FMF Steel City National this weekend
Friday 31 August: The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will host the penultimate round of the 2012 season on Saturday with the Labor Day Weekend tradition that is the FMF Steel City National, from renowned Steel City Raceway in Delmont, PA - the series' second stop in the State of Pennsylvania.
At
the championship's previous round from Unadilla, Red Bull KTM's Ryan
Dungey capped off a historic season for the manufacturer by capturing
his eighth consecutive victory and clinching his second 450 Class title
in three years. In the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin helped
give the Austrian brand its first clean sweep atop the podium, but at
the end of the day, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Blake Baggett
maintained control of the championship lead.
(Courtesy Carl Stone)
450 Class
Red Bull KTM
Dungey
had his work cut out for him at Unadilla, needing to overcome some
early adversity in the opening moto to earn his success. His
come-from-behind effort to win Moto 1 was complemented with a dominant
ride in the final moto, cementing the overall win and the championship
after Mike Alessi experienced misfortune in the first moto. The victory
vaulted Dungey into a tie for third on the all-time wins list in the 450
Class, and now the newly-crowned champion is looking for continued
success in search of his ninth straight win of the summer at a track
where he finished in the runner-up spot one year ago. In fact, Steel
City is one of just two tracks that Dungey has never won at in the
premier class.
MotoConcepts Suzuki
Heartbreak
is the best way to describe Mike Alessi's day at Unadilla. After such
an impressive season, Alessi experienced misfortune in the opening moto,
resulting in a DNF and ultimately opening the door for Dungey to secure
the championship. Despite his hard luck, Alessi bounced back in Moto 2,
riding one of his best races of the season to finish second behind
Dungey in the moto and break into 10th overall for the day. Alessi still
maintains firm control of second in the championship and will look to
return to the overall podium this weekend at Steel City.
Team Chaparral Honda
Andrew
Short made his return to the overall podium at Unadilla, capping off
what ended up being a big day for him in the points. Short's consistent
4-3 moto results were enough to land him third overall, but more
importantly moved him into third in the 450 Class standings, surpassing
Jake Weimer. It's been a quiet yet successful year for Short and his
L&Mc Racing team, who will look to maintain control of their
position in the championship on Saturday with another solid outing.
Monster Energy Kawasaki
Early
on at Unadilla, Jake Weimer appeared to be in position to claim his
first win as a 450 Class rider, taking the lead early in the first moto,
only to suffer a hard fall moments later. The effects of the incident
were enough to keep Weimer from finishing the moto, but he returned to
salvage points in Moto 2. Unfortunately, more misfortune resulted in an
18th-place finish for Weimer in the moto, which landed him 22nd overall.
The points lost to his closest competitors in the championship - Andrew
Short and Broc Tickle - caused Weimer to fall from third to fourth in
the championship, where he currently sits tied with Tickle. Weimer will
eagerly look to bounce back this weekend at Steel City, trying to make
up an 18-point deficit to Short in third.
"I
had a rough one in Unadilla," said Weimer. "I was super sore after my
crash, but it was a blessing to have this past weekend off to have some
extra time to get back to 100-percent. Steel City is a fun track, so I'm
looking forward to getting the train back on track and getting back up
on the podium."
Tyla
Rattray enjoyed a solid outing at Unadilla, running consistently inside
the top 10 all afternoon. The South African rider has fought through
adversity all season long and in New York, he battled bar-to-bar with
his rivals in challenging conditions. Rattray's 8-9 moto scores helped
land him seventh overall and this weekend he hopes to challenge for the
podium.
"These
past two weeks I went back to California to test with the team," said
Rattray. "I didn't have the weekend I wanted in Unadilla and was
motivated to get back to work. We worked hard all week and I'm excited
to go to Steel City. I really like the track; it has good dirt and
should get nice and rough."
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
It's
safe to say that Broc Tickle has been the breakout rider of the 2012
season in the 450 Class. At Unadilla, Tickle posted a career-best
runner-up finish behind Dungey and came just a couple laps short of his
first career moto win at the start of the day. His 2-4 moto results were
Tickle's best of the season and allowed him to force a tie with Weimer
for fourth place in the championship standings. Like his
Kawasaki-mounted rival, Tickle sits 18 points out of third in the points
and hopes the momentum of his second-place effort will carry into Steel
City.
"I
had a great weekend in Unadilla," said Tickle. "I've been having a lot
of fun, working hard, and it's showing in my results. For the weekend
off I relaxed, played some golf, and I am ready to get back into it.
Steel City is a really fun track. There's always a chance of rain and I
like when it's muddy. It's really rutty and lots of off-cambers, so I
always have fun there."
(Courtesy Carl Stone)
Jeff Ward Racing Kawasaki
Josh
Grant enjoyed a top-five effort at Unadilla, further solidifying his
possession of sixth place in the 450 Class standings. Grant has helped
make the debut season for JWR a successful one and his 5-6 moto results
in New York resulted in fifth-overall. With a good finish behind him,
Grant will look to challenge for the podium this weekend.
Kyle
Chisholm also had a presence inside the top 10 at Unadilla. The veteran
rider battled hard through each moto to finish the day with 12-7 moto
scores, good enough to place him ninth overall. The solid finish also
helped Chisholm maintain control of eighth in the championship, where he
sits just 20 points out of seventh.
Team Honda Muscle Milk
Justin
Brayton didn't have the afternoon he was hoping for at Unadilla. The
Honda rider had to battle his way through the field in each moto, but
fought hard to earn 15-10 moto results. While his efforts left him just
outside the top 10 in 12th overall, Brayton salvaged valuable points as
he battles with the JWR duo of Grant and Chisholm in the standings.
After a pair of difficult weekends, Brayton will look for a return to
the top 10 on Saturday.
Team Yoshimura Suzuki
James
Stewart's return to the Nationals has had a little bit of everything
and after spending an extended time away from competition, he returned
to action at Unadilla in full health. Stewart looked like he was ready
to make a return to the top of the podium after grabbing the lead early
in the opening moto, but misfortune relegated him to ninth. In his
efforts to finish on the podium in Moto 2, he experienced even more
misfortune, ending his afternoon early and after suffering an injured
finger, also ending his season.
Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX
It's
been an up-and-down season for Davi Millsaps, but the new father has
performed well since returning to action. At Unadilla, Millsaps put
forth an impressive weekend, running at the front half of the field
throughout the afternoon. Following a third-place effort to start the
day, Millsaps followed it up with a fifth-place finish in Moto 2,
resulting in fourth overall, just two points off the podium. Thanks to
his efforts, Millsaps has returned to the top 10 in the 450 Class
standings, currently sitting 10th.
(Courtesy Carl Stone)
250 Class
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
After
an impressive win at Southwick to assert his control of the 250 Class
championship, Blake Baggett had a bit of an up-and-down day at Unadilla,
missing out on the overall podium but still retaining control of the
points. A strong first moto saw Baggett post a third-place finish that
put him position to claim the overall. However, in the final moto,
Baggett was only able to battle his way to a fifth-place finish, which
is also where he would end up overall. Nevertheless, Baggett heads to
Steel City with hopes of success. He currently holds a 24-point lead
over Justin Barcia with just four motos remaining and would like nothing
more than to add to his win total.
"Unadilla
was a hard day at the office," said Baggett. "I didn't ride like myself
and it cost me. I went back to California during the break and
practiced on some hard-packed dirt and worked on getting back on the
edge. I'm looking forward to Steel City, it should be good."
GEICO Honda
Justin
Barcia's return to his home state of New York didn't go as well as he
would have hoped, but the Honda rider didn't lose any ground to Baggett
in the championship. After a seventh-place finish in the opening moto,
Barcia had his work cut out for him if he was to challenge for a podium
result. In Moto 2, Barcia responded, leading the first half of the moto
and eventually finishing second to his teammate Eli Tomac. As a result,
Barcia vaulted to fourth overall, tying Baggett for points on the day,
but assuming the position by virtue of the second moto tiebreaker. He'll
be looking to win on Saturday, aiming to keep his title hopes alive
heading into the final round.
Eli
Tomac came up just a couple points short of his fourth win of the
season at Unadilla. The Colorado rider has come on strong in recent
weeks and in New York, he rebounded from a sixth-place finish in the
first moto to claim the second moto victory and the runner-up spot on
the podium. Tomac has also closed in on his teammate Barcia in the 250
Class standings, sitting just four points out of second and 28 points
away from Baggett in the lead. He finished second at Steel City last
season.
Wil
Hahn bounced back from a difficult outing at Southwick to return to the
top 10 at Unadilla. The veteran rider was consistent, posting 9-8 moto
scores which ultimately landed him seventh overall. Hahn currently has a
firm grasp on sixth in the championship standings.
Red Bull KTM
After
coming close on several occasions this season, Ken Roczen finally broke
into the moto win column at Unadilla. The KTM rider has had a
successful rookie season in the U.S., but prior to the previous round,
had no wins to show for it. In New Berlin, Roczen dominated the opening
moto and put himself in position for the overall win. While Moto 2
didn't bring the same success, Roczen relied on a sixth-place effort to
land third overall, tying in points with Tomac for second, but just
missing out by virtue of the second moto tiebreaker. With two rounds
remaining, Roczen would like nothing more than a chance to savor an
overall victory.
Marvin
Musquin joined his teammate on the podium at Unadilla, but the
Frenchman's success was in the form of his first career overall win on
U.S. soil. While he didn't take the win in either moto, Musquin was the
most consistent rider on the track, relying on his 2-3 moto scores to
claim the victory and cap off a memorable day for his KTM team. With all
the momentum coming into Steel City, Musquin is in search of continued
success on a track that he finished third at just one year ago.
(Courtesy Carl Stone)
Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki
Blake Wharton was hoping to return to the top 10 at Unadilla after a
difficult outing at Southwick. In the first moto, Wharton was in
position to do so, finishing fourth. However, in Moto 2, misfortune
struck the Texas rider, relegating him to 33rd with a DNF, just missing
out on the top 10 in 11th overall. Despite that, Wharton still occupies
seventh in the championship, looking to fend off his teammate.
Jason
Anderson's eighth-place overall finish at Unadilla (5-12) helped gain
valuable ground on Wharton in the points. With only two rounds
remaining, Anderson sits nine points out of seventh and is looking to
keep the momentum going this weekend.
"(Unadilla)
was decent," said Anderson. "I had a good first moto, then I crashed on
the start of the second moto and came back to 12th. I have some stuff
to work on and my plan is to come in to Steel City feeling good."
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda
Jessy
Nelson enjoyed a top-10 finish at Unadilla, relying on 14-9 moto scores
to finish 10th overall. As a result, the rookie rider still maintains
control of ninth in the championship and is extending his advantage over
his teammate as the season winds down.
Travis
Baker has paced Nelson for most of the 2012 season, but at Unadilla he
lost valuable ground after finishing 15th overall (16-14). Now, Baker's
deficit sits at 21 points, but he will look to close the gap over the
final two weekends.
Copy and images courtesy of Brandon Short for MX Sports Pro Racing.