Aussie Chad Reed continues to lead the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into its second half.

Following a break in action this past weekend, the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship will kick off the second half of the season this Saturday, 16 July, with the Spring Creek Motocross National in Millville, Minnesota.

Coming off his fourth win of the year at the previous stop in RedBud, TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad Reed occupies the top spot in the premier 450 Class standings.

Heading into RedBud two weeks ago, the battle for the 450 Class title had been marked by a highly-competitive, three-rider battle between Reed, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey.

With each rider achieving at least one overall win this season, the opportunity to capture the victory has been wide open from week-to-week, and it continued in Michigan.

At RedBud, Reed’s 1-3 moto scores surpassed Dungey’s 2-2 effort, helping him to extend his points lead. Now, Reed carries a 16-point advantage over Villopoto, who went 9-1 at RedBud, while Dungey sits an additional six points back.

This weekend’s race from Spring Creek MX Park, presents another opportunity for the 450 Class championship to continue to unfold.

Reed has never won at the Minnesota facility, but has run well in the past. Villopoto does hold one victory, but it came back in 2007 as a competitor in the 250 Class.

Over the past three years, Dungey, a native of the state of Minnesota, has been perfect at what he considers to be his hometown track.

With back-to-back victories in the 250 Class from 2008-2009, Dungey made it three-in-a-row last season by taking the win in his 450 Class debut at Millville.

Each rider’s past history at the track makes for an intriguing storyline heading into Saturday.

In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson has moved into the championship lead for the second time this summer.

Through six rounds of 250 Class competition, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki has yet to relinquish a moto or overall win to any other team in the division.

Wilson, Blake Baggett, and Tyla Rattray have stood atop the podium every time this summer, and as a result, they have set the stage for a three-way battle for the championship.