As the gleaming sun pushed its way through the early morning skies of dissolute grey, round four of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships, on the pristine hillsides of Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, began under the most refined conditions.
Series points leader Ryan Dungey entered High Point suffocated under the headlines that surround James Stewart and his return to racing just one week after a hard crash threatened his season. But the unflappable Dungey was unfazed. Holding off a stringent challenge from Mike Alessi, Dungey extended his points lead to 42 over Alessi after another perfect day.
On the other side of the spectrum James Stewart’s status for Budds Creek, and maybe the season, is still very much up in the air. After gutting out a fifth in moto one, James and the team decided it would best serve Stewart in the long run if he remained on the sidelines for moto two. Now, just two weeks removed from the series lead, Stewart finds himself 70 points back of Dungey.
The unpredictability of the 250 class continued. Three different overall winners through four rounds—and a high probability of a fourth in the very near future—has conveyed a new-found level of intensity among the elite, as they continue to push the limits to new highs at every turn.
With only seventeen points separating the top four, each passing round becomes more and more important as the four thoroughbreds gallop down the stretch in a bid to be crowned the 250 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champion.
450 Class
Moto 1
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 1 | 2:10.470 | 6 | 2:12.715 | Ryan Dungey |
| 2 | 2 | 2:10.975 | 5 | 2:14.176 | Mike Alessi |
| 3 | 5 | 2:11.765 | 13 | 2:14.498 | James Stewart |
| 4 | 3 | 2:12.411 | 5 | 2:14.240 | Jake Weimer |
| 5 | 6 | 2:13.164 | 9 | 2:14.598 | Broc Tickle |
| 6 | 4 | 2:13.447 | 10 | 2:14.635 | Andrew Short |
| 7 | 8 | 2:13.635 | 10 | 2:16.138 | Nico Izzi |
| 8 |
12 | 2:13.638 | 8 | 2:17.517 | Ryan Sipes |
| 9 | 9 | 2:13.861 | 7 | 2:16.377 | Davi Millsaps |
| 10 | 7 | 2:14.237 | 6 | 2:14.851 | Brett Metcalfe |
Moto 2
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 1 | 2:13.296 | 10 | 2:15.551 | Ryan Dungey |
| 2 | 2 | 2:13.931 | 5 | 2:17.146 | Mike Alessi |
| 3 | 3 | 2:14.584 | 4 | 2:17.297 | Jake Weimer |
| 4 | 4 | 2:14.932 | 5 | 2:17.297 | Davi Millsaps |
| 5 | 5 | 2:15.366 | 5 | 2:17.665 | Brett Metcalfe |
| 6 | 9 | 2:15.574 | 4 | 2:19.760 | Broc Tickle |
| 7 | 6 | 2:15.912 | 5 | 2:18.525 | Ryan Sipes |
| 8 |
8 | 2:16.326 | 3 | 2:19.431 | Andrew Short |
| 9 | 36 | 2:17.245 | 6 | 2:18.146 | Matt Lemoine |
| 10 | 7 | 2:17.418 | 9 | 2:19.394 | Michael Byrne |
Ryan Dungey’s undressing of the 450 class continued at High Point. And without a healthy James Stewart on the line we may be looking at 2010 all over again. Using precise, attacking lines, Dungey chased down Alessi in both motos and cruised to his second consecutive 1-1 performance.
Rockstar Star-Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes return to the 450 class has come with its own set of highs and lows. Hindered by a broken bone in his hand after a bizarre parade lap crash with Jason Anderson at Salt Lake City, Sipes has yet to fulfill the high expectations he had entering the season. A sixth in moto one at Thunder Valley got Sipes’ season pointing in the right direction. Building upon that momentum at High Point, Sipes matched a seasons-best sixth in moto two en route to a season-high 8th overall.
Dungey set the fastest lap in both motos en route to the overall.
Simon Cudby photo
250 Class
Moto 1
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 3 | 2:11.672 | 15 | 2:13.870 | Blake Baggett |
| 2 | 2 | 2:11.836 | 6 | 2:13.982 | Eli Tomac |
| 3 | 1 | 2:12.363 | 5 | 2:14.327 | Justin Barcia |
| 4 |
4 | 2:13.400 | 5 | 2:16.079 | Wil Hahn |
| 5 | 6 | 2:13.604 | 6 | 2:17.056 | Marvin Musquin |
| 6 |
5 | 2:13.790 | 5 | 2:16.370 | Ken Roczen |
| 7 | 9 | 2:15.076 | 5 | 2:18.142 | Jake Canada |
| 8 | 7 | 2:15.847 | 12 | 2:18.340 | Ivan Tedesco |
| 9 | 38 | 2:16.080 | 3 | 2:16.644 | Malcolm Stewart |
| 10 | 8 | 2:16.851 | 11 | 2:18.724 | Alex Martin |
Moto 2
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 5 | 2:12.553 | 8 | 2:19.586 | Blake Baggett |
| 2 | 1 | 2:12.722 | 15 | 2:14.558 | Eli Tomac |
| 3 | 2 | 2:13.347 | 6 | 2:15.386 | Ken Roczen |
| 4 | 3 | 2:13.812 | 8 | 2:15.440 | Justin Barcia |
| 5 | 4 | 2:15.397 | 5 | 2:18.850 | Marvin Musquin |
| 6 | 6 | 2:16.978 | 5 | 2:19.619 | Jason Anderson |
| 7 |
7 | 2:17.019 | 9 | 2:20.379 | Kyle Cunningham |
| 8 |
9 | 2:17.162 | 10 | 2:20.343 | Wil Hahn |
| 9 |
8 | 2:17.857 | 8 | 2:20.532 | Gareth Swanepoel |
| 10 |
10 | 2:18.871 | 7 | 2:21.385 | Ivan Tedesco |
The list of adjectives used to describe Blake Baggett’s propensity for laying down fast laps at the end of the race is running dry. Simply said: The guy is a beast down the stretch. Once again Baggett would not only set the fastest lap in moto one, but he would do it on lap 15! Yet another extraordinary lap chart feat Blake Baggett has conquered.
Coming back from a seventh place start to win a race is had enough, but when you add to the fact that you have to pass two MX2 Champions and a two-time Lites East Champion along the way, it ratchets up the level of difficulty. Eli Tomac was absolutely on fire down the stretch, slicing and dicing his way through the field en route to a moto two win and the overall. But let’s take a closer look to see where exactly Tomac made up the most ground.
Blake Baggett was the first rider on Tomac’s chopping block. Tomac used a set of crashes from Baggett to get around the points leader.
|
Lap |
||
|
10 |
02:23.2 |
02:15.2 |
|
11 |
02:47.2 |
02:15.2 |
|
12 |
02:26.9 |
02:14.8 |
|
|
|
|
Next up was Tomac’s GEICO Honda teammate Justin Barcia. After setting his fastest lap of the moto on lap 8, Barcia made a crucial mistake the following lap that allowed Tomac to close in. Five laps later Barcia would make another critical mistake, only this time it would cost him a position.
|
Lap |
||
|
9 |
02:17.3 |
02:13.9 |
|
14 |
02:17.1 |
02:14.6 |
The last victim on Tomac’s rampage was the German import Ken Roczen. Once again a crash would help Tomac play catch up, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, as Roczen compounded his first mistake with consecutive bad laps.
|
Lap |
Eil Tomac |
|
|
14 |
02:21.3 |
02:14.6 |
|
15 |
02:14.8 |
02:12.7 |
|
16 |
02:19.2 |
02:14.6 |
Tomac’s speed got the attention, but his ability to maintain that speed—error free, is what won him the race.
Tomac didn't set the fastest lap in either moto, but won the overall.
Simon Cudby photo
WMX Class
Moto 1
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 2 | 2:25.219 | 7 | 2:28.398 | Jessica Patterson |
| 2 | 1 | 2:27.838 | 7 | 2:30.620 | Tarah Gieger |
| 3 | 4 | 2:31.404 | 5 | 2:33.396 | Mariana Balbi |
| 4 | 3 | 2:31.796 | 5 | 2:33.590 | Kasie Creson |
| 5 | 5 | 2:33.646 | 6 | 2:36.254 | Sayaka Kaneshiro |
Moto 2
| Lap Rank | Finish | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Rider |
| 1 | 1 | 2:30.422 | 6 | 2:34.504 | Jessica Patterson |
| 2 | 5 | 2:32.808 | 6 | 2:37.791 | Tarah Gieger |
| 3 | 2 | 2:35.194 | 6 | 2:36.587 | Sayaka Kaneshiro |
| 4 | 3 | 2:35.225 | 3 | 2:37.001 | Mariana Balbi |
| 5 | 4 | 2:35.675 | 5 | 2:36.735 | Jacqueline Strong |
With Ashley Fiolek sidelined with a concussion Jessica Patterson looked to be a shoe in for the overall at High Point. But to Patterson's surprise Troy Lee Designs Tarah Gieger was able to hold off the charging Patterson to take the first moto win. But Patterson would fight back in moto two to take the win and the overall after she and Gieger came together early in the race.
