The 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship hosted Round 11 of the 12-race season on Saturday with the annual Labor Day tradition that is the FMF Steel City National from Steel City Raceway.
Thousands of the most avid east coast motocross fans lined the fences to watch longtime veteran and fan favorite Kevin Windham, of Centreville, Miss., take the overall win in the 450 Class for Honda Red Bull Racing.
With the 250 Class championship coming down to the wire, GEICO Powersports Honda”s Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., captured his fifth overall victory in the last six races.
After taking a supercross-only approach to his career, Windham returned to the outdoor nationals at Round 7 from Millville, Minn., when he replaced the injured Davi Millsaps.
Despite a pair of special appearances last season, the 17-year veteran has not competed in the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship on a regular basis since 2007, capturing his last series victory at Unadilla.
On Saturday, he fended off the challenges of GEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe, of Australia, to take the Moto 1 win and followed it up with a solid runner-up finish in Moto 2 behind Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., to secure the overall.
“I hurt right now,” said Windham. “It’s awesome though. I didn’t know what to expect coming into this weekend but it’s great to get back on top. Each time I’m able to get (a win) it makes it that much more special. I really don’t know if I’m ever going to have this opportunity again.”
Metcalfe”s second and third-place moto scores placed him second overall while Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR’s Justin Brayton, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, tied a career-best finish in third (5-4).
Dungey, who claimed the premier class title last weekend as a rookie, saw his impressive nine-race winning streak come to an end after experiencing misfortune in the opening moto and posting a DNF.
However, he rebounded in Moto 2 with a convincing win to finish sixth overall (40-1).
Dungey”s lead now sits at 137 points over Metcalfe as he continues his pursuit of the most successful rookie season in AMA Motocross history. He also leads the division in average finish at 3.5 and laps led with 169.
After a tough outing last weekend ended his four-race winning streak, Canard bounced back in dominant fashion at Steel City.
With strong starts in both motos, he worked his way into the lead and withstood extensive pressure from championship rival Christophe Pourcel, of France, in each moto to sweep the day and close in on the championship lead.
“Since RedBud everything has just gone really well for me,” said Canard. “I just need to keep riding to the best of my ability. To look into all the ifs and maybes for next weekend and the championship doesn’t do anything to help me so I’m just going to approach it just like I have every other race.”
Pourcel posted a runner-up finish aboard his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki (2-2) while his teammate and winner from last week Tyla Rattray, of South Africa, rounded out the podium in third (3-4).
Pourcel’s advantage over Canard sits at just seven points heading into the season finale. Canard holds the best average finish in the class at 4.8 and has also led the most laps with 106.
The MotorcycleUSA.com Women’s Motocross Championship continued its championship with Round 7 of the eight-race season.
Current series points leader Jessica Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla., captured her sixth overall win for DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha (2-1) while Honda Red Bull Racing”s Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla., finished second (1-2) with MotoConcepts Yamaha”s Mariana Balbi, of Brazil, in third (3-4).
The 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship concludes next weekend with the 12th and final round of the season and the inaugural Pala Motocross National from Pala Raceway in Pala, Calif., on Saturday, 11 September.
OVERALL RESULTS AND STANDINGS:
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda (1-2)
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (2-3)
3. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha (5-4)
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (4-5)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (7-7)
6. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (40-1)
7. Nick Paluzzi, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (10-8)
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha (14-6)
9. Robert Kiniry, Syracuse, N.Y., Suzuki (9-11)
10. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda (3-37)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 493
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 356
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 351
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 301
5. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 291
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 260
7. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 238
8. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha, 211
9. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 204
10. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Kawasaki, 201
11. Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda, 201
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda (1-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (2-2)
3. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki (3-4)
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (4-5)
5. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (7-8)
6. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (10-6)
7. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda (9-7)
8. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (5-11)
9. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki (17-3)
10. Darryn Durham, Butler, Pa., Honda (8-10)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 443
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 436
3. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 402
4. Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki, 387
5. Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda, 317
6. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 296
7. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 285
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 259
9. Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Yamaha, 229
10. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 195
WMX Class (Moto Finish)
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha (2-1)
2. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (1-2)
3. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Yamaha (3-4)
4. Alexah Pearson, Rocklin, Calif., Yamaha (7-3)
5. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki (5-5)
6. Tarah Gieger, Winter Gardens, Fla., Honda (4-7)
7. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha (9-6)
8. Sherri Cruse, Bakersfield, Calif., Suzuki (6-9)
9. Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., Yamaha (8-10)
10. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (11-11)
WMX Class Championship Standings (After 7 of 8 Rounds)
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha, 335
2. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 313
3. Tarah Gieger, Winter Gardens, Fla., Honda, 261
4. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha, 217
5. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki, 212
6. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Yamaha, 207
7. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM, 196
8. Alexah Pearson, Rocklin, Calif., Yamaha, 172
9. Tatum Sik, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha, 152
10. Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., Yamaha, 136