Ryan Dungey is the new AMA Supercross Champion.

Rookie standout Ryan Dungey officially clinched the 2010 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, after racing to fourth place at Saturday night’s 15th round in Seattle, becoming only the second rookie in the history of the sport to clinch the premier crown.

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki Rookie rider gave the 2010 RM-Z450 its first major championship success of the year in front of a packed-out audience at the Qwest Field Stadium, now untouchable in the points standings with two rounds remaining – leading on 320 points compared to nearest rival Ryan Villopoto on 266 with only 50 points available.

“It’s been an amazing season to sit here after 15 rounds and be the champion,” Dungey said after the race. “It was a lot of hard work and effort put in by everybody on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team.

“As a little kid, I would dream as I watched races and say ‘one day, I want to be that guy’. This really is a dream come true, and all the hard work has paid off. The whole team gives 110 percent every week, and when we’re all on the same page, this is what can happen. I have to thank the Man Above for making all this happen.”

Team manager Roger DeCoster is proud of winning the title with his rookie wonder.

“It was a great season and we’re thankful and happy and we proved that the equipment is good and Suzuki has a good base bike to work with,” DeCoster said. “The Rockstar Makita Suzuki team did a good job setting it up.”

Despite the rough track and intense racing, Dungey pulled through and earned enough points to secure the Supercross championship, joining ‘King of Supercross’ Jeremy McGrath as the only other rookie champion.

“Ryan is now a rookie champion, which is pretty amazing,” DeCoster commented. “Only Jeremy McGrath has done that before, but Dungey is a world champion because this is an AMA and FIM Championship. I don’t believe that was the case with McGrath’s first championship, so this is an amazing feat.

“It’s nice to win it with someone like Ryan because we picked him up from the Suzuki amateur support program and we started off with somebody who a lot of people weren’t paying attention to. He came and talked to us a few times and he gave off a good impression and we had a feeling he would be good. We tried it out and he got better and better, and after this season now he’s a rookie champion.”