Two rounds into the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, it’s become apparent that Red Bull KTM is at the head of the 450 Class, and everyone else has some work to do to catch up.
Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen have traded overall wins in each of the first two weeks. Statistically, Roczen has been more dominant – leading 44 of 65 laps, while Dungey has only led one lap, albeit a very important one. We know from past history that even if he doesn’t win, Dungey is going to end up on the podium nearly every single time he takes the track though.
The gap between the field is starting to become evident in the point standings. Roczen holds a 5-point edge on Dungey, then it’s 17 more points between them and the rest of the pack.
Roczen and Dungey have swept the top-two overall spots at both rounds. (Photo: Matt Rice)
So far, only one rider has been able to finish a moto ahead of either of the Red Bull KTM guys – Josh Grant. So, who stands the best chance of ending their win streak this weekend at Thunder Valley?
One rider we know it won’t be is Justin Barcia. He’s out for Saturday’s race with foot and ankle injuries, his team announced on Friday.
Trey Canard (3rd in 450MX points) is the “best of the rest” so far. (Photo: Matt Rice)
Barcia’s Muscle Milk Honda teammate, Trey Canard, could be the guy to end the orange crush though. He’s consistently been one of the fastest riders in both offseason testing and timed qualifying sessions, and has quietly compiled back-to-back third-place finishes – only finishing one moto outside the top-four, and that was due in part to a crash with James Stewart.
Speaking of Stewart, he was expected to be one of the riders at the forefront of the title race entering the season, but so far it hasn’t materialized. His results have gotten better and better with each moto though, so even if he hasn’t been fully satisfied with his bike thus far in the season, the Yoshimura Suzuki rider could be on the cusp of a win soon.
James Stewart (4th in 450MX points) had one moto win in 2013. (Photo: Matt Rice)
The other consistent top-five threat in the field has been Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe. Oddly enough, his worst moto finish of the season came during his best race. Last weekend at Hangtown, Metty got a great start in Moto 2 and, after passing Jake Weimer, led three of the first four laps before giving way to Roczen. For as he great as he looked during the first ten minutes of the moto, he faded back to ninth late in the race. Aside from that, he hasn’t finished worse than sixth in any other moto.
Last week at Hangtown, Canard, Stewart and Metcalfe were relatively close to one another with their best lap times in each moto. None of them could match the pace of Dungey and Roczen though.
| Hangtown Moto 1 (Best Lap) |
Hangtown Moto 2 (Best Lap) |
|
| Ken Roczen | 2:01.950 | 2:03.838 |
| Ryan Dungey | 2:02.435 | 2:04.880 |
| Trey Canard | 2:03.139 | 2:05.359 |
| James Stewart | 2:03.601 | 2:05.192 |
| Brett Metcalfe | 2:03.780 | 2:05.572 |
Thunder Valley is one of the most unique tracks on the schedule, as the high altitude robs the bikes of some of their power. Being able to make the right adjustments is key for all the teams, potentially opening the door for some parity. Could one of the aforementioned trio (Canard, Stewart, Metcalfe) take advantage and give us a first-time winner in 2014? Or perhaps someone else in the field will step up and surprise everyone?
While we wait to see if anyone can challenge Roczen and Dungey, here’s a few other storylines to keep an eye on when the gate drops on Saturday.
Can Weston Peick improve his starts this week? (Photo: Matt Rice)
Weston Peick (8-6 at Hangtown): It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Peick records a top-five overall finish. In his first season riding on a factory team, Peick has done well but needs better starts in order to elevate himself into that next tier. His best position after Lap 1 of any moto this year is tenth.
Josh Grant (9-39 at Hangtown): After winning the first moto of the season, Hangtown wasn’t the encore Grant was looking for. He was hampered by a bad start in Moto 1 last weekend, then had bike issues and twisted his ankle in Moto 2. Thunder Valley may help provide a better idea of what to expect going forward.
Will Jessy Nelson build on last week’s breakout ride? (Photo: Matt Rice)
Jessy Nelson (7-5 at Hangtown): Jeremy Martin and Cooper Webb are the biggest surprises in the 250 Class, but Nelson has been quite a revelation too, quietly working his way up to fourth in 250MX points after a career-best fifth-overall finish at Hangtown. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that he’s done it without getting good starts – something that he’s proven capable of in the past. If he puts it all together, he could go down as one of the most improved riders not on a blue bike.
Blake Baggett (6-34 at Hangtown): After two rounds, Baggett sits 52 points back of Martin in the championship race. There’s still a long season ahead, but the 2012 champion already has a lot of ground to make up. To put it in perspective, Martin could DNF both motos at Thunder Valley, Baggett could sweep both motos, and the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider would still find himself two points back of Martin.
Blake Baggett knows the title is starting to slip away. (Photo: George Crosland)
Jackson Richardson (21-9 at Hangtown): Richardson is a full-fledged privateer from Australia who always seems to turn in solid results when he races in the U.S, and his most recent success was a ninth-place finish in Moto 2 last weekend. Thunder Valley could mark his last Lucas Oil Pro Motocross race of the season before he goes back to Australia though. Can he get one more impressive result under his belt before heading home?
Don’t miss live coverage of Saturday’s Toyota Thunder Valley National. It all begins with practice streaming live on ProMotocross.com and NBC Sports Live Extra at 12:30pm E.T. Coverage resumes with the online-only pre-show at 2:15pm E.T., followed by four hours of live racing from 3-7pm E.T. All four motos will also air live on television, with MAVTV bringing you coverage of first motos at 3pm E.T. and NBCSN airing second motos at 5pm E.T. Click here for more detailed info on how to watch.