The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki championship battle resumes at the Washougal National this Saturday. The AMA 250 Motocross Championship heads to Washington state for round number eight, and still, nobody has been able to put an end to the domination of Mitch Payton’s green machine. The series is now three-way battle between Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammates Dean Wilson, Tyla Rattray and Blake Baggett. The Pro Circuit trio have absolutely dominated the class and, in doing so, removed all doubt as to what team will celebrate the 2011 title. All that’s left to decide is which rider.
With the domination of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team being the story of the series, it’s odd that the man on the team with the most points is also a man that has yet to score an overall victory in 2011. Dean Wilson, with six second place finishes and one fourth overall, carries a sixteen-point advantage going into round eight. The Scotish-born second year pro has had his share of moto victories with four, but has yet to turn one of them into an overall win. Dean has been Mr. Consistent in 2011 and, with that consistency, has built a nice lead over his two teammates that have all the wins. Each week, we think Deano may get frustrated by not winning and possibly make a mistake by attempting to do too much to get one, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case. The number fifteen seems to have the maturity to know when he has it and settle in for second when he doesn’t. It has been impressive to watch, and we’re sure that overall win will come soon enough if he keeps plugging away.
The man sitting second in the points heading into the final ten motos of the year is South African Tyla Rattray. The former FIM MX2 World Champion has used his bulldog style and iron man fitness to keep himself alive versus his two speedy teammates. Tyla is a long time veteran of the sport and, unlike his two teammates, knows what it takes to win a professional title. As of a few weeks ago, it looked like the number fifteen and fifty-seven had Tyla covered, but just when you think the twenty-eight is on the ropes, he comes back swinging. Over the week off between Red Bud and Millville, Tyla worked on his speed, and it showed in Millville. Tyla finished qualifying with the fastest times and used that newfound speed to run away from both his teammates for his third overall win of the year. A championship is a long road, and Tyla has proven in the past that he can be there in the end.
The man sitting third in the 250 Championship points is a tough puzzle to solve. Blake Baggett has four overall wins. In every one of those wins, he has looked as good as some of the best ever on a Lites bike. The problem for Blake is that he doesn’t show up every week. Because of that Blake, with the most wins in the class, sits twenty-one points out of the lead in the standings. The results that stick out more than the four wins for Blake is the ninth and seventh place finishes at Freestone and Budds Creek. When you’re battling two ultra-consistent riders in the points, you cannot afford those kind of results. One definite plus for Blake, though, is his speed and his ability to click off back-to-back wins with it. With a twenty-one point deficit and only ten motos left to run, he will need that weapon in his arsenal.
One honorable mention in the 250 Class is Kyle Cunningham. Kyle has been incredibly consistent over the past few rounds and, because of that consistency, finds himself fourth place in the points. The DNA/Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha rider has been one of a short list of riders this year willing to fight it out with the Kawasaki boys. At the end of the day, he’s been just a click off in speed and fitness, but each week, he is leaving everything he has on the track. With the series heading to a track that Kyle has shown incredible speed on in the past, we’re looking for Kyle to get up there and fight for one of the top two spots on the box. So far, nobody besides the Pro Circuit boys has stood first or second on the box, but we think he stands a great chance on Saturday to do just that. With 106 points between Kyle in fourth and Deano in first, the Championship looks out of reach for the Texan, but a win would top off the breakthrough year Kyle’s had perfectly.
See ya at Washougal!
250 Motocross PointsAfter Seven Rounds 1 15 Dean Wilson 305 2 28 Tyla Rattray 289 3 57 Blake Baggett 284 4 35 Kyle Cunningham 199 5 19 Eli Tomac 190
