The 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series comes to a dramatic end on Saturday at the Utah National as two teammates battle head-to-head for the 450 class crown and five riders in the 250 class vie for second and third on the final podium.
MotoSport riders may be out of Championship podium contention but there's still a lot to race for. Weston Peick is certainly looking to continue with a factory team in January as his first season with RCH Racing has him within reach of the Top 5. Peick is in seventh-place just 10 points behind Andrew Short and 13 behind Eli Tomac. He's also within reach of the fourth-place Brett Metcalfe but as much as Peick would like to improve his year-end position so do the other riders and he'll face serious competition on Saturday as the Top 5 is open to four other riders.
Weston Peick looking for a Top 5 finish on the season
Jimmy Albertson's chance of finishing in the Top 20 took a serious hit the last two Rounds as he did not register any points. Albertson is in 23rd just 14 points from 20th and the riders ahead of him did not race in the last round. If that holds true for Saturday, Albertson's only competition, really, is himself.
Check out an animation of the newly redesigned track for the Utah National:
Once the gate drops however, the focus turns to rookie and points leader Ken Roczen and his Red Bull KTM teammate Ryan Dungey, who is 20 points back in second-place. Dungey needs a sweep and for Roczen to have his worst Round of the season to win. Roczen was up by only seven points prior to Indiana thanks to Dungey winning three straight Motos over the prior two Rounds including a sweep at Washougal. Dungey's late season surge ended on Saturday after he struggled in the mud and took ninth in Moto 2.
Jimmy Albertson needs his best Round of the year to get into the Top 20
Both riders have to contend with a red-hot Trey Canard who locked-up third-place on the Championship podium at Indiana after winning his second Moto of the year and taking second-place for the second straight week. Canard may not be riding for the #1 plate but finishing the year with a sweep helps cap-off a great season for him.
Well behind Canard is Metcalfe, whose season-long lock on fourth place has slowly eroded ever since Tomac started his tear in Round 5. Tomac's return from injury is nothing less than spectacular as he landed on the podium in his first five Rounds back including a sweep at Spring Creek. Metcalfe posted single digit point gains in two of the last four Motos but keeps a 23 point lead over Tomac heading into the final round. The good news for Metcalfe is the most number of points gained on him by Tomac in any round this season is 20 and that's when he won both Motos at Spring Creek.
Jason Anderson should hold on to seventh-place to end the season
In the 250s, Jeremy Martin gets a victory lap as he wrapped up the championship on Saturday. However, second- and third-place are toss-ups as Blake Baggett, Cooper Webb, Marvin Musquin and Christophe Pourcel all have a decent shot at the final podium with Justin Bogel an outside chance for third.
Jason Anderson, who rides for the MotoSport-sponsored Rockstar Energy KTM team can't do any better than seventh-place but needs to look out for Cole Seely who is 26 points back and Jessy Nelson who is 32 points back but who won his first Moto of the season at Indiana. Anderson rebounded effectively on Saturday after three straight no-point Motos, thanks in part to a crash at Washougal, and as long as he rides well the 2014 Supercross 250 Class Champion should keep his seventh-pace position.
Joey Savatgy has had a great run the last four Rounds
Joey Savatgy, Anderson's teammate, grabbed second-overall at Indiana, his fourth straight Top 7 finish and he has a real shot at finishing in the Top 10 for the season. Savatgy is 10 points back from Dean Nelson and Alex Martin who are tied in points for 10th and 11th place.
The final round to the 2014 Motocross season starts at 3 p.m. (EST) on Saturday at Miller Motorsports Park. Buy tickets online or at the park, 2901 N. Sheep Lane in Tooele, UT.
