Ryan Villopoto will look to wrap up his second 450 title in Utah on Saturday. Image: Simon Cudby.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto is on the verge of clinching his second 450 class AMA Pro Motocross crown as the series gets set for its penultimate showing at Miller Motorsports Park.

The Built Ford Tough Utah National will be the first pro motocross event to be held in Utah since 1973.

Riders will do battle on a purpose-built track which is situated in the corner of the road racing facility. The 1.77 kilometre course funnels riders into an uphill start and is characterised by two large triple step-up jumps, along with challenging off-camber turns.

Villopoto rides a 44-point lead to Utah, the 11th of 12 rounds on the 2013 roster, the basis of which has been built on an incredible 14 moto wins.

The only man able to prevent Villopoto from claiming the championship is current number one plate holder, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey.

Dungey, with five moto wins to his credit, has been a consistent frontrunner but has a large task ahead of him to stop the in-form Monster Energy Kawasaki man.

250 class points leader, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac did his title hopes no harm with a 1-1 sweep at Unadilla, moving 39 points ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen.

Tomac heads to Tooele with a six-moto win streak behind him, and the potential to, like Villopoto, seal the deal a round early.

Both 450 and 250 class fields have featured two dominant riders, with no other rider claiming more than a single moto win from the 10 rounds contested to date.