The 250’s showed up in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania for round three and the Rockstar Energy High Point National. Thus far, the Lucas Oil 250 AMA Motocross Championship has been all about one team: the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. If you look up domination in the dictionary right now, there’s probably a picture of Mitch Payton smiling right next to the word. Following a Supercross season where they narrowly squeaked out one of two regional titles, the Pro Circuit squad has come into outdoor motocross on a mission to destroy. Could any other team step up and slow down the PC route at High Point?
When the gate fell on Moto 1, it appeared that the privateers wanted to be the ones put the pressure on the PC boys. Kilbarger Racing privateer Nico Izzi and Eleven10 Mods privateer Darryn Durham would be first and second around the first turn with Ryan Sipes close behind in third. The number twenty-five DNA/Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha rider has had a year he would rather forget having not scored a single point in the first four motos, and it wasn’t about to get any better. Ryan, while running second late in the race, went down hard and KO’ed himself for the day.
Up front for the first half of the race, it was all about the local Pennsylvania native Darryn Durham. Darryn grew up in nearby Butler, Penn., and he was feeling that hometown vibe. Darryn would lead the race for twelve laps before the Pro Circuit machines would go by, one by one. First Blake Baggett, then Dean Wilson and, on the very last lap, Tyla Rattray would make their passes, pushing Darryn off the podium and into fourth.
While the crowd was showing Durham some love, Blake Baggett was crossing the line for his second moto win of the year. Baggett, once again, didn’t get the start normally needed to win, but he somehow found his way up from outside of the top ten. The last two passes Blake had to make were on his two teammates, who happen to be first and second in the championship. Rattray and Wilson were no match for Blake’s raw speed and were forced to watch the number fifty-seven ride away. Behind Baggett, it was all about the familiar Pro Circuit green and black. Wilson, riding with the red plate, would finish second, and Tyla Rattray would walk it in third after his last lap pass on Durham, sealing the deal for yet another Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki sweep of the podium.
Between Moto 1 and Moto 2, the track took on a lot of water from mother nature. Fortunately for the 250’s, the rain would stop just before the second 450 moto. By the time the gate dropped for Moto 2, the conditions were much improved, but still slick. Could the rain be the answer to slowing down the Pro Circuit onslaught? When the gate dropped, it appeared not. The first three bikes around turn one were ridden by Wilson, Baggett and Rattray and the words “here we go again” were probably in more than just a few heads.
Hanging with Team PC early was Troy Lee Designs Honda rider Cole Seely. Cole, after some great moves in the first two turns, would settle in for third behind Wilson and Baggett. With Wilson and Baggett in first and second, we were all getting ready for a 30-minute battle between the two speedsters, but it was not to be. Halfway into lap one, Deano would lose traction, slide to the ground and hand the lead to Baggett . He would get going quickly, but with the pack still together on lap one, even a quick remount had put him outside the top ten and out of contention for the overall win.
Out front, it was looking like Baggett would make it a 1-1 route, but the Mount Morris track would momentarily get the best of the second year pro, and he went down hard. With his visor backwards and pointing straight up, Blake would get back on the horse in third and go back to work on Cole Seely who was now second behind Rattray. Crazy looking visor and all, Baggett would amazingly go right back around Seely and set off to chop away at Rattray’s nine-second lead. He would do so lap by lap, and as the race wore down, Baggett would make his move for the lead around his teammate. Rattray did all he could to keep the number fifty-seven at bay, but it was no use; Baggett was just too much for the South African rider. He would ride away for the 1-1 score on the day, and Tyla would finish the day with a 3-2 for second overall.
Behind the leaders, GEICO Powersports/Honda rider Eli Tomac was on the move at High Point. Eli had the workhorse ride of the day after starting way outside the top ten and making his way up to a podium position by the end of the moto. With a 6-3 score, Eli would snag his first podium of the 2011 Outdoor National Championship. If anyone in the class could pull a Trey Canard this year and catch fire late, it is Tomac.
Finishing tied in points for third overall with Tomac was Dean Wilson. After Deano’s early race crash, he was not able to do any better than eighth in Moto 2. With the 8-2 score, Dean would finish fourth overall and surrender the red plate to his teammate Rattray. Deano now sits second in the points, just two in back of Rattray with Baggett third–eleven behind the number twenty-eight. As the series heads to round four, the first non-PC rider is Eli Tomac, twenty-three back on the GEICO Powersports/Honda in fourth. It’s way too early to be handing out Championship trophies, but Mitch Payton has gotta love his chances in 2011.
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