For motocross fans, all eyes are now focused on Hangtown for the opening round of the 2016 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Rancho Cordova, California. Many of the championship contenders got a chance to ride the course yesterday via two 20-minute sessions. It was a chance to get their feet wet in MX again and learn the track after nearly 17 straight weeks of supercross. They will have to learn quickly, because the Hangtown track is usually one of the roughest on the circuit, and from the way it looked yesterday, it will again live up to its reputation.
One of the many returning racers is at Hangtown is Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo. His return from injury is one that’s been long awaited and highly anticipated by his fans. He says that the right wrist that he broke and dislocated (and had had surgery on just hours after injuring it) three weeks prior to the start of the 250SX East Supercross Series is in good shape but not fully healed yet. But he said that he’s been riding full time for about five weeks and feels great on the bike, though the wrist is still a little sore. If he bumps it the wrong way while on the bike, he says, it can sting pretty good for about a lap until the pain subsides. Still, he’s anxious to get back on the track. Photography by Kit Palmer
Cianciarulo looks good on the bike and is hoping to get his Pro Circuit team on the board early. The team is currently in a title-winning dry spell. But with Cianciarulo, Joey Savatgy, Arnaud Tonus and rookie Austin Forkner on the squad, that slump could very well end this summer. Photography by Kit Palmer
And speaking of wrists, look who’s here and racing – Cooper Webb! Webb broke his wrist a few weeks before the Las Vegas Supercross final and rode just fast enough there to win the 250SX East title. Many though Webb was going to sit out the beginning of the outdoors to let the wrist heal. Webb said that after consulting with his doctor, it was determined that he really couldn’t do anymore damage to the navicular bone that he broke and if he could manage the pain then he could race. After practice, however, Webb iced the wrist and just didn’t seem overly thrilled about starting the season injured (like he did last year). We will see what happens. Photography by Kit Palmer
After missing most the supercross series with an injury, BTO Sports KTM’s Andrew Short is back in action. This will be his final season racing before retiring. His teammate Davi Millsaps isn’t here, he’s competing in the Canadian Nationals this year. But Short’s other teammate, Justin Brayton, is here and looks good on the bike. Photography by Kit Palmer
Trey Canard hasn’t ridden a full season outdoors in a long time. He missed most of last year’s national and the 2014 nationals with injuries and is anxious to start off this year’s series fresh. “We ended 2014 really strong, so the hope and the ultimate goal is to get back to where we were then—fighting for wins and podiums,” Canard said. “I came in at the end last year and don’t really think I was completely ready, especially with everyone having the full season under their belts and in the swing of things. I feel good though. I think we’ve had some good preparation and I’m excited to line up on Saturday. I’m riding well so I just have to go out there and try to get good starts and put together the rides that I know I’m capable of.” Photography by Kit Palmer
Justin Barcia was one of the strongest 450 riders at the end of last year’s nationals. Barcia missed most the SX series with an injury but was pretty quite after returning for the last few rounds. The big question is can he return to form in the outdoors? In this photo, Barcia clears Hangtown’s monster triple jump. He was one of just a handful that were doing it, which included 250 rookie Austin Forkner! Photography by Kit Palmer
James Stewart had a miserable supercross season that was filled with injuries and disappointment. He skipped the final few rounds of SX to get ready for the oudoors. Photography by Kit Palmer
James Stewart would’ve made pro golfer John Daly proud, showing up in some pretty bright Seven gear. Stewart had his Yoshimra Suzuki flying around the Hangtown track, a track that has treated him well in the past. How will he do at Hangtown? That is one of the biggest questions that will be answered tomorrow. How do you think he’ll do? Photography by Kit Palmer
GEICO Honda’s Tristan Charboneau is making his pro debut and he was flat out hauling on the Hangtown track. The GEICO team has a great reputation with its MX rookies at Hangtown. Remember Eli Tomac and Josh Grant? Photography by Kit Palmer
Yamahlube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin (right) is hoping to make it a three-peat in the 250 class. The last person to do that was Ryan Villopoto (2006-2008). Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne (left) could be the spoiler. Osborne certainly has the talent to win the title, he just needs to stay injury free. He says that his goal is to stay in contention then pour it on hard towards the end of the season. Osborne is a veteran, he’s smart and is super fast. Photography by Kit Palmer
Ken Roczen has to be one of the real favorites to win the 450MX championship. He came on strong at the end of the SX series and is coming into the nationals healthy, unlike he did last year when he could barely walk after tweaking his back working around the house. Roczen says he’s super happy with the bike and ready to roll. “In 2015, we had a bunch of struggles,” said Roczen. “I was still dealing with an injury and we were making a lot of changes to the bike. I feel like this year, we’re in a much better position and I’m really excited to finally kick off the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season. We’ve been riding supercross for quite a long time now, so it’s still new riding motocross again but it makes it that much more fun. It’s refreshing after so many months of supercross to finally start the outdoor season. I’m really excited. I feel well rested going into the new season and the points are back to zero. That gives us another chance at the title and I really think we can claim it. It’s going to take no mistakes and a lot of hard effort.” Photography by Kit Palmer
Ryan Dungey is the defending 450SX champ and is seeking his fourth 450MX title. Dungey looked good on the track yesterday but has struggled here in the past, so it will be interesting to see how the Red Bull KTM team rider does. If there is one rider who will be on the podium all season long, though, it will be “The Machine,” Dungey. Photography by Kit Palmer
Eli Tomac has a lot of pressure on him right now. Many are expecting him to dominate tomorrow’s race just like he did last year before getting hurt at round three in Colorado. At Colorado, Tomac was leading when he went down and dislocated both his shoulders. However, Tomac is competing outdoors for the first time on his new Monster Energy Kawasaki Team and the question is will the two–he and Kawasaki–click like he did last year with GEICO Honda. Tomac didn’t have the results people were expecting of him in supercross, but he did come on strong the last few rounds. Will we see the Tomac of old at Hangtown?
This year’s outdoor nationals promises to be a good one as long as all of the key players stay healthy, which has proven to be difficult to do in the past. The fields are deep in both the 250 and 450cc classes, so predicting a champion this year won’t be easy and that’s what makes it so much fun to watch. Who do you think will get it done? Will we see two new championship come the end of summer or will Martin and Dungey do it again?
