A quarter of the season down and the field for the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship crown is a toss-up between four riders, however several dark horses may prove to be spoilers.
Rookie Ken Roczen is the series leader for overall wins with two and the points leader with 183. His teammate on the Red Bull KTM team, Ryan Dungey is 16 points behind in second-place but with a surging James Stewart on his tail in third. Trey Canard has three third-place overalls and lost to Stewart in Moto 2 at High Point by less than a second.
Ken Roczen is in first place
However, Davi Millsaps, who rides for the MotoSport-sponsored Rockstar Energy KTM team and the runner-up to the 2013 Supercross Championship, is expected to return to racing for Round 5 after a knee injury kept him from the 2014 Supercross season. His chances of reeling in a championship after missing the first four rounds are out, barring injury from other riders, but he's got a lot to ride for and he's itching to get on the bike after a year away from racing.
Trey Canard has three third-place overalls
Chad Reed is showing serious signs of improvement after his major crash in Supercross that ended his season in February. He grabbed both Holeshots at High Point, a season best fifth in Moto 1 and season best overall in eighth. Reed is currently in ninth-place with 88 points, just two behind Malcolm Stewart. In addition, the MotoSport sponsored Weston Peick took fifth in Moto 2 at High Point and, now on a factory ride, is widely expected to compete every week for the podium this year.
Chad Reed showing some strength
Brett Metcalfe, the reigning Canadian Motocross champion, proved he can race well but has since fallen back a bit since the start of the season. At High Point he finished ninth-overall his lowest of the season. He's in fifth-place in the Championship standings, 35 points behind Canard. His last three of four Motos have been out of the Top 5 including two ninth-place finishes.
Weston Peick is just 11 points from fifth-place in Championship standings
This has opened the door for Peick and a surging Josh Grant to get into the Top 5 overall. Grant, who won the season opening Moto, has three fifth-place overalls this season but a 13th overall at Hangtown, thanks to a 39th place finish in Moto 2, which kept him from jumping past Metcalfe so far this season.
One threat riders can dismiss is Justin Barcia. He took fifth overall at Hangtown and was in sixth-place overall tied in points with Peick and Jake Weimer after Round 2 but a foot and ankle injury kept him out of Rounds 3 and 4 and he is likely out for the season.
Jason Anderson reaches podium in Round 4
Dominating efforts from the rest of the pack is a must to catch up to the top four. But this is also Motocross. Injuries happen and as the reigning 250 Supercross champion Jason Anderson can attest, crashes happen. A Round 1 crash in Moto 2 dumped Anderson to the back and he finished in 31st place erasing a podium chance after a third-place Moto 1.
Anderson who rides on the MotoSport-sponsored Rockstar Energy KTM team in the 250 class, reached the podium for the first time this season at High Point and is in sixth place in the 250 Championship standings but could easily be closing in on third if not for the Round 1 crash.
Jeremy Martin has a big lead in the Championship standings
The 250 class shows three dominating riders thus far but a number of challengers cannot be discounted after posting some solid racing the past few weeks. Jeremy Martin retains a big lead for first in the Championship standings thanks to five straight Moto wins. Cooper Webb started the season with four straight second-place Moto finishes but ended in eighth and sixth in the last two rounds, respectively. He holds onto second in points with 148 just seven over the advancing Blake Baggett.
The surging Blake Baggett
Baggett has three straight Moto wins entering the break and two overall wins the last two rounds. He started the season with a fourth and 14th overall. Justin Bogle is also proving to be a threat with six Top 5 Motos and second and fourth-place overalls the last two rounds.
Motocross rips off five straight before the next break at the end of July. What will the season look like then?
Watch Motocross Round 5 on June 28 at the Tennessee National. Check the TV schedule or if you're in the area attend the event. Buy tickets online or at Muddy Creek Raceway, 450 Ridgeway Drive in Blountville, TN.
2014 Motocross Season Standings
450 Class Standings
- Ken Roczen (183)
- Ryan Dungey (167)
- James Stewart (161)
- Trey Canard (150)
- Brett Metcalfe (115)
- Josh Grant (104)
- Weston Peick (104) - MotoSport rider
- Malcolm Stewart (90)
- Chad Reed (88)
- Andrew Short (74)
250 Class Standings
- Jeremy Martin (177)
- Cooper Webb (148)
- Blake Baggett (141)
- Christophe Pourcel (128)
- Justin Bogle (126)
- Jason Anderson (117) - MotoSport rider
- Marvin Musquin (111)
- Justin Hill (93)
- Jessy Nelson (91)
- Cole Seely (87)
