Round number eight of the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship heads to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to Washougal, Washington and the Washougal National. Since back in 1980 when local Northwest Motocross hero Chuck Sun rode his CR 500 to the inaugural Washougal National win, the Washougal Motocross park has been a regular on the AMA Outdoor National scene. The combination of the mountainous natural terrain and the picturesque Washington State forest backdrop makes it one of the most beautiful and unique circuits in the world. If there is a motocross heaven, some may argue that it would look just like Washougal.
Heading into the last stop at Millville, Two-Two Motorsports/Honda rider Chad Reed had a semi-comfortable lead and, after his first moto win, had stretched his lead in the points standings to twenty-one over Ryan Villopoto. That lead would be short-lived when, on lap one of moto two, the Australian had one of the most spectacular crashes ever witnessed. Shortly after making a pass for the lead, the number twenty-two swapped out going up the face of a huge table top and was ejected and thrown 30 feet up and 80 feet out into the air without his bike anywhere near him. The result of the crash should have been the end of Reed’s 2011 campaign—and possibly his career—but, instead, the 2009 Motocross Champ got up, remounted in dead last and charged his was back to fourteenth. In doing so, he showed the Motocross world once again that he wants this championship more than any imagined.
With that incredible ride, Reedy salvaged his points lead, but with the fourteenth, is now only six points ahead of Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto. With a new lease on the the 2011 450 AMA Motocross Championship, you can be sure RV2 is more than ready for his home state National in Washougal on Saturday. While Washougal is only three hours from Villopoto’s hometown of Paulsbo, Washington, he has historically not done well there. This will be his fourth trip as a professional to the famed circuit, and to date, he has yet to win one. If there was ever a time to put the past to rest, this Saturday would be a good time for RV2. The Washington native will have every fan in the house hanging over the fences cheering for him, and a win could very possibly have the number two on a red background by the end of the day.
The man that won the Washougal National the last time the series was there in 2010—and has won at the venue the last three times he’s been there—is Ryan Dungey. Dungey got his first-ever motocross win as a professional in Washougal back in 2008 and has not lost a race there since. Combine all those happy memories with the momentum from his home track win last weekend—and cutting Reed’s lead in the points down to seven—and you can expect a highly motivated Dungey on Saturday. After running out of gas in Freestone while leading, Ryan was stuck in a twenty-eight point hole, but since, has kept charging. Now with a little help from Reed’s mistake, Dungey finds himself within striking distance of the points lead once again. Dungey knows with ten motos to go nobody will be winning the series in Washougal, so we expect the 2010 Champ to keep doing what he’s been doing.
With the championship now down to a full on war between three men, the best that anyone else can hope for is to steal a podium or two before season’s end. One man that was thrown into the mix for the first time this year at Millville may want more than just a podium, though. American Honda’s Trey Canard jumped back into action at Millville and showed right out of the gate that he has the speed of the three championship contenders. He went right out, qualified with the number one time in qualifying and stayed glued to Reedy and Dungey in the early part of moto one. After a mistake and some fitness issues, Trey finished fifth in moto one, backed it up with a third in moto two and finished on the podium with a third overall. At the end of the day, Trey had the speed but lacked the race fitness needed to run with the big three. Don’t be surprised if Trey finds the fitness needed and becomes a big player in the middle of the points battle for the 2011 Championship.
With only five rounds left to run, the 2011 AMA Motocross Championship is fitting right in with what has been one of the most incredible years for Supercross and motocross racing. From Anaheim One until now, fans have been treated to nail-biting, bar-banging action with numerous different winners and championships that are not decided until the final lap of the final round. Whether you’re a Reed, Villopoto or Dungey fan, you gotta be a fan of the awesome racing taking place each and every weekend.
See ya in Washougal!
Updated 450 AMA Motocross Championship Points
1 22 Chad Reed 300 2 2 Ryan Villopoto 294 3 1 Ryan Dungey 293 4 24 Brett Metcalfe 209 5 14 Kevin Windham 193
