Budds Creek 2012 Pro Motocross Outdoor National 450 Class Preview

Ryan Dungey is heading into round 5 of the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series, at Budds Creek, with momentum on his side. Could we see a recurrence of the 2012 supercross series? Lots of hype surfaced at the opening round at Hangtown about the season, but things have settled a bit as we approach round 5′s roar this weekend. Dungey holds the coveted red plate …the number plate designated to the series points leader. James Stewart’s return to the outdoors on a brand new team began with an impressive winning streak, but Stewart’s infamous reputation and fate echoed ‘crash and burn’ by the third race. Meanwhile, Ryan Dungey’s performance, on a relatively new KTM team, has proved impressive. Dungey’s consistency and speed are once again paying off for the like-able champion. Both riders, Dungey and Stewart, are still top choices for winning the overall 2012 title as the season rolls on.

With a new bike and new team, James Stewart appeared to be back to his roots following an impressive 1-1 finish at both Hangtown and Freestone. Some claimed that the James ‘Bubba’ Stewart that we all knew from the past, might possibly repeat another undefeated outdoor season in 2012. However, that forecast was quickly shattered, after a controversial crash at Thunder Valley. Regardless, Stewart’s riding style on his new Yoshimura Suzuki has suggested less of a struggle compared to his performance on his previous JGR Yamaha. Keep in mind however, that ’change’ itself can be a very powerful tool for the mind’s attitude … somewhat of a ‘placebo’ effect, positive or negative, when competing at these levels. So time will tell if it was the Yamaha or not. One thing is for sure, Ryan Dungey’s strength certainly seems to be a big obstacle for Stewart’s quest for the 2012 outdoor title. Hopefully Stewart will recover quickly from his wrist injury, so we can see a much anticipated battle via some clean, ‘no excuses’, motocross racing.

It sure didn’t take long for what people had predicted to happen to James Stewart to occur. The naysayers said his two race win streak would end in a matter of weeks, and he’d crash out again. Well, they were right. James crashed on the downhill at Thunder Valley … but a photographer was crossing the track, and many  have blamed Stewart’s misfortune on that photographer. Stewart returned the following week to High Point in hopes to keep his championship dreams alive. He put up a decent first moto and finished 6th. Unfortunately though, James would not line up for moto 2 … leaving a question mark regarding his 2012 season title chase. Is this it for James? It is now confirmed that Stewart will NOT be racing this weekend at Budds Creek due to the extent of his wrist injury. JS7 sent this tweet out earlier today: “Sad to say but I won’t be at budds creek this weekend. Things are getting better but still not where I need to be to be racing this Sat.”

Other riders besides Ryan Dungey are also gaining serious momentum.  Seattle’s 2012 Supercross winner Andrew Short, and Ryan Villopoto’s teammate Jake Weimer are looking solid . So is Mike Alessi who now sits second in overall points. As the saying goes, “Let’s Go A Racing!” This is RD4Ever reporting for Chronic MX…see you at the races!

Overall Point Standings heading into Budds Creek:
1. Ryan Dungey, 186
2. Mike Alessi, 144
3. Jake Weimer, 141
4. Andrew Short, 128
5. James Stewart, 116