250 Words: Ping Previews the 250 Class
Thursday, May 17, 2012 | 3:00 PM
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I’ve always been a big fan of the 250 class. The mix of young riders and a smaller bike that demands to be ridden more aggressively makes for great racing. Always has. The 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships will be no exception so lets take a quick look at the top players in the class as we ramp up for the Hangtown opener this weekend.
Last year the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team absolutely owned the series. They won something like 23 out of 24 motos and grabbed every overall on the way to the title. It left many of their competing teams doing, as GEICO Honda Team Manager Mike LaRocco called it, “the walk of shame” back to the pits every weekend. This year could be much different. Tyla Rattray has moved to the 450 class, defending champion Dean Wilson is nursing a questionable shoulder, Darryn Durham is hurt and Blake Baggett has had a very off year so far. The team has acquired Ivan Tedesco to step in and help out but will it be enough?
With Rattray having moved to the 450 class, and Wilson and Durham nursing injuries, Pro Circuit is hoping Blake Baggett can push for a title.
Simon Cudby photo
Frankly, I question Dean’s decision. He’s already won this title and 2013 will be a big year for him as he could be moving up to the 450 class or staying down to try and win the 250 SX title that has eluded him. Either way, if he fixed his shoulder now it would be 100 percent ready to go next year. If it gets aggravated later in the summer and he fixes it then he’s looking at getting a very late start with his 2013 preparations.
Blake Baggett has crazy speed outdoors; we know this. Last year it seemed to come and go at random and even Blake didn’t know how to keep it switched on. His supercross season was disappointing, so he is going to come out this weekend with guns blazing. Can he do it for 24 motos this year? I’m not even sure if Blake knows that. Tedesco hasn’t ridden a 250 in a lot of years. He is a former national champion and some say he will be a contender to win races. I think Ivan might find it a little more difficult after eight years on the big bike. I think he forgets how crazy the kids are! Hot Sauce is a hard worker though and after a few rounds he could find himself in the mix. This will be an interesting experiment to watch.
The GEICO Honda team is looking good right now. They have two new supercross titles in their truck and a couple of the early favorites in this championship. I am picking Justin Barcia to win this championship because it is his last chance to do it. He is healthy and has zero pressure since his deal is already signed with Honda Muscle Milk on a 450 for next year. He will be a player. Eli Tomac is their other heavy hitter and Eli has surprised me outdoors. I thought he would shine in the motocross realm but after his Hangtown debut in 2010, where it looked like he would live up to that expectation, he has been quietly running inside the top ten. I think this is going to be a good year for Eli and I expect he will be a podium regular all summer. Justin Bogle had a couple good rides last summer and if he can keep his inside foot on the peg when he jumps he’ll have a great series this year. This kid has speed he just needs a little experience. He will get it this summer. Wil Hahn just needs to stay healthy. If Wilbur can keep himself together and pull a bunch of his usual holeshots he will set himself up for a solid summer as well.
Justin Barcia has one last chance to capture a 250 outdoor title.
Simon Cudby photo
The KTM duo of Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin is a bit of a mystery. Roczen didn’t have the supercross series many expected him to after coming in late with an injury. And Marvin looked great early in the nationals last year and again this supercross season until injuries derailed his momentum. So, where will they fit in? I think Musquin is going to be a front-runner as the series gets going. When the tour heads east to the softer, rutted tracks he will feel right at home and find a spot on the podium consistently. If you are building a fantasy team and need a sleeper, this is your guy.
Roczen might have an adjustment period here. He was already struggling with the travel schedule during the supercross series and that was flying into big cities! Wait until he has to climb on two different puddle jumpers and then rent a car and drive 90 minutes to get to Unadilla. Plus, the heat and humidity is something he’s not had to deal with before. Will somebody please explain to Ken how hot it’s going to be in Texas please? Still, Ken is crazy fast and he will have his good races.
Those are your major players but there is a group of riders who will be pushing their way into the mix and fighting for position with those guys every weekend. Malcolm Stewart, and PJ Larsen have the speed to be well inside the top ten, and so does their teammate Matt Moss whenever he returns (the team announced today he will miss some races with a health problem). The Star/Valli Yamaha team has some talented riders, particularly Kyle Cunningham who shines when the racing goes outside. I would also keep an eye on Jason Anderson, Blake Wharton and Martin Davalos who could all step up and be players this summer for Rockstar Suzuki. Each one of those riders has the speed to run up front. How bad do they want it? We’ll find out this weekend.
Ken Roczen makes his U.S. outdoor debut this weekend at Hangtown.
Simon Cudby photo
There are also some rookies making their debut. Kyle Peters is competing in his first full season of racing. Getting pulled up early to join the Troy Lee Designs/ Lucas Oil/ Honda team is their amateur recruit Jessy Nelson. Nelson has been on fire at the amateur nationals so far this year winning a handful of championships. He could be a surprise this weekend.
I’m sure I haven’t covered every rider so be sure to head to Hangtown this weekend or tune in to see how the racing unfolds. Good luck to all the riders and let’s get this series started!
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Wow! Can you imagine the season we're gonna have if everyone keeps it on 2 wheels!! This class is 'super stacked' (Ivan might wish he was on a big bike!).
Roczen is my pick to win it. He`s yong enough to handle the heat & humidity. I think the GP`s are longer motos than our mx motos ,if thats correct it`ll help him.Wilson will be there on the podium. Seems like a good kid to. Wanted barcia on a 450,the class needs him with CR,Trey,& Poto being out. Ratray,Grant and Stroupe are big question marks. Stroupe seems to have fallen off the face of mx.
It's going to be awesome - both classes will be. Can't wait!! I'm going to at least one, maybe two.
Got to agree with Ping, Geico Honda looks to strong for the PC team, Barcia should win,Tomac and Bogle will be right behind him, Wilson should have his shoulder fixed, Bagget will have his days where he is on another level, trouble is sometimes its a lower level, Roczen thou fast is going to have trouble the heat and humidity...I think Hahn, Wharton and Musquin will be the suprise guys, they will be in the mix for top 5 about every weekend..Alex, Kyle, Malcolm and Martin will be ready to make the top 5 if one of the others has a bad day....and Peters will be rookie of the year with several good finishes...The 250's will feature close racing inside the top ten which will garner alot of the fans attention.....kinda like they just put the board side ways.....get ready..the gate drops on the The Great Outdoors in less then 48 hrs....
Barcia hasnt proven him self outdoors he is the big mystery!!!! Whats he gonna do when the orange ,green ,blue cum for you!!!!!!! best he has ever done is 5th 2009 and 2010
http://vault.racerxonline.com/#!/rider/justin-barcia/points
250s are going to awesome to watch... so many contenders. Roczen, Wilson, Baggett, Tomac, and Barcia all could win this thing. I predict Roczen wins some races but is inconsistent with it being his rookie year. Barcia will holeshot lots of races but I'm not sure he can run the pace for the entire moto. My pick is Baggett this year.
Bring on Hangtown!!
I hope Tedesco does awesome! He is a cool dude! Always interesting to hear his interviews, works hard, and can keep up with the best of them when he is healthy. Good luck Ivan!!!
roczen is no rook u jackwagon he is a world champ
WOOOOOWWWW!!!! Jesse Nelson told everybody all year that hes going to Lorettas this year. Where was the point in all of those LLQ's he attended this year then. Besides, yes he was one of the fastest, but Jeremy Martin had him in that department almost every race and on accasions Bell,Epstien,Hill, and Savatgy could all beat him aswell. I would def wait untill after Lorettas. Oh and where the heck is Jacob Hayes?
y the am talk????????
oya sorry
Boy, Barcia's been racking up the negative karma for so long, I wonder if his "karmic correction" will be survivable. Sure can't fault the kid for heart, determination, or ability, however the same cannot be said for heat-of-the-moment judgement. I hope he stays in the mix without making even more deposits on an account that is accruing some serious interest...
you dont think it gets hot and humid in the world GP's??
ktm overall1-2 at the end of the year
@PING ... It's been pretty cool here in Texas this summer so far, compared to years past. I'm about 2.5hrs from Freestone and it hasn't pushed much past the mid 80's or so for the most part.
But things could change quickly in a week! Outdoors should be good this summer, lets line em up and drop the gates!!
How many times did Barcia and Tomac make the podium outdoors last year? You really think that much has changed in 8 months and the Geico squad will run away with it? You're dreaming. Wilson and Baggett are bad asses outdoors and you'd be a fool to count out Roczen.
You Euro' have no compreshension of what hot is until you ride in Texas in the summer as well as other places when the heat and humidty combine- it's is waaay different than anything in Europe.
Barcia and Tomac with the new engines will be far more of a force this year than previous and one of these guys wins the championship. Jessy Nelson will be in the top 10 on a regular basis and my dark horse is Wilbur Hahn.
I think US fans have no freakin idea of what Ken Roczen is about to do. Hangtown is weird, Texas might be a problem. It ain't gonna matter in the long run. Just a reference point: last time Roczen raced outdoors, he smoked Dungey while riding a 250. Unless Barcia torpedoes him or a meteor hits him, he is gone.
Actually, other than not knowing what JS and the Suzuki will come to; between Roczen, Marvin, and RD, it's looking like KTM Summer.
Considering that Barcia won the sx title in 2011 and got schooled in mx and Tomac missed winning the 2011sx title by a few points I don't think that they will all of the sudden turn into championship outdoor riders. PC swept the podium 22 out of 24 motos (i think) I just don't see things changing that much, although I'm sure Mitch wishes he didn't have to give up Rattrey. I think it will be very interesting to see how IT9 does on the 250. I think it will be a lot harder than most people think for IT to battle with those fearless kids!!! I also think that Muskin will do good if he can get on a roll, a lot better than Roczen. We will know a lot more on saturday, can't wait!
Haha ur all wrong. This years outdoor champ is undoubtably Blake Baggett. He did great at 1 SX this year and that was Daytona, and thats all he needed. Hes been talkin crap on the podium in sx about how ready he is for mx so hell either have to put up or shut up. My guess is he does what he did for the 1st 70% of the outdoors last year for the whole season this year and puts another Plaque on Mitch's wall.
gonna be a good first few rounds, can't wait till high point always seems to be a break out guy, or a first time winner here, as its also my back yard.. gonna miss double d at this one.. Nationals love this time of year time to GET SILLLY
All this kawi vs honda talk overshadows what the most likely result is. I predict Musquin over Roczen for the title, with the rest having their moments in the sun (Wharton will be the most surprising).
Hammerhead, I think Roczen over Marv, maybe, but it's KTM summer coming. Wonder if someone will say something nice about John Penton.
Geico Honda is a strong favorite going into HT. The bikes, the riders, the mechanics, the mojo its all flowing over there...You'll see
@BD25-Thanks for mentioning Alex. No one else did. Actually disappointed in Ping. (for the first time) He did a lot better last year outside than many of the riders listed in this article. Big compliment to Ping, in a way, as I have been a fan of his since before the "Electronic Ping" column days. And only disappointed once. Bet even his wife can't say that!!!!LOL
If Bagget can't get out of his funk it is going to be a long sad summer for Mitch, Ken will do well but has no chance to win the championship. Those Honda boys are a force to deal with and the maturity will finally match their speed. Too bad Wilson resorted to bar banging racing where he lost all chance to compete in outdoor when he finally met his match in Tomac. I can just see Blake snickering about that one.
Now that Barcia & Stanton have come together, I don't see any weaknesses in his game. The "heat of the moment" stuff mentioned earlier can happen to anybody.....and does.
Roczen has more expectations on him than Barcia which, could make for a "trying too hard" situation but, with "the man" in his corner, how can you fault anything in his program? Also, the factory KTM's are rocket-powered. While set up differently, the euro-spec MX2 KTM's easily prove this.
On talent alone, Tomac "should" be on the box all season. Add in some "Johnny T" mentored training and there is a recipe for success. Obviously the GEICO 250F's are now among the elite bikes on the track and will be expected to power many a holeshot plus, the mental edge of knowing you're on the pimp-mobile of the class is a boost as well. Credit to "The Rock" & Yoshimura.
Those are the obvious favotrites, as for PC, I see a very frustrating summer. It would be great to see some standout performances from Wharton and Anderson because I think that Suzuki team is on the verge of becoming "top-tier". Some stability and consistent funding could be just the thing to push them over the hump.