Ryan Dungey could clinch his third 450cc title in Utah but the 250cc championship race is still wide open.
Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey has a very good chance to clinch his third Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship in six seasons when the series visits Miller Motorsports Park, located just outside Salt Lake City in Tooele, Utah, for the Zions Bank Utah National, August 15.
After recording his fourth win of the season at the previous round of the series, the Red Bull Unadilla National, Dungey has a 79-point lead in the 450cc series points standings. If he can finish the Utah round with the at least a 50-point cushion, he will clinch the title one round early. The exceptionally consistent KTM man has finished first or second in 18 of 20 motos this season for an average finish of 2.2, which places the odds heavily in his favor, and he may very well hoist the Edison Dye Cup for the third time in his career.
In a stark contrast to the 450cc class, the 250cc class title race could hardly be any tighter than it already is, with just two points separating defending Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Champion Jeremy Martin from Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin, and the battle for the Gary Jones Cup will likely come down to the last moto of the year. At Unadilla, both Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Martin and Musquin were in contention for the overall win, although they never engaged in a head-to-head battle on the track, and both men suffered with inconsistency in the moto that they didn’t win, which kept them from the overall victory.
That has been been the story of the season in the 250cc class, as every time it seems as if either Martin or Musquin has a chance to break free and take a more solid points lead, they falter. Heading into this weekend’s penultimate round of the championship, Martin holds the narrow edge in the points, but he may also have a mental edge as the defending Utah National champion.
While Martin and Musquin have been at the center of attention in the 250cc class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy stole the spotlight at Unadilla by breaking through for his first career overall win. The third-year rider gave his Mitch Payton-owned team its first taste of victory this season, and its first Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship win since July 2014. As a result, Savatgy also moved into third in the 250cc series points standings, and he is on pace to net his best career championship finish.
As one of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship’s newest venues, Miller Motorsports Park has played an integral role in the season-ending title fights over the past two seasons. In each of its two years on the schedule, serving as the penultimate stop in 2013 and the final round in 2014, MMP has seen both the 450cc class and 250cc class titles decided on its one-of-a-kind layout. While the trend of crowning a champion in Utah appears as though it will continue at least in the 450 Class, the outcome of the action in the 250cc class will define how that championship is decided on the final weekend of the season.
The Zions Bank Utah National gets underway this Saturday, August 15, beginning at 7:30 a.m. PT/8:30 a.m. MT/10:30 a.m. ET with practice and qualifying. Opening ceremonies begin at at 11:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. MT/2:30 p.m. ET, immediately followed by racing at 12 Noon PT/1 p.m. MT/3 p.m. ET.
MAVTV will carry LIVE broadcast coverage of the first motos at 12 Noon PT /1 p.m. MT/3 p.m. ET. Tape-delayed coverage of the second motos will air on NBC Sports Network, beginning at 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. MT/ 1 p.m. ET.
All the action from Miller Motorsports Park can also be seen as it happens via the online LIVE-STREAM on ProMotocross.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app.
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