Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Notes: Traxxas Pala National

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.
(September 9, 2011) - A summer full of the most intense and challenging
competition on the planet has come down to a pair of motos across three
classes of competition this weekend. Tomorrow, Pala Raceway, located in
San Diego County, will host just its second American Motocross event,
with the season-ending Traxxas Pala National. The series' lone stop in
Southern California is sure to welcome thousands of motocross fans from
throughout the region and the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
comes to a dramatic conclusion.

With
one title already in the books in the 250 Class, the focus shifts to
the close 450 Class battle that separates Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan
Villopoto and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey by just 14 points.
With three overall wins apiece between the two riders, in addition to
incredibly consistent results, points are at a premium with just two
motos remaining to crown a champion.

450 Class

Monster Energy Kawasaki
Villopoto
entered last weekend's round at Steel City with little room for error.
With eight points in his favor, keeping Dungey at bay would be critical
to where he stood come Pala, and Villopoto responded. After following
his rival closely throughout the opening moto, Villopoto made one of the
most memorable passes in series history coming out of the final turn of
the moto, slipping by Dungey mere feet from the finish and stealing the
win. He backed up the effort with a dominant second moto to sweep the
day and gain maximum points heading into the finale. Now, he will look
to simply seal the deal.

"It
going to come down to just putting together two solid motos," said
Villopoto. "It's nice to have a little bit of a cushion in the points
because it puts the pressure on (Dungey) to win. I'll go out there and
ride my best, because anything can still happen, but I feel good knowing
I've done everything I could up to this point."

Jake
Weimer had a strong outing at Steel City. The rookie 450 Class rider
battled in the front half of the field throughout both motos, ultimately
posting a pair of sixth-place finishes to finish fifth overall and
achieve one of his best outings of the season. Weimer currently sits
sixth in the championship, and will look to close in on Mike Alessi for
fifth before the season comes to an end.

Rockstar/Makita Suzuki
Dungey's
day at Steel City looked as if it was off to a fast start. The
defending series champion led throughout the opening moto, and fended
off Villopoto's challenges throughout. However, the last lap pass caught
Dungey off guard and ultimately led to a valuable loss of points in the
championship. Despite that, he still secured the runner-up finish
overall, and enters Pala with a chance at a second straight title. He
swept the inaugural race at Pala one year ago, and doesn't have many
other options than to do the same tomorrow.

"I
lost a bit of ground, but no excuses," said Dungey. "We just need to
keep our head up and move forward because there's plenty of racing left.
We're going to Pala next, and to go 1-1 would be great, but all I can
ask for is the most from myself. I like that track, and I was able to
win both motos there last year, so it'd be great to do it again. I just
want to focus on finishing the season strong for Team Rockstar/Makita
Suzuki."

Following
his first career win two weeks ago, Brett Metcalfe put forth another
strong outing at Steel City. The Australian veteran challenged for the
podium in both motos, posting 3-4 scores to once again land on the
overall podium in third. No matter what occurs on Saturday, Metcalfe has
solidified fourth in the championship.

"Steel
City was a great day for me," said Metcalfe. "I felt really comfortable
on the track and the bike was working great, so I knew I was in for a
good day. Now, I'm looking forward to Pala. It's kind of my hometown
race. I'm just excited about that. I think it's going to be a good event
and I look forward to putting the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki back up on the
podium for a strong finish in the championship."

TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing
After
terrible luck at Southwick two rounds ago, Chad Reed bounced back with a
pair of solid rides at Steel City. The winningest rider in the series
was looking to challenge for the podium in both of the day's motos, and
was ultimately a player in the outcome in the end, but Reed's 5-3 scores
left him just two points shy of his Australian counterpart, Metcalfe,
once the points were tallied. The fourth-place finish was a good rebound
effort for Reed, and he will look to end a five-race hiatus from the
podium on Saturday, possibly claiming yet another win before the summer
comes to an end. No matter what, Reed will finish the season third in
the 450 Class standings.

Red Bull KTM
Despite
missing the first two rounds of the season, Mike Alessi has had a
strong 2011 season. At Steel City, Alessi finished sixth overall after
posting 8-5 moto results. The solid effort helped Alessi maintain his
current fifth-place standing in the 450 Class Championship, and he will
be looking to end the year on a high note.

"I'm
sad for the outdoor series to end, because I love racing motocross,"
said Alessi. "I do like Pala and I am looking forward to the last event.
After this, it is time to start testing supercross and preparing for
the next season."

American Honda
Justin
Barcia has enjoyed his time as a member of the American Honda team.
Unfortunately, Steel City marked the young rider's worst outing since
being named to be a part of the factory effort for the remainder of the
season. However, even with the misfortune, Barcia maintains a positive
outlook and would like nothing more than to win tomorrow afternoon in an
effort to show his gratitude to the team.

"Steel
City was a tough one for me," said Barcia. "The track just wasn't my
sort of track, and I struggled to find my groove. I used a lot of energy
in moto one - I pushed really hard and finished in fourth place.
However, I think I over-did it. Come the second moto, I was feeling
fatigued and nearing the end of the race, I was overcome by the heat. I
thought the safest thing for me to do was pull off, rather than risk
hurting myself. I really want to finish the season off on a high note
and make the most of this great opportunity Honda has given me to ride
for the factory team. I'll definitely be bringing my A-game to the final
round at Pala this weekend!"

Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR
Justin
Brayton missed the first half of the 2011 season, but since his return,
he has wasted little time in establishing himself as one of the most
consistent riders in the class. At Steel City, that consistency was on
display, as Brayton posted a pair of seventh-place finishes to land
seventh overall. As a result of his strong riders since returning to
competition, Brayton has fought his way into ninth in the 450 Class
standings.


250 Class

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
Monster
Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki is looking to complete the single-most
dominant season by team in history on Saturday, as its four riders gun
for an astonishing 12^th straight overall victory this summer.
With Dean Wilson securing the 250 Class title one week ago, his fellow
teammates in Tyla Rattray, Blake Baggett and Broc Tickle will all look
to end the season strong for the team, by capturing an historic victory.

For
Wilson, his first career title is something he's dreamed about since he
started riding. The Scottish rider has been the most consistent rider
in the entire series, boasting more points and a better average finish
than any other rider, in either class. Wilson dominated at Pala one year
ago, and will look to do the same in front of family in friends and put
an exclamation point on his championship.

"I'm
so happy to have wrapped up the title," said Wilson. "At first, I was
bummed because my parents weren't there to enjoy it with me, but now
that it's over, I can just go out there and have fun this weekend with
no pressure. I ride my best when I'm just enjoying myself, so I hope can
get another win for my mom and dad."

Rattray
and Baggett are currently engaged in battle for the runner-up spot in
the championship. Rattray's four victories and Baggett's five are the
most in the division, and each rider will want to cap the year off in
the best way possible tomorrow. As of now, only nine points separate the
two riders heading into the final pair of motos.

GEICO Honda
Eli
Tomac's recent surge has helped vault him into fourth in the 250 Class
standings. At Steel City, Tomac looked eager to grab his second career
win. Following a strong runner-up finish in the first moto, Tomac took
charge in Moto 2, passing for the lead and putting himself in position
to win. However, he settled for second in the end, garnering his best
finish of the season in the runner-up position overall.

DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha
Kyle Cunningham has had a rough couple weeks. At Steel City, Cunningham finished 11^th
overall, on the heels of scoring no points just one week prior. As a
result, he fell from fourth to fifth in the 250 Class standings, and
will be looking to reclaim the position tomorrow with a pair of solid
rides.

Gareth
Swanepoel has been one of the strongest riders in the class over the
second half of the season. At Steel City, Swanepoel finished fifth
overall, after posting 7-6 moto scores. He currently sits sixth in the
250 Class standings, within striking distance of his teammate for fifth.


WMX Class

Like their male counterparts, the Motorccycle-Superstore.com
Women's Motocross Championship will also crown a champion tomorrow
afternoon. Currently, American Honda's Ashley Fiolek sits is position to
claim her third WMX Class title in four years, boasting a 22-point lead
over DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha's Jessica Patterson, the
defending champion. Last weekend at Steel City, Patterson dominated en
route to her fourth win of the year, but will have her work cut out for
her on Saturday if she is to repeat as champion.

Television
coverage for Saturday's Traxxas Pala National is live all day. It all
kicks off with a live broadcast of the opening motos for both the 250
and 450 classes on FUEL TV, beginning at 4 p.m. EST. SPEED will bring
the 2011 season to a dramatic conclusion with live final-moto coverage
of both the 250 Class and 450 Class, back-to-back at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
EST.

For more information on the 2011 tour, please log on to www.allisports.com/motocross.

For
media information about the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship,
please contact Media Manager Brandon Short, via email at media@mxsportsproracing.com or by phone at 949-365-5750.

MX Sports Pro Racing
MX
Sports Pro Racing manages and produces the world's most prestigious
motocross series - the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The
industry leader in off road powersport 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.

Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports

Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that
encompasses national and international action sports tours and events,
multimedia production, and a consumer facing lifestyle brand. The
Alliance includes: the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, the Dew
Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, King of Wake series, and the
Gatorade Free Flow Tour. Alli TV Productions creates original content,
produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli
content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and
MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and
properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action
sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans
and athletes. The Alli properties are home to more than 550,000
spectators each year and broadcasts more than 150 hours of original
content in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide. Visit www.allisports.com.

Lucas Oil Products

Lucas Oil is a worldwide leader in the production of oils, lubricants
and additives. Based in Corona, Calif., Lucas Oil Products is one of the
fastest-growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry,
featuring a premium line of oils, lubricants and problem-solving
performance additives. Through innovative product research and
development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil
Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the
American truck-stop industry. Lucas Oil is involved in an array of
motorsports sponsorships, including the "Official Motor Oil of the AMA
Pro Motocross Championship." Visit www.LucasOil.com.

AMA Pro Racing

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing
sanctioning body in the United States, operating a full schedule of
events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. From
its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization sanctions professional
motorcycle racing competition, which includes, AMA Pro Motocross, AMA
Pro Road Racing, and AMA Pro Flat Track. Visit www.amaproracing.com.