MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The world’s best riders are ready to resume the heavily-contested competition for the second half of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. This Saturday, the series reaches the halfway point with its sixth round and annual Independence Day Weekend tradition at the Red Bull RedBud National from Buchanan, Mich.

The famed RedBud facility will host its 38th Lucas Oil Pro Motocross National on Saturday with exclusive network television coverage of the final 450 Class moto on NBC, in addition to extended coverage on both FUEL TV and NBC Sports Network.

At the championship’s previous stop at Budds Creek, in Maryland, on June 16, current 450 Class points leader, and Red Bull KTM rider, Ryan Dungey continued his winning ways. The 2010 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450 Class Champion swept each moto in his most dominant effort of the summer to extend his winning streak to six motos and secure his third consecutive overall victory.

With his 17th-career win, Dungey extended his championship lead to 54 points, which gives him a full one-race advantage over the field. He is a former winner at RedBud, back in 2010, and also claimed a runner-up finish at the track one year ago giving him a pair of podium results in two career 450 Class starts.

With Dungey leading the way, MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer will resume their battle for second place in the championship standings, but considerable attention will also be given to the return of Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart, who confirmed via Twitter (@js7) that he will be back in action on Saturday after missing Budds Creek.

Last season at RedBud, Chad Reed raced to his fourth win in six races, fending off the challenges of Dungey, in second, and Ryan Villopoto, in third.

After four different riders stood atop the podium through the first four rounds of the 250 Class season, repeat winners have emerged victorious over the past two rounds. Current championship leader Blake Baggett joined GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac at Budds Creek as the only other rider with two victories. After finishing second in the opening moto, Baggett took advantage of the opportunity to win Moto 2, doing just that to solidify the win and extend his lead in the standings to 13 points.

Behind Baggett, a tightly-contested battle is ensuing for second between three riders. GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia holds a nine-point cushion over his teammate Tomac and Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, who are tied for third. In all, only 22 points separate these four riders who have established themselves as mainstays on the podium.

Last season at RedBud, Baggett put forth one of his most impressive outings of the season, fending off the all-out efforts of his teammates Dean Wilson and Tyla Rattray en route to the victory.

After a one-round break, the Women’s Motocross Championship will also be back in action at RedBud. After securing her third overall win of the season at the previous stop from High Point, Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki’s Jessica Patterson is beginning to hit her stride. The six-time champion holds a 33-point lead over the field and will look to keep the momentum going on Saturday.

Last season at RedBud, reigning WMX Class Champion, and Michigan native, Ashley Fiolek rode her Team Honda Muscle Milk machine to a 1-1 moto sweep. Fiolek was forced to sit out at High Point due to injury, but is expected to return to action this weekend, aiming for a second win this season in front of the hometown crowd.

Nearly four decades into being a staple of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, RedBud has become one of the most popular stops on the circuit for both riders and fans thanks to its eclectic mix of high speed, dramatic elevation changes, highly-technical obstacles, and big air – particularly legendary LaRocco’s Leap. RedBud is also an Independence Day Weekend tradition in the sport, and with an extremely strong motocross following throughout the Great Lakes region, it has become one of the most special motorsports events in the United States.

The Red Bull RedBud National will be the second of back-to-back network television broadcasts on NBC. The national exposure will bring the action into millions of homes, allowing viewers across the country to see the world’s best do battle on one of the sport’s most iconic tracks.

Coverage from RedBud begins on Saturday, July 7, with live first moto coverage of the 450 and 250 Classes on FUEL TV, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. Both motos will also be streamed live on AlliSports.com. Live second moto coverage of the 250 Class can be seen on NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. Eastern, while the final moto of the 450 Class will air on Sunday, July 8, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

Previous Round Results and Current Standings

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Red Bull Budds Creek National
Budds Creek MX Park – Mechanicsville, Md.
June 16, 2012
Round 5 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki (2-2)
3. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (4-3)
4. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (3-4)
5. Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda (5-8)
6. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki (8-6)
7. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (10-5)
8. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha (9-7)
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (6-10)
10. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha (7-11)

450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 236
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 182
3. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 179
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 154
5. Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Suzuki, 142
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki, 134
7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 116
8. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 111
9. Nico Izzi, Rochester, Mich., Yamaha, 95
10. Justin Brayton, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, Honda, 93

250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (2-1)
2. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (3-2)
3. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (1-5)
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (5-3)
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (4-4)
6. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki (7-6)
7. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda (6-7)
8. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda (13-8)
9. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Honda (12-10)
10. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Honda (14-9)

250 Class Championship Standings
1. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 222
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 209
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 200
4. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 200
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 153
6. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 130
7. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M, Suzuki, 106
8. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 102
9. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 99
10. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha, 96

Women’s Motocross Championship
High Point Raceway – Mt. Morris, Pa.
June 9, 2012
Round 4 of 8

WMX Class (Moto Finish)
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki (2-1)
2. Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda (1-5)
3. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Honda (5-2)
4. Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda (4-3)
5. Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda (3-6)
6. Jacqueline Strong, Cottonwood, Ariz., KTM (7-4)
7. Marissa Markelon, Ansonia, Conn., Yamaha (6-7)
8. Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM (9-8)
9. Amanda Brown, Baltimore, Md., Honda (8-11)
10. Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda (11-9)

WMX Class Standings
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 188
2. Tarah Gieger, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico., Honda, 155
3. Sayaka Kaneshiro, Osaka, Japan, Honda, 137
4. Mariana Balbi, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Honda, 126
5. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 125
6. Jacqueline Strong, Cottonwood, Ariz., KTM, 114
7. Kasie Creson, Vallejo, Calif., Honda, 110
8. Sara Pettersson, Sweden, KTM, 101
9. Meghan Rutledge, New South Wales, Australia, Kawasaki, 78
10. Sade Allender, Sanford, Maine, Honda, 74

Tickets for all remaining rounds of the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship can be found at www.allisports.com.