Another excellent day of racing topped off the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championships and WMX series at Pala Raceway. While the 450 Class championship was decided several weeks ago due to Ryan Dungey’s persistent top performances, the 250 Class and WMX championships were both to be decided on this sunny afternoon. Entering the first 250 Class moto, Christophe Pourcel led Trey Canard by a mere seven points, while Jessica Patterson entered the Southern Californian facility with a slightly more comfortable 22 point gap back to second place Ashley Fiolek. What was the outcome? Read on to find out.
250 Class
Moto 1
Dean Wilson used his quick reflexes to take another holeshot ahead of Cole Seely and Tyla Rattray with Christophe Pourcel and Trey Canard not far behind. In the opening laps, the running order remained basically the same, as Wilson slowly stretched out a small lead and Rattray began pressuring Seely for second.
But the true battle for the championship continued to heat up, as Pourcel and Canard remained glued to one another, with the Kawasaki pilot leading the charge. Then just as things were beginning to look interesting, Canard made a pass on Pourcel but immediately went off the track, falling in the process.
But good fortune was on the Geico Powersports/Honda rider’s side, as all three of his teammates were not far behind. Team tactics or not, Trey was able to make quick work of his Honda compatriots and within a few short laps, found himself in sixth, only two spots behind Pourcel.
Then it happened, a moment that will likely not be forgotten for a long time. With a comfortable gap back to fourth, Pourcel looked like he was in cruise control. Heading into the back section of the track, Pourcel landed in a small pothole on the landing of a step up that bucked him over the bars. The result was a hard crash that suddenly saw his championship hopes go up in smoke. The Frenchman sat on the track, wincing in pain with a dislocated shoulder as Canard rode past, unchallenged.
Out front however, Dean Wilson ran away with his best moto performance to date, taking his second moto win of the season.
Moto 2
In a repeat of the first moto, Wilson once again took the early lead, this time edging out Canard and Rattray. And just like last moto, Wilson slowly but surely began putting some distance between himself and second place.
With Pourcel out due to his injured shoulder, Canard essentially inherited the championship, but he was also not about to rest on his laurels, although he would eventually surrender second place to Rattray. But from there the Honda rider was, by no means, timid on the motorcycle, maintaining a solid podium position. Further back, Eli Tomac was having another very convincing ride in fourth while Martin Davalos was finally making an appearance where he should be in fifth. Justin Barcia, however, was able to recover from a mediocre start to work his way past Davalos in the closing laps.
Out front the story was once again all about Wilson, who only became faster as the race went on, stretching out a sizable lead on Rattray that he held all the way to the finish. The big news, though, was Trey Canard, who held on for third place, third overall, and first in the AMA 250 Outdoor National Championship.
Results
1) Dean Wilson 1-1
2) Tyla Rattray 2-2
3) Trey Canard 4-3
4) Eli Tomac 8-4
5) Justin Barcia 6-5
6) Cole Seely 3-12
7) Wil Hahn 7-7
8 ) Broc Tickle 5-9
9) Martin Davalos 14-6
10) Les Smith 13-11
TAGS: andrew short, ashely fiolek, Christophe Pourcel, jessica patterson, Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross, nationals, pala raceway, Race Report, racing, ryan dungey, san diego, trey canard
