South African Tyla Rattray is currently the man to beat in the 250 Class of the nationals.

TwoTwo Motorsports Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed and 250 Class points leader Tyla Rattray will lead the world’s best riders into Thunder Valley MX Park in Colorado for Saturday’s Toyota Trucks Thunder Valley National.

Throughout the first month of action this summer, three riders have asserted themselves as the leaders of the pack in the 450 Class of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Reed, along with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, have won every moto thus far and each week, this trio has engaged in intense battles for the overall victory.

Last weekend from Budds Creek MX Park, Reed took a strategic approach to his third win of the year.

After losing touch of both Villopoto and Dungey in the opening moto, Reed put himself in position to win Moto 2, controlling what he’s capable of, and letting the points play out. At each of the first three rounds, Reed won the final moto of the day, and that trend continued at Budds Creek.

Despite a hard charge from Dungey throughout the moto, Reed crossed the finish line first and, in turn, overtook Villopoto, who won Moto 1 and tied Reed in points for the day, in the tiebreaker for the top spot overall.

It’s been an impressive start to the season for Reed, and now he leads the 450 Class field into a venue at which he’s never won before. He currently holds a 15-point lead over Villopoto, and a 28-point lead over Dungey in the championship standings.

Reed’s rivals’ hope their past success at Thunder Valley gives them an edge, as each rider has stood atop the podium at the Colorado facility.

The story of the 250 Class continues to be headlined by the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team.

Through four rounds and eight motos, three of Mitch Payton’s riders – Tyla Rattray, Dean Wilson and Blake Baggett – are the only athletes to grab a victory.

Wilson and Baggett share three moto wins apiece, while Rattray boasts two of his own. In the overall win category, both Rattray and Baggett share two each, and currently, all three riders occupy the top three in the 250 Class standings.

At Budds Creek, Wilson got off to a fast start, winning the opening moto for the third time in 2011. However, in Moto 2, Rattray took charge, grabbing the lead early and never looking back.

Wilson was able to secure his third overall runner-up effort of the season, overcoming a tough start in the final moto, and sits four points behind his teammate in the standings.

As for Baggett, adversity struck the sophomore rider in both motos, and his pair of seventh-place finishes landed him seventh overall.

Last year at Thunder Valley, Dungey broke through for his first-career win at the facility, posting 2-1 moto scores.

In the 250 Class, then-Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Christophe Pourcel swept the day’s motos for his second overall victory of the 2010 season.