Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen and Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin carry points leads into the celebrated Budds Creek Raceway for round seven of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
As if its close proximity to our nation’s capital doesn’t make it historic enough, the legendary Budds Creek MX Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, is preparing to celebrate a historic 25-year anniversary as a round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship (AMA National Motocross Championship) Saturday, July 12.
Budds Creek has been an integral part of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship since 1989, and it has become one of the most renowned tracks in the world, earning global recognition by hosting additional events such as the 2007 Motocross of Nations. With its mix of sand and clay, multiple elevation changes, and wide range of obstacles, it is a track that can push any rider to the limit. The hot, humid weather of the East Coast in the summertime only adds to its challenge.
Red Bull KTM rookie Ken Roczen comes into the Budds Creek round as the most consistent rider in the premier 450cc class through the first half of the season. Despite stiff competition in a star-studded class loaded with veterans and former champions such as Ryan Dungey, James Stewart, Chad Reed, Roczen has put together four overall wins highlighted by six moto wins, five moto runner-ups, and one third-place moto score for an average finish of 1.58. Most recently, Roczen has enjoyed back-to-back overall wins at the Muddy Creek Raceway (Tennessee) and RedBud (Michigan) rounds, and now enjoys a points cushion that extends beyond one full moto (26 points).
Thus far, Dungey has been the only other rider to approach Roczen’s consistency. The second winningest rider in series history, Dungey scored his only win thus far in the season at the series-opening Red Bull Glen Helen National in Southern California. Since then his average moto finish has been 2.5, which would usually be good enough to place him at the top of the series standings, but instead it only underscores the amazing season that Roczen is enjoying. Dungey has only outscored Roczen in two motos this season, and he will need to step up in the second half of the season in order to have a shot at regaining the Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross crown. It will have to start at Budds Creek.
After suffering a few misfortunes that drew his 250cc class rivals closer to his points lead, it was Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha rider Jeremy Martin’s turn to respond at RedBud, and he did just that by capturing third overall win of the year on a day when his rivals experienced misfortune. That confluence of events allowed him to regain valuable points and move back to nearly a full-moto advantage (23 points) in the 250cc standings.
Through the first 12 250cc motos, three have distanced themselves from the rest of the class in the points standings. Martin has six moto wins to his credit this season, while his Yamalube/Star Racing teammate Cooper Webb has two, and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett has four. Collectively, this trio carries a 31-point lead over the rest of the field and appears to be the ones that will battle it out for the title.
It promises to be a close battle among them, as Martin’s blazing 5-0 start to the season has been the biggest reason for his position atop the standings, while Webb has won two of the last three motos after five runner-up finishes, and he outdueled his teammate for the first time this season in the second moto at RedBud. Webb has shown no intimidation to the task at hand and as a result the Star Yamaha tandem continues to flourish off one another. Despite having a DNF to his record this season, Baggett is in the thick of the championship and is potentially still the favorite thanks to his past experience.
With six rounds and 24 motos remaining, the title battles in both classes are far from over.
Last year at Budds Creek, Dungey earned his second straight 450 Class victory at the track after a thrilling battle with Ryan Villopoto. In the past four years, Dungey boasts three wins in Mechanicsville, which bodes well in his hopes of slowing the momentum Roczen currently has. In the 250 Class, Baggett also emerged victorious for the second straight season for his lone overall win of the 2013 season. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team has won eight straight years as Budds Creek, something the rest of the 250 Class field will surely be aware of on Saturday afternoon.
Action for the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National this Saturday, July 12, begins at 8:30 a.m. ET with timed practice. Opening ceremonies get underway at 12:25 p.m. ET, with the first gate drop scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET. Live broadcast coverage from Budds Creek at 1 p.m. ET with the first motos of the 450cc and 250cc classes on MAVTV, followed by final moto coverage of both classes on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) at 3 p.m. ET. Additionally, all the action can be seen via live stream online at ProMotocross.com (first motos) and NBC Sports Live Extra (second motos).
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