AMA MX’s Tennessee National

Two years ago, the Muddy Creek round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship AMA was memorable for a few reasons. First up, it was the round where Eli Tomac’s CRF450R struck a solitary figure under the GEICO Honda bigrig.

Why? Because, after dominating the opening three rounds and six motos of the series, Tomac’s monumental crash while comfortably leading the Thunder Valley National left the series leader with shoulder injuries that required immediate surgery, and that spelled the end to both his season and title aspirations.

That 2015 round at Muddy Creek also marked the last time Chad Reed would ride under the banner of his own team, TwoTwo Motorsports. Already with his nose out of joint because the AMA MX series promoters had not allowed him to run a 360fly camera on his helmet (because it conflicted with the series’ GoPro sponsorship), and riding injured and visibly disgruntled, Reed pulled off the track that weekend at Muddy Creek, failing to finish both motos. And within a few weeks, he’d announced the closure of his team. Reed’s SX-only deal in with Yamaha in two seasons since means he’s yet to line-up at another Outdoor round. And as far as we know, he may never do so again.

Turning our attention to this weekend, there’s a bunch of interesting stats worthy of mention, many of which revolve around the miraculous run of good form from KTM’s Blake Baggett. Try these for size:

• This weekend marks the fifth Tennessee National, which debuted in 2013. Prior to that, this track enjoyed a longstanding legacy in the sport that spans four decades. In fact, it’s one of the most sacred venues for the AMA Amateur Motocross series.
• With his second consecutive Overall win last week at High Point, Blake Baggett became only the 10^th rider in Pro Motocross history to back up his debut win with another victory.
• Baggett’s strong start to the season has also put the iconic #4 back in the spotlight. The last time a red background was displayed on the #4 was when Ricky Carmichael sat atop the standings during his farewell 2007 season.

• Baggett is the first non-factory rider to lead the championship since Chad Reed did in 2011 (right before the “Chadapult” unravelled the back half of Reed’s season).
• For the first time since the opening round, all six competing manufacturers are now represented in the top 10 positions in the 450 Class’ standings.
• Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac has not finished on the podium since his dominant win at the opening round at Hangrtown, though Tomac still sits just 11 points out of the championship lead heading into Muddy Creek.
• Suzuki’s Brock Tickle is now the sixth differ 450 Class rider to finish on the Overall podium this season.

• For sideline entertainment at the Muddy Creek round, be sure not to miss the Mutty Creek Dog Show. Lame as that sounds, props to the Americans for even allowing dogs into the pits at the Nationals. Last time we weer at Muddy Creek, there was a couple of pooches running around under the Pro Circuit Kawasaki semi-trailer’s awning.