CHAPTER 397 Ft. Jade Dungey

Gypsy Tales

Jase Macalpine

Society & Culture

4.6 • 564 Ratings

🗓️ 13 April 2026

⏱️ 218 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jade Dungey is one of the most elite supercross mechanics in the paddock — and the man Red Bull KTM trusted with Eli Tomac's factory bike. In this chapter, he breaks down the inside story of Eli's shock move to KTM, how picky Eli really is on bike setup, how expensive a factory 450 actually is, why Chase Sexton walked away from the team, and the moment his brother Ryan Dungey made the decision that changed the brand forever.

Jade Dungey is Ryan Dungey's older brother, a championship-winning supercross mechanic, and now Eli Tomac's wrench at Red Bull KTM. He's been inside the factory for the biggest shifts in the sport — from Ryan's KTM era to Eli's arrival — and has a rare view of what really happens behind the pit wall.

In Chapter 397, Jade Dungey reveals:

- Finding out Eli Tomac was joining KTM

- What it actually takes to prep a factory bike for Eli vs. Aaron Plessinger

- How expensive a factory dirt bike really is

- Eli Tomac going through clutches and why KTM gave him a cable clutch

- Why Chase Sexton walked away from KTM

- Did Eli Tomac save KTM — and the moment the brand almost closed its doors

- Ryan Dungey's crazy decision to join KTM and why Roger DeCoster gave him the chance

- Whether supercross is turning into Formula 1

- How Jett Lawrence is breaking the mold and how Haiden Deegan will transition to the 450 class

- Jade's first mechanic gig, brotherly fights with Ryan, and winning Detroit with Aaron Plessinger

Enjoy Chapter 397 Ft. Jade Dungey — like, subscribe, and comment below.

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:26 Welcome Jade Dungey to Gypsy Tales

00:03:51 Elite Supercross Mechanic

00:04:31 Finding Out Eli Tomac is Joining KTM

00:11:09 Eli Tomac is Human

00:12:34 SOTA Fuel

00:13:12 Becoming Eli Tomac's Mechanic

00:16:02 Preparing KTM for Eli Tomac

00:18:41 How Picky is Eli on Bike Setup

00:26:34 Setting up a Bike for Eli vs Aaron Plessinger

00:31:41 How Expensive is a Factory Dirt Bike

00:39:07 Brunt Boots

00:40:37 Eli Tomac Going Through Clutches

00:53:13 Ryan Dungey's Crazy Decision to Join KTM

00:59:55 Is Supercross Turning into Formula 1

01:11:30 New Supercross Qualifying Format

01:16:59 Eli Tomac Races World Supercross

01:19:02 Eli Tomac's First Day on KTM

01:21:28 2015 Eli Tomac

01:25:56 Why Chase Sexton Walked Away from KTM

01:29:45 Supercross Riders vs Social Media

01:33:04 Did Eli Tomac Save KTM

01:36:31 KTM Gave Eli the Cable Clutch

01:42:46 We Spent 100 Hours with Jo Shimoda

01:43:29 Jade Dungey's First Mechanic Gig

01:51:53 Brotherly Fights with Ryan Dungey

01:53:34 KTM Will Do Anything for Eli Tomac

02:02:58 Why Roger DeCoster Gave Ryan Dungey a Chance

02:11:17 Jett Lawrence is Breaking the Mold

02:14:50 Ryan Dungey's Impact on Motocross

02:16:04 Jason Lawrence Messing with Ryan Dungey

02:18:11 How Will Haiden Transition to the 450 Class

02:21:42 Will Haiden Talk Crap in the 450 Class?

02:24:51 Jorge Prado Will Be Hard to Beat

02:28:20 Ryan Dungey's Impact on KTM

02:32:28 Motosport

02:34:15 The AMA Needs to Stop This

02:48:43 Radio Comms Would Fix This

02:52:29 Supercross Tracks are Wider

02:54:55 MotoGP Racers Respect Supercross Athletes

02:56:20 Ian Harrison's Role in the Sport

02:59:04 KTM Almost Closed its Doors

03:02:37 Jade Dungey's Career Highlights

03:06:03 The Day Jeffrey Herlings Dominated Pro Motocross

03:08:10 Winning Detroit with Aaron Plessinger

03:10:26 Will Jade Dungey Ever Retire from Supercross

03:13:04 Is the Supermotocross Season Too Long?

03:16:11 New Supermotocross Season Format

03:20:00 Future Crew Chief?

03:22:34 Ryan Dungey's Return to Racing

03:24:03 Gypsy Tales Exists Because of Ryan Dungey

03:26:23 The Stress Riders Go Through

03:37:25 Outro

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Jay Dungee has built a career working alongside some of the best riders in Supercross, helping put championship-winning bikes on track. Yeah, sometimes it's like, you sit back and like, I don't really want to work for this many guys because you kind of want to stick with one, but like I've been fortunate to work with, you know, with Kinnard and some of them might have not have panned out, but I'm still very fortunate to work with. Like, even tickle, like, it was a good ride.
0:21.7	From being a practice bike mechanic for his brother, Ryan Dungey, to now wrenching for his brother's former championship rival, Eli Tomak. Jade is no stranger to the effort it takes to compete at the highest level. There's days, like, you put in the hours, you're like, dude, why the hell am I doing this? but on build days, like that's when I'm like, this is why I do this.
0:38.5	I love working on the dirt, like having it laid out.
0:40.9	It's like a big puzzle. There's days like you put in the hours, you're like, dude, why the hell am I doing this? But like on build days, like that's when I'm like, this is why I do this.
0:38.5	I love working on the dirt like having it laid out.
0:40.9	It's like a big puzzle piece and build days when you win, you're like, oh, this is sick. And then build days when you're like, you get your ass handed and you're like, oh, this freaking son, what the hell am I doing? and it's just a roller coaster.
0:51.1	Like, it's addicting.
0:52.1	And after finding out,
0:53.2	Eli was making the switch to KTM,
0:55.4	Jade found himself thrown into a 450 Supercross championship effort alongside one of the greatest to ever do it. It's just a dream. Working for the dude because you're just like, what the heck, like pinch me, wake me up. You gave me Eli maybe six, seven years ago, I'd be like, oh, like, this is a lot,
1:11.1	but I think all my routers kind of led me to that point to be ready. It's a role that lives
1:14.9	behind the scenes, but plays out on the biggest stage, where trust, precision, and consistency
1:20.6	can make or break a season. The pressure having Eli Tomak ride your motorcycle. I always make
1:27.1	sure I do my job, but there's an an added, like, I gotta be on top
1:29.8	my shit.
1:30.2	Because when this guy goes first lap, it's freaking, it's not just roll around and get used to
1:34.5	it's fucking rat.
1:35.3	He goes for it.
1:36.0	This is a look into one of the sports most important roles.
1:40.1	Gypsy gang, welcome Jay Dungey to the podcast.
1:46.2	I'm going to interrupt this podcast to bring you a pretty crazy statistic.
1:50.6	70% of people that watch this channel are not subscribed.
	...

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