Justin Barcia will make the move to the 450 for the U.S team at Lommel. Image: Simon Cudby.

The American Motorcyclist Association has announced their official 2012 FIM Motocross of Nations team which will represent America on 30-31 September at Lommel in Belgium.

Leading the US team into the event will be Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, the current Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship 450 Class leader will compete in the MX1 division.

“It’s a pleasure, and it’s an honor to represent my country at the Motocross of Nations,” said Dungey. “Blake has a year of experience [at the Motocross of Nations] and although it’s Barcia’s first year we do a great job of welcoming everybody.

“We’re not racing against each other. We are racing with each other for one goal, and that’s to win the Motocross of Nations. With Roger [DeCoster] and the rest of the organizational team behind us, we have excellent support and all the support we need to win.”

The MX2 contender for the team will be Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett. 2012 will be Baggett’s second year on the dominant team.

“I’m excited to go to Belgium and race, it will be cool and a life experience for sure,” Baggett said. “The atmosphere of this race is really big and crazy, but the best advice is what I got last year, just ride to your potential, race the track and don’t worry about the thousands of European fans and the competition you’ve never raced before.

“If we ride the best that we can, there should be no problems of winning it. We’ll just go over there and bring the trophy home.”

Joining Dungey and Baggett will be GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia. Barcia, currently sitting in second position behind Baggett in the American outdoor series, will make the step up to the 450 machine in Belgium.

Barcia has had past experience racing the premier class bike, and the current East Coast AMA Supercross Lites champion is confident in his ability to ride the bike well, especially in the sandy conditions.

“It’s a little bit shocking, really. It’s awesome,” said Barcia. “I’ve always dreamed of racing for the U.S. at the Motocross of Nations, and it’s incredible. I’m speechless.

“To be picked for that team is just mind blowing. I’ll be riding a 450, and that will be exciting. I practice on the 450 a lot, and I ride the sand really well. I’ve matured a lot in the past year, and I’m ready.”

The United States is the reigning champion of the Motocross of Nations, winning in 2011 when the event was held in Saint D’Angely, France. The United States is also the all-time leader in Motocross of Nations overall victories with 22.