MORGANTOWN, W.V. (June 28, 2010) – With five rounds of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship completed, it appears as though the path to the 2010 450 Class championship will go through Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey. For the fourth consecutive weekend, the red-hot rider from Minnesota grabbed the overall victory, extending his points lead over the field. Now Dungey looks to continue the run as the series heads to Buchanan, Mich., for the legendary Rockstar Energy RedBud National on Saturday, July 3^rd, signifying the halfway point of the season.

En route to his overall victory at the Toyota Trucks Thunder Valley National last weekend in Colorado, Dungey grabbed his sixth win over the last eight motos. His advantage over GEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe, the Australian who sits second in the standings, is at 51 points. Various riders have shown the potential to challenge Dungey, including defending champion Chad Reed, Jagermeister KTM’s Mike Alessi, Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short and Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR’s Josh Grant, each of whom have grabbed moto wins in 2010. This weekend, those riders and the rest of the premier class field will look to end Dungey’s dominance heading into the year’s second off week.

 

Since round two, Ryan Dungey has had a stranglehold on the 450 Class and now sits with a two-moto points lead over the field.
Courtesy Simon Cudby

Through four rounds of competition in the 250 Class, four different winners grabbed the overall victory, but last weekend at Thunder Valley, that streak came to an end when current points leader Christophe Pourcel captured his second overall of the season for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki. The Frenchman has sat atop the points since the second round of the season and has extended his advantage at every stop since. Last weekend, he secured the first 1-1 performance of the year, but his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammates and fellow overall winners Dean Wilson and Tyla Rattray are keeping Pourcel in their sights. With Rattray hailing from South Africa and Wilson from Scotland (by way of Canada), Independence Day weekend is the perfect time for a top American rider like Trey Canard, Broc Tickle, Blake Wharton, Eli Tomac, or last year’s RedBud winner Jake Weimer to step up and stop the foreign advance in the 250 Class.

 

Frenchman Christophe Pourcel is the only rider in the 250 Class to capture more than one moto victory and became the first to grab a second overall win in 2010.
Courtesy Simon Cudby

One of the biggest storylines heading into RedBud this weekend is the debut of the MotorcycleUSA.com Women’s Motocross Championship. For the first time in the illustrious history of the popular facility, the nation’s fastest females will attack the track and put on a show for the enthusiastic Michigan fans. DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jessica Patterson remains perfect through three rounds of the eight-race championship while defending two-time champion Ashley Fiolek continues to dial in her Honda Red Bull Racing machine. At Thunder Valley, a rough track presented a unique challenge to the women, but Patterson prevailed and is well on her way to a possible sixth championship.

To help commemorate the women’s inaugural Rockwell Watches National from RedBud, track promoters Amy and Tim Ritchie along with MX Sports Pro Racing are inviting the trio of local Michigan natives Fiolek, of Dearborn Heights, Jagermeister KTM’s Sarah Whitmore, of Cheboygan, and Byron Center’s Lindsey Scheltema, the current Miss Arenacross, to participate in Media Day on Thursday, July 1. Patterson, Rock River Yamaha rookie Alexah Pearson and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Sara Price will also join their peers for the local media and fans in attendance.

RedBud is well known as one of the most popular tracks in the motocross world for riders and fans alike. The vast layout full of spectacular jumps and extremely technical obstacles, in combination with the excitement and tradition of the 4^th of July, results in one of the most special motorsports events in the U.S. Adding to the fun is the always impressive LaRocco’s Leap, a 120-foot uphill “triple” jump that serves as the biggest jump in motocross. The immense obstacle is named for local hero and South Bend, Indiana native Mike LaRocco who not only became the first rider to successfully accomplish the feat, but was also an integral part in the construction of the jump.

The Rockstar Energy RedBud National serves as the second of three live races to air on NBC Sports. Coverage of the second 450 Class moto will air at 3:30 p.m. EST. Gates drop at RedBud beginning at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 3. Next-day coverage of the 250 Class can be seen on Sunday at 4 p.m. EST on SPEED. As always, live internet stream of the first motos of each class can be seen at www.allisports.com.

2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Results
Round 5 of 12 – Toyota Trucks Thunder Valley National

450 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-1)
2. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda (6-2)
3. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (4-4)
4. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (1-10)
5. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (8-3)
6. Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda (9-6)
7. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha (7-8)
8. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (12-5)
9. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki (10-7)
10. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha (13-9)

450 Class Championship Standings

1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 218
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 167
3. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 160
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 154
5. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 153
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 152
7. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 151
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 108
9. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki, 101
10. Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda, 94

250 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda (3-2)
3. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki (2-3)
4. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (4-4)
5. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda (6-5)
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (5-6)
7. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Yamaha (8-8)
8. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (7-9)
9. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (9-12)
10. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (16-7)

250 Class Championship Standings

1. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 219
2. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki, 185
3. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 180
4. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 162
5. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 151
6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 140
7. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 135
8. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 112
9. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Yamaha, 108
10. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 106

WMX Class (Moto Finish)

1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha (1-1)
2. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (5-2)
3. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki (2-6)
4. Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., Yamaha, (3-5)
5. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (6-4)
6. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha (9-3)
7. Tarah Gieger, Winter Gardens, Fla., Honda (4-7)
8. Alexah Pearson, Rocklin, Calif., Yamaha (8-8)
9. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Yamaha (7-13)
10. Erica Cook, Natalia, Texas, Yamaha (12-9)

WMX Class Championship Standings (After 3 of 8 Rounds)

1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha, 150
2. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 124
3. Tarah Gieger, Winter Gardens, Fla., Honda, 109
4. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha, 97
5. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki, 88
6. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Yamaha, 78
7. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM 72
8. Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., Yamaha, 71
9. Alexah Pearson, Rocklin, Calif., Yamaha, 70
10. Tatum Sik, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha, 68

For tickets and fan and racing information on the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, log on to www.allisports.com.

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