The summer of 2011 was a good one for Mitch Payton’s team.
It seemed that every single week that year, it was a sea of green fenders running up front in each 250 Class moto with Dean Wilson, Tyla Rattray and Blake Baggett swapping spots on the podium throughout the season. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki power trio accounted for wins in all but one moto that year.
Wilson, who was in the 450 Class last year, dealt with injuries the past two seasons. (Photo: Matt Rice)
Could that dominance be in the cards once more? Pro Circuit Kawasaki will have both Wilson and Baggett running the 250 Class together for the first time since that summer, and with Justin Hill – who is shaping up as one of class’s most improved riders this year – also onboard, there could be a few more podium sweeps in store.
Wilson, the 2011 champion, and Baggett, the 2012 champion, are the current favorites for a 250MX title this year. The class is loaded with wild cards though, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see any of them in the title mix throughout the summer.
A wrist injury held Baggett back during last year’s Nationals. (Photo: Matt Rice)
The biggest wild card of all has to be Christophe Pourcel, returning to the U.S. for the first time in three years and riding for Valli Yamaha. The word is that he’s come back with a great attitude and is putting in the work. Pourcel came close to winning the 250MX title in 2009 and 2010, but years later, can he step back in and contend right away?
If he were full healthy, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin would certainly be in the thick of the title chase. He’s coming off a torn ACL suffered back in December and likely is not going to be at 100% early in the season. Glen Helen will mark his first race since the injury.
Plenty of questions surround Pourcel, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him on the podium. (Photo: Matt Rice)
GEICO Honda has two challengers ready to take a leap forward this year, Zach Osborne and Justin Bogle. Osborne finished fifth in 250MX points last year but is still in search of his first win. Bogle has been steadily improving over the last few years and just earned his first-ever Supercross title this season.
Another rider fresh off his first Supercross championship is Rockstar KTM’s Jason Anderson. He’s finished eight overall in 250MX points each of the last two years and, following his team’s offseason change from Suzuki to KTM, looks like he could be a top-five rider outdoors this summer at the very least.
Martin currently holds a career-best finish of second-place overall. (Photo: Matt Rice)
Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s young duo of Cooper Webb and Jeremy Martin will be looking to continue their progression and bring some hardware back to their rig. Both riders finished in the top-ten in 250MX points last year in their first full seasons racing the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, and Martin took home Rookie of the Year honors after closing out the year strong.
As for the future of the class, there are some promising rookies in the field. Matt Bisceglia (GEICO Honda) and Shane McElrath (Troy Lee/MAVTV/Honda) ran a few races last year after Loretta’s, but 2014 will be the first full pro season for both racers. Riders making their Lucas Oil Pro Motocross debut at Glen Helen will include Anthony Rodriguez (Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha) and Dakota Alix (FMF/Orange Brigade/KTM).
Bisceglia was last year’s champion in the 250 A Class at Loretta Lynn’s. (Photo: Matt Rice)
The 2014 season is just hours away now. Make sure to tune in to the live stream on ProMotocross.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app to catch practice (1:30pm ET) and the online pre-show (3:30pm ET) before the race. Race coverage begins at 4pm ET on ProMotocross.com. MAVTV and NBCSN will have TV coverage as well. Click here for a breakdown of how to watch all the action.