Pirelli Captures Podium With Barcia at Budds Creek Motocross National

MECHANICSVILLE, MD. (August 21, 2016) – The penultimate round of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship was held on Saturday at Budds Creek Raceway, one of the nations most highlighted facilities, for the 11^th round of the season. It was a constant battle for racers throughout the day as they powered up-and-down the circuits steep hills and fended off Southern Maryland’s intense humidity and scorching temperatures. Pirelli racers took full advantage of the SCOPRION™MX lineup, which featured many of the sports brightest stars relying on the performance of the MX32™ PRO rear tire, while the MX32 soft-mid and Pro (hard) options were the popular selections on the front.

Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Justin Barcia was the defending winner of the 2015 Budds Creek National in the 450 Class and entered the weekend gleaming with confidence. Moto 1 witnessed him get off to a strong start and circulate the opening lap inside of the top three and he maintained his position throughout the 30-minute plus two lap moto. The second moto was much of the same as the New Yorker started near the front of the field and charged to third at the checkered flag. He would finish second overall (3-3) for his second podium of the 2016 season.

Fellow JGRMX rider Phil Nicoletti has shown incredible speed during the last several races, however, mistakes have cost him several positions in overall results. He was quick off of the starting gate in Moto 1, beginning the race in fifth and making the pass for fourth by the conclusion of the moto. He once again put himself in a great position to start Moto 2 and finished sixth. Nicoletti scored his best finish of the season with fifth place overall (4-6) and moved to seventh in the championship standings.

Andrew Short was a fan favorite among the energetic Southern Maryland fans and lined up at Budds Creek for the final time of his professional career. “Shorty” has been building momentum with each weekend of the championship and kicked off both, the first and second moto, with second place starts. He remained calm, cool and collected for eighth place overall via 7-9 moto scores. Just behind short, BTO Sports/WPS/KTM teammate Benny Bloss continued his recent string of top-10 performances. The rookie overcame bad starts by carving his way up the star-studded field and finished ninth overall (11-10).

In the opening 450 Class moto, misfortune struck Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Weston Peick as he way forced to withdrawal from the race early. The tough Californian returned for Moto 2, clawing his way up the field from a 13^th place start to secure eighth by the checkers. He would finish 13^th place overall (35-8).

The final round of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship takes place next Saturday, August 28 at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)

1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (1-1)
   
   
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (3-3)

3. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (2-4)
   
   
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (6-2)
   
   
5. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (4-6)

6. Dean Wilson, Scotland, KTM (5-5)
   
   
7. Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (8-7)
   
   
8. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (7-9)

9. Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM (11-10)

10. Anthony Rodriguez, Venezuela, Kawasaki (10-11)
    
    

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13. Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha (35-8)

450 Class Championship Standings

1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki – 534
   
   
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 458
   
   
3. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 365
   
   
4. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 316

5. Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna – 217
   
   
6. Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM – 204

7. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha - 201

8. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM – 189

9. 
   Justin Brayton Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM – 173
   
   
10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 171