AMA MX: Highpoint Preview

Located in northeast region of the USA, High Point Raceway is considered the ‘home race’ of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. This year’s round marks the 40th anniversary of uninterrupted AMA pro racing at High Point Raceway since 1977, making it one of the longest-standing circuits on the Championship’s calendar.

We take a look at the history of the iconic venue, and break down what you need to know about the 2017 championship thus far.

450 Class Facts

Australia’s own Chad Reed is the only rider to earn his first career wins in both the 450 and 250 class at High Point. These wins were his only victories at the track, and they came seven years apart (2002 and 2009).
With three rounds down and three different riders taking Overall wins, the 2017 season has kicked off with some of the strongest competition seen in well over a decade. 2001 was the last time the AMA Pro Motocross Championship had this type of diversity, with the likes of Tim Ferry, Sebastien Tortelli and David Vuillemin taking the Overall wins in the first three rounds.
At the last round of the Championship in Thunder Valley, CO, KTM’s Blake Baggett showed just how determined he was to get that number-one spot in the 450 class after securing his first Overall win in the premiere class. Could this be the tuning point of the former 250 champ’s 450 career? He now sits in third Overall in the standings with 108 points, only 2 points behind Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac.
With a comfortable 17 point lead coming into this round at the Red Bull High Point National, Factory KTM’s Marvin Musquin is the only rider to finish with an Overall podium at each round thus far. Riding into his most successful track on the circuit, Musquin is proving hard to beat for this upcoming round.

Australia’s own Dean Ferris has announced he will be returning to the United States for the first time since 2014, for a one-off race at the High Point National. Following his domination of the 2017 MX Nationals back home in Oz, Ferris is taking advantage of the series’ five-week break to race his first ever AMA MX Outdoor. Dean will be aboard his current Aussie CDR Yamaha 450 machine, bringing along a selection of his CDR crew. How is Dean expected to perform? This is what he had to say: “I’m not really sure of my expectations, but I’m on a great program here, in probably the best form of my career. And so with my two right-hand men by my side, on my bike set-up, I’m interested to see how I go.”

250 Class Facts

Welcoming five different moto winners through six different motos, the 250 class is stacked with fierce competition. Could this be a recurring theme with a new rider landing on the top step this weekend, or will one rider rise above the rest and run away with the points lead?
Heading into this weekend’s round with only a 9-point lead, Zach Osborne is going to have to put in the hard yards to keep that number-one spot on the Overall standings. With six of the top 10 riders having bike troubles this early in the season, anything could happen this weekend.