Thor/Parts Unlimited Motocross Week in Review: RedBud

The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship season reached the halfway point with a July 4th celebration at RedBud that mirrored the event at Thunder Valley the week before for the Thor/Parts Unlimited team.

Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Chad Reed earned another podium by winning the first moto and finishing second overall and has a comfortable 21-point lead in the 450 Class to enjoy during next week’s break in the schedule.

(Courtesy Carl Stone)

Jake Weimer became the first 250 Class rider to claim back-to-back overall wins and teamed with points leader Christophe Pourcel to give Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki a 1-2 finish at RedBud and overall victories in the first two legs of the Monster Energy Triple Crown of Motocross.

NBC Helped Celebrate the 4th

Slightly overcast skies and spring-like temperatures greeted the riders and fans at RedBud for the Independence Day program and NBC was on hand to broadcast the action nationally. The network did its usual excellent job, framing its live telecast of the second 450 moto with highlights of the other motos and a variety of features and profiles.

It was the second of the three live telecasts the network is scheduled to do this season. The third will be from Budds Creek , Md. , on Aug. 22. So far this season, the NBC shows have provided good fortune for the Thor/Parts Unlimited team, capturing wins on each occasion.

(Courtesy Carl Stone)

Australian Star Pays Homage to the U.S.A.

Chad Reed is Australian, but he lives in Florida and saluted his adopted country on the 4th of July at RedBud with patriotic red, white and blue gear that was emblazoned with the words “living the dream,” which is Reed’s personal slogan.

Mr. Consistency Pads Points Lead

Reed got the holeshot to start the first 30 minutes plus 2 laps moto, but early on lost the top spot to Andrew Short, who opened a comfortable lead before Reed regrouped and began to close the gap. The two-time Supercross champion reclaimed the lead from Short on lap 11 of 15 and held off the charge of Josh Grant for the win. Reed and Ivan Tedesco waged a long and exciting battle for second in moto two, with Tedesco finishing just inches in front of the Australian as Grant took the moto win and overall honors with Reed holding down the runner-up spot.

(Courtesy Carl Stone)

Two in a Row from Idaho

Jake Weimer continued to atone for his non-scoring outing at High Point by annexing his second straight overall victory for the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team. The Idaho resident said before the race that he liked racing at RedBud because he considers it a rider’s track and added, “Hopefully the momentum I built from last week will carry over.”

That seemed to be the case on a somewhat chaotic day for the 250 Class riders. Weimer got the holeshot in moto one, in the process avoiding a large pileup in the first turn, and kept the pressure on Ryan Dungey while finishing second. In the second moto, Weimer had to work his way through some traffic, but did so with the knowledge that Dungey had crashed and rode a smart race to finish fourth and grab first overall. The finish moved Weimer from 10th to 7th in the standings.

(Courtesy Carl Stone)

Pourcel Battles Back

Pro Circuit’s Christophe Pourcel failed to win the opening moto for the first time this season, placing eighth, but was lucky to finish at all after being unseated in a first turn melee and falling again later in the moto. The Frenchman came back to win the second moto and was one of four riders tied for second with 38 points. Pourcel got the spot based on his second moto finish and maintained his 9-point lead over first moto winner Dungey.

A Season of Promise Turns to Heartbreak

The afternoon came to a premature end for Tyla Rattray, the third member of the Pro Circuit team. The South African rider continued his solid riding with a sixth in the opening moto and looked to be on his way to yet another consistent effort. However, he crashed at the start of the second moto and was unable to finish. He also emerged from the incident with a broken thumb and fell from third to fifth in the standings after finishing 13th overall.

(Courtesy Carl Stone)

Thor’s International Stars Carry Red Plates into the Final Six

With six of the 12 rounds of the Pro Motocross Championship in the books, Chad Reed has to be feeling good about his chances of winning his first 450 class title. No stranger to being out front, the Australian star has one overall victory along with three moto wins and has built a 21-point lead over Short. Fellow Honda rider Tedesco is third, 40 points behind, and the advantage he holds over his two main rivals means Reed can concentrate on consistent finishes and avoid unnecessary risks.

(Courtesy Carl Stone)

Christophe Pourcel’s advantage may not be as comfortable, but the rookie has proven that regardless of what happens on the track, his nerves are never shaken. Despite seven moto wins, he sits just 9 points in front of Suzuki’s Dungey in what has become a two-man battle. Pourcel has the added pressure of being unfamiliar with any of the tracks on the schedule, but that hasn’t seemed to be a problem for him thus far.

Looking Ahead…

The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship takes a week off before returning to action on July 18 from Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville , Minn. , kicking-off the second half of 2009.