Press Release | August 18, 2016
This is a press release from Pirelli…
Rome, GA (August 18, 2016) – The penultimate round of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will make its annual return to Budds Creek Motocross Park for the 27th running of the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National on Saturday, August 20. Located just outside of the nation’s capital in Washington D.C., riders will face one of the most physically challenging stops of season, consisting of intense humidity, high temperatures, steep hills and deep, tacky soil. Rain or shine, Pirelli’s wide-range of Scorpion™ MX lineup will be on hand to accommodate riders, regardless of the conditions that they may face.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2016 Championship has been none other than rookie Benny Bloss, consistently gaining valuable experience with each weekend of the season and recording career-high finishes. This past weekend at the Unadilla National, Bloss spent several laps in the runner-up position during Moto 2 and eventually finished a very impressive fourth place overall. He currently sits 6th place in the 450 Class Championship standings during his rookie season, but is looking to take the leap to fifth by the end of the weekend.
Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Justin Barcia has shown signs of brilliance throughout the 2016 season, however, the No.51 has faced plenty of adversity due to opening lap carnage that has forced him to carve his way through the star-studded field. As the defending winner of Budds Creek in 2015, he will certainly be seeking redemption as looks to capture his first overall victory of the season.
Barcia’s fellow JGRMX teammates, Weston Peick and Phil Nicoletti, will be looking to keep their momentum rolling as they battle to earn a spot inside of the top-10 overall Championship standings with just two rounds remaining. Peick finished a respectable seventh place last weekend in New York and currently sits just 11 points outside of the top 10. Nicoletti has shown blazing speed throughout the last several races, but mistakes have cost him multiple top-five moto scores. The New York-native sits ninth place overall, a mere six points from his nearest rival in eighth.
The BTO Sports/WPS/KTM squad has made a strong impact during this summer’s Pro Motocross Championship, which has included multiple races featuring all three of its riders inside of the top-10. The veteran duo of Andrew Short and Justin Brayton continue to prove that their experience is capable of placing them well within contention on a weekly basis. Brayton, who is riding riding motocross at a career-high pace, sits seventh place in the championship standings, just 10 points behind rookie teammate Bloss. Competing in the final season of his professional career, Short holds the final spot inside of the 450 Class top-10 and is determined to wrap up his final event at Budds Creek with a strong showing.
Pirelli was notorious for its riders claiming season-best finishes at one of the toughest races of the season this past weekend at Unadilla. Motorcycle Superstore Suzuki’s Kyle Cunningham fought-hard in the 250 Class to earn 12th-place overall, while Jimmy Albertson placed inside of the top 15 both motos for 16th overall. In the 450 Class, the TPJ Racing team witnessed two of its riders’, Matt Babbitt and Dustin Pipes, finish 19th and 20th, respectively.
The opening motos from the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National kick off on Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 1 p.m. ET and can be viewed on MAV TV, while second motos can be viewed on promotocross.com at 3pm ET. Check local listings for channel information.
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Upcoming 2016 AMA Pro Motocross Schedule
Budds Creek National – August 20
Ironman National – August 27