MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (July 19,
2010) - The second half of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
season kicked-off this past weekend with more of the racing action that has
made the series the most prestigious in the world. This weekend, 450 Class
points leader Ryan Dungey and the world's fastest riders head to the Pacific
Northwest and scenic Washougal Motocross Park, where the series will celebrate
30 years of American motocross in the state of Washington with the
Motosport.com Washougal Retro National.
At last
Saturday's Rockstar Energy Spring Creek National from
Millville, Minn., Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider Dungey
continued to dominate the 450 Class field in front of his hometown crowd and
took the overall victory for the third straight season at his home state
facility, adding a premier class win to his pair of previous 250 Class
victories. The 450 Class rookie's homecoming always creates considerable buzz
throughout the state of Minnesota and it brought thousands of fans to the small
town of just about 200 people to witness their local hero and the world's best
lay it all on the line.
In the end,
Dungey posted his fourth 1-1 moto sweep of the
season, but was also forced to deal with veteran rider Kevin Windham, who made
his return to the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship with a pair of
strong outings for Honda Red Bull Racing. While the duo experienced success at
the front of the field, reigning 450 Class champion Chad Reed was at the
opposite end of the spectrum, failing to finish the first moto
and scratching from the second moto due to an
apparent neck injury. While his status remains uncertain, Reed will have a
tough road ahead to rebound from his fall from second to sixth in the
championship standings.
With seven rounds
completed, Dungey's advantage over Honda Red Bull
Racing's Andrew Short, who moved into the runner-up spot in the standings after
Spring Creek, sits at 89 points and since taking over the top spot at High
Point, Dungey has extended his lead every round. He enters this weekend with a
two-year winning streak at Washougal thanks to a pair of overall victories in
the 250 Class and is in no way looking to ease his grasp of the premier class
as he aims to make it three-in-a-row.
As each round
passes in the 250 Class, the unpredictability of the competition within the
talented division of young riders remains intact. However, current points leader and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider
Christophe Pourcel has suffered from some tough motos and the rest of the field is taking advantage of the
opportunity. At Millville, GEICO Powersports Honda's
Trey Canard became the only rider in the 250 Class other than Pourcel to achieve more than one moto
win and overall victory with his second consecutive trip to the top step of the
podium. Now the surging rider sits third in the championship standings and has
all the momentum as the series heads back west.
Additionally, Pourcel's Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Dean
Wilson is also stepping up and after his fourth straight podium result, the
rookie has closed to within 32 points of Pourcel. As
his rivals appear more than ready to assume control of the class should the
Frenchman continue to experience trouble, all eyes will be on Pourcel to see how he responds to the biggest threat he's
experienced all season.
Washougal became
a fixture of American motocross beginning in 1980. Since then, the facility has
served as arguably the most picturesque track in the series and is known for
being one of the most technically challenging layouts in the championship. On
Saturday, Washougal will celebrate 30 years of national events with a special
retro-themed affair. 100's of vintage bikes will be on display and several
legends from year's past will be on hand to honor the
legacy of the premier motocross track in the Pacific Northwest. The current
bikes and stars of the sport will also join in on the fun, showcasing the
familiar colors and logos of yesteryear.
Saturday's
Motosport.com Washougal Retro National will be a showcase event for the 2010
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship as final motos
of both the 450 Class and 250 Class can be seen LIVE on SPEED with back-to-back
coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. As always, a live stream of the first motos of each class can be seen at www.allisports.com/motocross.
450 Class
Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine,
Minn., Suzuki, 318
2. Andrew Short, Smithville,
Texas, Honda, 229
3. Ben Townley, New Zealand,
Honda, 223
4. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 221
5. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 215
6. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 204
7. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 196
8. Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda, 157
9. Ryan Sipes, Flaherty,
Texas, Yamaha, 140
10. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 134
250 Class
Championship Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel,
France, Kawasaki, 296
2. Dean Wilson, Scotland,
Kawasaki, 264
3. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 252
4. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 248
5. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 209
6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 201
7. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 175
8. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo.,
Honda, 174
9. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 165
10. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Yamaha, 147
For tickets and
fan and racing information on the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross
Championship, log on to www.allisports.com/motocross.
For more
information about the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, please contact
media coordinator Brandon Short via email at brandon@mxsports.com or by telephone at (949) 365-5750.