Villopoto-Motocross-7-4-13MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, reaches its halfway point this Saturday, July 6, with Round 7 of the 12-race series. Held at the famed RedBud MX track in Buchanan, Mich., the Red Bull RedBud National serves as the centerpiece of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, drawing spectators from all over the Midwest to witness the most prestigious motocross racers in the country do battle in the rolling hills of Southwestern Michigan.

Heading into the second half of the season, 2011 450 Class Champion Ryan Villopoto and defending 450 Class Champion Ryan Dungey share the first six overall victories with three wins, respectively. Although each rider holds three overall wins, it’s Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Villopoto who tops the championship standings by a 12-point margin over Red Bull KTM’s Dungey. En route to his current points lead in the 450 Class, Villopoto has captured nine moto wins-the most of the season-as well as the distinction of being the only rider to win a moto at every race. While Dungey only has three moto wins under his belt, the Minnesota native is the only rider to finish atop the podium at each round of the championship thus far. Dungey looks to defend his two-race overall win streak against Villopoto this Saturday at RedBud

Through six rounds, the Team Honda Muscle Milk duo of Justin Barcia and Trey Canard has been prevalent to the front of the pack, where each rider maintains a top five position in the overall standings. After a fifth place finish at Round 5, Barcia returned to the podium to capture third overall at Southwick. Contrary to his teammate, Canard experienced bad luck in Moto 1 of the last round where he ultimately finished 35th, but a fifth place in Moto 2 gave the Oklahoman valuable points in the overall standings. Smartop/MotoConcepts Racing’s Mike Alessi sits only 11 points behind Canard in the championship standings with fifth place overall.

Last round, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac earned his second 250 Class victory at Southwick, matching Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin for the most overall wins of the season at two. With a moto score of (1-2), Tomac swapped moto wins with Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, who went (3-1) to capture second overall for the day. As a result of the weekend, Tomac gained two points on Roczen, where the Colorado native sits only seven points below Roczen’s lead in the championship standings.

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Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett surpassed Musquin for third place in the championship standings after the last round, where Baggett finished with a score of (2-8), besting Musquin’s score of (10-9) for the day. Musquin now sits in fourth place in the standings with two overall wins under his belt. Baggett has captured the last two RedBud victories in the 250 Class and the defending champion looks to become the first three-peat winner at RedBud since Ryan Villopoto in 2006-2008.

Located just above the Michigan-Indiana state line, RedBud is among the most highly regarded motocross tracks in the world and Fourth of July weekend there is one the region’s biggest events in general. With just the right soil mix, plenty of room for passing and the biggest jump on the circuit – the infamous LaRocco’s Leap, named after local legend Mike LaRocco – RedBud is the top motocross destination in a region that loves its motorsports.

The Red Bull RedBud National will commence Saturday, July 6, in Buchanan, Mich., beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. Live coverage of the opening motos on FUEL TV and Allisports.com will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern. Moto 2 of the 450 Class will air Live on NBC and Allisports.com at 3 p.m., followed by Live coverage of the 250 Class Moto 2 at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports Network and Allisports.com.

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For tickets and additional information, please visit AlliSports.com/motocross and LIKE the Pro Motocross Facebook page and follow @ProMotocross on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content and additional information on the latest Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship news.

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
ChaplinKawasaki.com Moto-X 338 National
Moto-X 338 – Southwick, Mass.
June 29, 2013
Round 6 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-2)
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (4-1)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (3-3)
Brett Metcalfe, Mannum, Australia, Kawasaki (5-6)
Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (2-16)
Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki (10-8)
Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (6-13)
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (8-12)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (11-10)
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (13-11)

450 Class Championship Standings
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 283
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 271
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 219
Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 169
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 158
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 140
Tyla Rattray, Durban, South Africa, Kawasaki, 119
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 115
Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM, 110
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 109

250 Class (Moto Finish)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (1-2)
Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (3-1)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Honda (5-3)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (2-8)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki (6-4)
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (8-7)
Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha (13-5)
Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (10-9)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (9-12)
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (12-11)

250 Class Championship Standings
Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 265
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 258
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 223
Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 222
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Honda, 185
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 161
Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha, 131
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 124
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda, 122
Cooper Webb, Morehead City, N.C., Yamaha, 113

MX Sports Pro Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing manages and produces the world’s most prestigious professional motocross series – the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. The industry leader in off road power sport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visit www.mxsportsproracing.com.

Photos by Simon Cudby