky Carmichael. This gutsy performance for a 3-1 moto score and the overall individual win in his first 450 motocross race has put him into the category of elite racers, and he’ll never again be considered anything less.