Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. This weekend we celebrate our nation’s independence and prepare for what is arguably the best event in the sport of motocross. The RedBud national has always been special, but in recent years it has grown into a wonderful spectacle. The vibe is already awesome, with it coinciding with the 4th of July holiday, then you throw in the gorgeous track and facility that the Ritchie family maintains and the historically gigantic crowd and it’s pretty much the best day of the year for motocross. The racing adds to the sweetness. We are seeing some of the best competition in all of motorsports in our two divisions, and while the Red Bull KTM duo of Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey are getting away in points, we have Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard and Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart capable of winning. There is little doubt in my mind that we’re going to see those four in particular go at it this Saturday. Oh, and we can go ahead and enter GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac and Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed mounted into the mix as well.
As the summer heats up, the points chase in the 250 class is beginning to boil. Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha riders Jeremy Martin and Cooper Webb have been the top two the entire way, and with Webb stamping out the first O/A of his career last week, he closed to within eight points of Martin. Meanwhile, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett continues to charge.
It’s a special weekend for Americans and American motocross. Let’s get it jacked up for REDBUD!!!
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If you read the 3 on 3 article this week, the guys seemed to agree that the difference in the Jeremy Martin we saw at Glen Helen and the one that arrived at High Point and Muddy Creek, was his starts. I concur with the group, and if he doesn’t fix that aspect this weekend, he will lose the point lead. RedBud has a fairly burly start, with super deep dirt and a semi-aggressive left-handed sweeper that leads into a tight right. If you get buried in the pack, it takes a long time for the peloton to spread out, and by then the leaders are gone. Zach Bell will grab one of the two holeshots this weekend, if his shoulder is strong enough to get him on the track.
However, I think Martin will be back this weekend. RedBud doesn’t have the mountains like Glen Helen, but it’s a big, wide track with varying line choices and deep dirt. The theme with the red plated #19 is his starts. I think he’ll take care of business if he can start in the top ten.
Cooper Webb’s first career victory was as impressive as it gets. Nobody holds off Blake Baggett late in the moto, but Coop did. His confidence is now at a peak, and after playing bridesmaid to his teammate in the first half of the series, he has to be hungry like a wolf.It’s going to be the same here with some other guys. Christophe Pourcel will be up front with Justin Bogle, Justin Hill, Jessy Nelson, Jason Anderson, and a big mess of fast guys. As always, it is going to be awesome to see which one of the 250 racers try to send it on LaRocco’s Leap!
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Roczen nailed down another win, but he split motos with Ryan Dungey, so the spread remains at 16. The KTM guys have been hot all summer, but there is now more of a threat to separate them as Tomac and Reed are closer to form. Like Martin in the 250’s, I think we’re going to see more of a Glen Helen performance from Toyota/JGR Yamaha’s Josh Grant. The #33 is always fast at RedBud and, again, like Martin, if he can crack out a holeshot he can win another moto.
Sixteen points is a good lead in almost every possible scenario, except when Ryan Dungey is behind you. He’ll force you to be perfect, but Roczen has been up to the task so far. You have to give it up to Roczen, since he’s racing like a 10-year veteran. It’s hard to remember he is a rookie.
It’s going to be an awesome weekend. With sunny skies and 80-degree weather on tap, there simply isn’t a better place in the world for a motocross fan to be other than RedBud. It’s a marquee event, but we have to keep the red, white, and blue in our focus this weekend. I’m super proud to be an American and am grateful for those who have fought and died for my freedom. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Have a good weekend, folks. Enjoy it with your families, and be safe.
Thanks for reading, see you next week.