Last year, American Ryan Hughes had his maiden season in the FIM World 250 Motocross Championship aboard a Honda CR250 that was clearly a cut below the full-factory machine of Stefan Everts. Hughes had mixed results, but showed plenty of speed on an otherwise uncompetitive bike. He finished the championship season in fourth place.
This year, Hughes will be riding the best that Honda can offer in the 250 class, and, with a year of experience, has to be one of the favorites for the championship. Hughes main competition will come from his teammate Fred Bolley (last year’s champion), Suzuki’s Mickael Pichon, Kawasaki’s Pit Beirer, as well the Yamaha-mounted pair of Claudio Federici and Yves Demaria.
Hughes (nicknamed Ryno here in the U.S.) has a well-deserved reputation for giving his best at every race. He is usually in good physical condition, and able to ride hard the entire moto. He has become popular with the European fans in just one season, because of his humble and dedicated approach to his job.
Hughes had a long string of bad luck racing here in the U.S., including many, many injuries that interrupted his championship hopes during many seasons. He has the heart of a lion, however, and we think he has a very good chance of capturing the 250 World Championship this year.
