Cycle News

VOL. 53 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 P121 with nine, Tomac with two and Dungey with one national win) was historically a low number, but certainly not unprecedented. You need only go back to 2013 to find the last time that hap- pened, when Ryan Villopoto, Dungey and James Stewart were the only three to win all summer. In 2012 only Stewart and Dung- ey managed victories. But we were coming off a 2015 where you had four winners (Tomac, Dungey, Roczen and Barcia) and in 2014 when we had five. Roczen's title marked the first for Suzuki since 2010 when a rookie Ryan Dungey won the championship for them. It's the 11th time Suzuki has won the premier MX title in the U.S. Interestingly Suzuki broke out of a tie with Yamaha on the all-time wins by a manufacturer in the 450 class and now owns 85 premier class victories, that's third behind Honda's 134 and Kawasaki's 105. Cooper Webb broke through to score his first title in the out- door nationals. For Webb, his hopes at winning the 250-class title seemed bleak at the start of the season after he was forced to battle through a wrist injury. While he started off slow, Webb ensured his presence was felt in the early rounds as he slowly progressed through the injury. At his home race at Tennes- see's Muddy Creek Raceway, Webb emerged with his first overall win of the season, ignit- ing a dramatic surge through the second half of the summer that saw him rattle off three straight wins and seize control of the championship. Once in possession of the red number plate Webb never looked back and ultimately went on to claim his first national title in his final season of 250-class competi- tion. He gave Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha its third straight championship, leading the way for a 1-2 finish in the final standings for the team with Alex Martin following as champion- ship runner up. Webb, who ultimately scored four national victories, was one of six winners in the 250 class in 2016, along with Joey Savat- gy (three wins), Alex Martin (two wins), Jeremy Martin, Zach Os- borne and Austin Forkner with a win apiece. Three of them—Alex Martin, Osborne and Forkner— were first-time winners. It was a milestone year for Husqvarna, as Osborne's 250 victory at Budds Creek was the first in series history for the maker. Missouri yielded some excit- ing new riders this year with the state producing both of this year's Rookies of the Year. In the 450-class, former AMA Horizon Award winner Benny Bloss was given the honor for the premier division, following an impressive first season with BTO Sports/ WPS/KTM. After joining the team just prior to the Pro Mo- tocross Championship, Bloss showed continued progression throughout the summer, record- ing a career-best result of fourth at Unadilla and finishing sixth in the final standings. In the 250 class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Austin Forkner's Rookie of the Year honors confirmed his position as a future title contender. His late- season ascension to the fore- front of the division culminated with the first overall win of his career at the Ironman National, capping off the summer with four straight overall podium results and a fourth-place finish in the final standings. The 2017 AMA Pro Motocross season seems like an eternity away in a sport when so many things can happen from week to week, from winter pre-season practice, through the grinding supercross winter. It really will be a different landscape when the MX series kicks off again next May. Dungey's return should make the biggest impact and fans are eager to see how well Webb makes the transition to the bigger bikes. Can Tomac once again find the consistency to be a serious title contender? One thing is most likely though and that is Roczen should again be the rider to beat. The 250 class appears at this point to be wide open. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives

• Cover