Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin aim to capitalize on their Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship momentum at the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National.
Coming off its first hiatus of the season, the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads into Southern Maryland’s Budds Creek MX Park, in the shadow of the national’s capital of Washington D.C., for the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National, where Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin will be gunning for back-to-back series wins.
In the 450cc class, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey still holds commanding points lead over the field, but the RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing- backed Roczen appears to be completely rejuvenated following his first overall win of the season at the series’ previous round at High Point Raceway in Pennsylvania, two weeks ago. In the 250cc class the series lead has changed hands four times already, as Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin and Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin continue to battle at the top of the order.
Since starting the season with a stress fracture in his spine that put his hopes of defending his Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross title in jeopardy before it even began, Roczen has fought his way into shape, improving each week to the point that he now sits a solid second in the points standings. He has a nine-moto streak of top 10 finishes, highlighted by podium results over the last seven motos. The GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National marks the halfway point in the 12-round Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, so if Roczen continue to win motos, he may still have a shot at defending his first career AMA National outdoor title.
However, doing so may mean that a little bad luck has to fall Dungey’s way, and so far the former two-time series champion has been stone-consistent each week. He is the only rider in the 450cc class to finish inside the top 10 in every moto, and he has finished on the podium in nine our of the 10 motos run thus far. Only a bike glitch at the FMF Glen Helen National has kept Dungey from a perfect record of podium finishes this season. Even so, he now enjoys a 37-point lead over Roczen.
Together, Dungey and Roczen’s surge has opened a 35-point gap over the rest of the 450cc field, leaving behind an intense three-rider fight for third. Currently, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rookie Jason Anderson has control of the position thanks to back-to-back overall podium efforts. However, both Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha’s Justin Barcia and fellow rookie Blake Baggett of Team Yoshimura Suzuki sit within five points of Anderson. Each of these three riders has at least one overall podium to their credit this season and are sure to continue trading spots up front.
Through the first five rounds of the series, the 250cc class has been defined by the ability of both Musquin and Martin to capitalize on the opportunities presented when the other faces adversity. The pair started the season on equal footing, tying for the win at the 47th annual GoPro Hangtown Motocross Classic with the tiebreaker going to Martin. However, at the following round, the FMF Glen Helen National, Martin struggled with a bike issue that left him in the pits while the field left the starting line for the first moto. Martin was able to get in the race and fight his way through the field to mitigate the points damage, only to suffer a crash in the second moto and do it all over again.
Just a week later, the tables turned back into Martin’s favor and once again the points lead changed hands. Things stayed status quo at the fourth round, but once again changed hands again thanks to a dominant day from Musquin combined with a trying afternoon for Martin. Heading into Budds Creek and the pivotal halfway point of the season, only eight points separate the two.
No one else has besides Musquin and Martin has won a 250cc moto thus far, and Musquin’s six moto wins compared to Martin’s four has been the difference maker so far. While Martin has managed to finish inside the top 10 in every moto this season and is the only rider in the division to do so, he’s had his worse days when Musquin has been at his best. In his two 1-1 moto sweeps this season, Musquin’s dominance was accompanied by 5-6 and 4-4 results from Martin, resulting in significant point swings that allowed the Frenchman to take over the points lead each time.
But neither rider has ever won at Budds Creek, adding a level of intrigue to Saturday’s action, and it’s anyone’s guess as to which rider will step up to the plate, or if another rider in the field can challenge them for the win. No less than seven other riders have scored podium finishes, but Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM’s Jessy Nelson and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo appear to be in the best position to make a move as they battle for third in the championship standings. Just three points separate the two.
Since hosting its first Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship race in 1989, Budds Creek has been the site of some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport, including the 2007 Motocross of Nations, affectionately called the Olympics of Motocross. With its fast, fluid layout and dirt that features a mix of sand and clay, Budds Creek is a track that can challenge riders all day long.
The GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National gets underway this Saturday, June 27, beginning at 5:30 a.m. PT/8:30 a.m. ET with practice and qualifying. Opening ceremonies begin at at 9:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. ET, immediately followed by racing at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. MAVTV will carry live broadcast coverage of the first motos at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Network will continue with tape-delayed broadcast coverage of the second motos at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. All the action from Budds Creek can also be seen via the online LIVE-STREAM on ProMotocross.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app.
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