Edison Dye and Gary Jones Motocross Cups Return

May 6, 2010, 2:26pm

MORGANTOWN, W.V. - At the conclusion of last season's Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, a pair of perpetual championship trophies were introduced for the 450 and 250 classes: the Edison Dye Cup and Gary Jones Cup are commemorative awards that honor the strong legacy of American motocross, in name and in spirit. Each cup goes to the team that captures the championship in each class, the Edison Dye Cup for the 450 Class and the Gary Jones Cup for the 250 Class. Both cups return for 2010, ready to be claimed by the riders and teams able to overcome and endure the challenges that make motocross one of the toughest sports on the planet.

Edison Dye was one of the pivotal figures in the development of professional motocross in America. As the organizer of the first professional motocross championship in the U.S., he set the standard for an elite competition pitting the best riders on the planet against one another in a quest for fame and glory. By importing such legendary figures as Torsten Hallman, Joel Robert, Roger DeCoster, and more to his Inter-Am tours beginning in 1966, Dye set the stage for what is now the most prestigious motocross series of all, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Gary Jones was a product and beneficiary of Edison Dye's series and, as a result, became the first true AMA Pro Motocross Champion in the 250 Class in 1972. Jones, who hailed from Hacienda Heights, Calif., went on to defend his title in both 1973 and 1974, becoming the first multi-time champion in AMA Motocross history. Even more impressive is the fact that Jones won those three titles on three different brands: Yamaha, Honda, and Can-Am.

Because each cup is awarded to the team of the rider who claims each respective championship, both the Edison Dye Cup and the Gary Jones Cup presently reside at the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki race shop in Chino, Calif. Last summer, Chad Reed (450) and Ryan Dungey (250) claimed the championships under the guidance of yet another historic motocrosser, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki Team Manager Roger DeCoster. Recognized globally as "The Man," DeCoster accepted both cups on his team's behalf.

With the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship on the immediate horizon, the Edison Dye Cup and the Gary Jones Cup will both be up for grabs. Dungey is still with Rockstar/Makita Suzuki, only now he's moved up to the 450 Class. There he will face his former teammate Reed, now a member of the Monster Energy Kawasaki factory team, and other top motocross athletes including Andrew Short, Josh Grant, Davi Millsaps, Mike Alessi, Grant Langston, Ben Townley, Brett Metcalfe, Ivan Tedesco, and more, all hoping to claim the #1 plate and the Edison Dye Cup for their teams.

Dungey's departure means a new 250 Class rider will claim the Gary Jones Cup for his team in 2010. The list of talented young contenders is seemingly endless: Christophe Pourcel, Jake Weimer, Trey Canard, Justin Barcia, Tyla Rattray, Austin Stroupe, Tommy Searle, Broc Tickle, Wil Hahn, Blake Wharton, Dean Wilson, Max Anstie.... Any one of these terrific riders (and more) could end up as champion when the series concludes.

The battle for supremacy in an international showcase of the world's best talent commences on Saturday, May 22, from the Rockstar Energy Hangtown Classic in Rancho Cordova, Calif.

For tickets and fan and racing information on the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, log on to www.allisports.com.

For more information about the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, please contact media coordinator Brandon Short via email at brandon@mxsports.com or by telephone at (949) 365-5750.