BUCHANAN, Mich. – Thousands of avid motocross fans braved the heat on Saturday to cheer on the world’s best motocross riders as legendary RedBud USA hosted the sixth round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. As the season reached its halfway point, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., kept his dominant run going in the 450 Class, wining his fourth straight race with another 1-1 moto sweep. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett, of Grand Terrace, Calif., raced to his third victory of the season and second in-a-row with an impressive 1-1 effort.

In the opening 450 Class moto, it was Dungey who prevailed out of the gate, establishing himself as the rider to beat early while Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., followed in second in his return to action.

As Dungey pushed to open a gap on Stewart, the Suzuki rider went down, allowing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, and Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton, of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, to move past. On the following lap, Stewart encountered misfortune again, stalling his bike and falling to seventh. He eventually worked his way to a sixth-place result.

In Moto 2, MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., grabbed the holeshot and led early, but it didn’t take long for Dungey to take over the top spot and pull away. Alessi, who was involved in a first-turn crash in the first moto, settled into second for the remainder of the moto, while Stewart bounced back to run third.

“Having James (Stewart) back this week was good to add another challenge, and it’s good for the sport,” said Dungey. “We made some more changes to the bike coming into (today) and I think we’ve made even more progress. My starts were good and I knew getting out front would make life easier, having a whole track to work with. It’s (too) early to think points, but you’ve got to be smart. With James back, you knew he’d be there, so I didn’t want to downplay him. I just wanted to get a good start and see how things played out.”

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Brayton brought home his first overall podium result of the season in second (3-4), while Stewart finished third (3-6) despite his troubles.

In the 250 Class, Baggett needed a pair of come-from-behind performances to take the win. After crossing the line in sixth at the conclusion of the first lap in Moto 1, Baggett began a charge to the front of the field. He quickly picked off riders to move into second by Lap 5 and overcame a five-second deficit to pass GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia, of Monroe, N.Y., for the lead on Lap 12 and pull away.

In Moto 2, Baggett put himself in a better position, coming out of the gate in third and working his way to the front of the field by the conclusion of the opening lap. On Lap 2, a mistake forced Baggett to fall, allowing Barcia to take over the lead.

After losing just one spot, Baggett once again set his sights on the lead and managed to take over the position again on Lap 8, holding it through to the finish.

“This track is one of the best on the schedule, its got a little bit of everything,” said Baggett. “There’s no formula to the way I ride. It just happens. I had a pitiful start in the first moto and fought my way through the pack. I got a good start in the second moto and just tipped it over. I looked at lines to see where I could pick up ground and I just took a shot (at the lead) when I had a chance.”

Barcia’s pair of second-place finishes landed him second overall, while his teammate Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., finished third (5-3).

The Women’s Motocross Championship hosted its fifth round of eight for the 2012 season. Defending champion, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla., dominated both motos to claim her second win of the summer. Fiolek missed the WMX Class’ previous round at High Point in June with an injury, but gained valuable points in the championship. Munn Racing KTM’s Sara Pettersson, of Sweden, finished second (3-4), while Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Tarah Gieger, of Puerto Rico, finished third (2-6). Current championship points leader, Jessica Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla., finished 14th aboard her Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki after breaking her hand last week, retaining control of the division points lead.

The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next Saturday, July 14, with round seven from Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minn., and the Spring Creek National.

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Red Bull RedBud National
RedBud USA – Buchanan, Mich.
July 7, 2012
Round 6 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda (3-4)
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (6-3)
Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (4-5)
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (11-2)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (5-9)
Cole Thompson, Brigden, Ontario, Canada, Honda (7-8)
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (9-7)
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (12-6)
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (2-20)

450 Class Championship Standings

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 286
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 214
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 202
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 178
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 162
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 151
Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki, 142
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 137
Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 131
Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Kawasaki, 100

250 Class (Moto Finish)

Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (1-1)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (2-2)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (5-3)
Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (4-4)
Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (3-6)
Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (6-5)
Gareth Swanepoel, Johannesburg, South Africa, Yamaha (9-7)
Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki (7-12)
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda (12-9)
Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda (11-10)

250 Class Championship Standings

Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 272
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 253
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 236
Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 235
Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 189
Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 161
Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 125
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 121
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 109
Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda, 105

WMX Class (Moto Finish)

Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda (1-1)
Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM (3-4)
Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda (2-6)
Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda (5-3)
Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., KTM (4-5)
Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda (14-2)
Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM (6-7)
Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (7-8)
Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda (8-9)
Brianna DeGray, Springfield, Mass., KTM (9-10)

WMX Class Standings

Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 201
Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda, 192
Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 175
Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda, 155
Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., KTM, 148
Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda, 146
Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM, 139
Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Honda, 137
Alexah Pearson, Sacramento, Calif., KTM, 100
Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda, 99