Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb clinched the 450 and 250 titles last week, but that doesn't mean the season is over as one round remains in the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series which takes place on Saturday at the Ironman National in Crawfordsville, IN.
With little points up for grabs and much of the final season standings locked in, still pride remains for many, but also the chance to secure rides for next year and even for others to stay sharp for the MXGPs coming to the United States next week in Charlotte and on September 11 at Glen Helen.
Roczen, of course, rides with the 2016 Motocross Championship in-hand and Eli Tomac has a hold on second for the year. Unless Marvin Musquin bows out completely and Justin Barcia sweeps Round 12 Musquin stays in third-place - quite a feat for the rookie. Barcia gets fourth-place on the year but fifth-place is up for grabs.
Ken Roczen gets a victory lap at the Ironman but will probably pin it anyway
Currently, Christophe Pourcel occupies the fifth-place spot but he's out for the year so Benny Bloss just 13 points back and Phil Nicoletti, 16 points out, can battle it out for a Top 5 placement. In contention, but a longer shot, is the retiring Andrew Short who is 28 points out. But based on results from the previous few weeks, expect a solid showdown between Bloss and Nicoletti to get into the coveted Top 5.
Probably not much consolation but Eli Tomac has wrapped up second place for the season
Jason Anderson is expected to return from his broken collarbone sustained during practice after Round 4 which should help mix it up a bit up front. He's racing for the United States at the Motocross of Nations next month so he's got some catching up to do. Trey Canard is unlikely after he bowed out prior to Washougal thanks to a concussion from a practice crash but it was officially announced this week that he's parting ways with Honda and widely believed he's moving to the Red Bull KTM team next year.
Cooper Webb gets a victory lap and should be lurking near the front in both Motos on Saturday
The 250 class might have the most exciting action with second- and third-place still in play. Alex Martin holds a 23 point lead over Joey Savatgy and all Martin needs is two more performances equal to what he's done pretty much all season. Savatgy has not finished Moto 2 in the last two rounds which allowed Martin to catch up, so even though the early front runner for the title has floundered in recent weeks, he needs to return to his winning ways from the start of the season if he's to get back into the #2 spot.
Austin Forkner, a lock for rookie of the year, is in fourth and if Savatgy has another bad Moto or two with Forkner landing on the podium for the fourth straight round, the rookie could end up taking third on the season. Aaron Plessinger is in the mix but needs a really good ride and a really bad performance by Forkner, if he's to grab the fourth-place spot. He should pass the injured Jeremy Martin for fifth-place.
Alex Martin had a great season and should end up in second-place
We got two out of three podium picks for Budds Creek correct in the 450 class since Tomac ran into some trouble and took fourth overall. Webb didn't even make the podium in the 250 class as Zach Osborne got his first overall of the season and first as a pro riding in the United States. Tough call this week but don't expect the Champs to step aside.
450 Class
- Eli Tomac
- Ken Roczen
- Marvin Musquin
250 Class
- Alex Martin
- Cooper Webb
- Adam Cianciarulo
Gates drop for the last time this Motocross season on Saturday at the Ironman National in Crawfordsville, IN. Buy tickets online or at the box office. Check out the animated track map:
2016 Motocross Season Standings
450 Class Standings
- Ken Roczen (534) - 450 Class Champion
- Eli Tomac (458)
- Marvin Musquin (365)
- Justin Barcia (316)
- Christophe Pourcel (217)
- Benny Bloss (204)
- Phil Nicoletti (201)
- Andrew Short (189)
- Justin Brayton (173)
- Broc Tickle (171)
250 Class Standings
- Cooper Webb (457) - 250 Class Champion
- Alex Martin (384)
- Joey Savatgy (361)
- Austin Forkner (331)
- Jeremy Martin (321)
- Aaron Plessinger (313)
- Zach Osborne (296)
- Adam Cianciarulo (235)
- Mitchel Oldenburg (215)
- Arnaud Tonus (213)
