The 250 class title will be centre stage at Indiana’s Ironman Raceway this weekend as the penultimate round of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is held.
Story by Hayden Gregory
A compelling battle for the Gary Jones Cup will continue as reigning 250 class champion, Jeremy Martin and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin battle it out for one last time. The pair has traded blows all season with only a two point margin separating the two heading into the final round.
Thanks to a tiebreaker win last week, Martin has five overall wins to his name whilst Musquin has three. Musquin has however gained the upper hand in moto wins, winning 10 compared to Martin’s nine. These results have ensured the pair remain statistically level.
Frenchman Musquin will look for a 1-1 effort on Saturday which he has already achieved twice this season. This would allow him to take out the title no matter how well Martin rides. Munsquin’s confidence will no doubt be high as he comes in as the defending winner at Ironman raceway.
Comparatively, Martin is looking to become the first rider since Ryan Villopoto in 2007-2008 to win back to back 250 class titles. Previous winners include Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, Dean Wilson, Blake Bagget and Eli Tomac.
Having been in this position before, Martin knows exactly how to close out a championship. Martin’s Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha teammate Cooper Webb will also be a rider of note to watch. Webb could play a vital role in Martin taking out the title having already showed his strategic teamwork skills last week. It was Webb who separated the pair in the last moto preventing Musquin from making the pass and claiming more title points.
Whilst the attention of the weekend will be focused on the 250 class there is no denying the victory lap of sorts that Ryan Dungey will be completing in the 450’s. Having already wrapped up the class Dungey will enjoy the final round pressure free.
The intense racing will be left up to Yamaha’s Justin Barcia and Suzuki’s Ken Roczen who will battle it out for second and third places. Heading into the round Barcia holds a five-point advantage following an impressive late season surge.
