MX Sports Pro Racing and NBC Sports Congratulate AMA 
U.S. Motocross Team on Runner-Up Effort at Motocross of Nations
Additional Recognition for Pro Motocross Competitors Musquin and Wilson

This past weekend the AMA U.S. Motocross Team of reigning back-to-back 250 Class Champion Jeremy Martin, 450 Class championship podium finisher Justin Barcia, and rising star Cooper Webb narrowly missed out on a 23^rd victory at the annual FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in Ernee, France. MX Sports Pro Racing and NBC Sports, administrative and operational partners of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, congratulate “Team USA” on its valiant second-place effort.

The Yamaha-mounted trio proved to be Team France’s most formidable opponent at their home MXoN and was led by Team Captain Barcia. The Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha rider rode at the front of the field in each of his two motos, earning 1-3 moto scores to ultimately claim overall honors in the MXGP division. His victory in the opening moto of the day was his first in three MXoN attempts.

The Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha tandem of Martin (MX2) and Webb (Open) were also very solid and backed up Barcia’s efforts with their own stellar results. Martin overcame the power displacement deficit he faced in both motos to earn a pair of fifth-place finishes on his 250cc bike amongst two gates full of 450cc machines. Those finishes ultimately allowed Martin to finish second overall in MX2 in his second consecutive MXoN visit. 

In just his second ever race aboard a 450cc Yamaha, Webb was one of the breakout riders of the MXoN in his inaugural attempt. He went toe-to-toe with newly crowned MX1 World Champion Romain Febvre in his first moto and managed to overcome a start outside the top 10 and a brief stall to finish sixth in the final moto, placing him second overall in the Open classification. 

“There was a tremendous amount of excitement surrounding the U.S. lineup for this season’s Motocross of Nations and now we know why. These three young guns stepped up to the plate and put it to their opponents with an incredible effort,” said MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs. “Although they just missed out on bringing the Chamberlain Trophy back to the U.S., Justin [Barcia], Jeremy [Martin] and Cooper [Webb] should all hold their heads high. This future of American motocross is bright with these three leading the way.” 

Collectively, the AMA U.S. Motocross Team compiled an final score of 16, finishing just two points short of eventual winners France. The runner-up effort extended the U.S. team’s podium streak to 11 years. Moreover, all three U.S. riders are graduates of the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s. 

Team France has now won back-to-back MXoN titles for the first time in the nation’s history. An integral member of Team France was none other than Marvin Musquin, the 250 Class championship runner-up this past season in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. In his final race aboard a 250cc motorcycle, Musquin played a crucial role in helping his team to victory, posting 4-3 finishes as the top rider in MX2. 

Additional recognition goes out to another full-time Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship contender who faced an uphill challenge at the MXoN, Team Great Britain’s Dean Wilson. The Red Bull KTM rider watched helplessly as both his teammates, Shaun Simpson and Max Anstie, suffered big crashes in qualifying, with Anstie being forced out of action. Despite being down a rider, Wilson gave it his all and led the team with 6-8 finishes while Simpson, who rode to an impressive fourth-place effort during a guest appearance at Unadilla in August, endured to post 8-11 results. 

“The performances by both Marvin [Musquin] and Dean [Wilson] are indicative to the incredible amount of talent we have in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship,” added Coombs. “These two riders played invaluable roles on their teams and made their respective country’s proud as a result of their efforts. We congratulate them as well and would also like to extend our utmost gratitude to U.S. Team Manager Roger DeCoster for his continued efforts in making this country a perennial contender at the MXoN.”

Ben Townley, the 2004 MX2 World Champion and former Pro Motocross contender, came out of retirement to represent his home country of New Zealand, finishing a notable 6-2 for third overall in MXGP. “We all want to congratulate Ben Townley, who came out of retirement and ignited some memories,” said Coombs. “Ten years ago he raced against Ricky Carmichael and Kevin Windham on the same track in Ernee. It’s hard to believe ten years later and two full years out of retirement, Ben nearly won the final moto. It was a remarkable performance by a true competitor.” 

The Motocross of Nations is affectionately known as the “Olympics of Motocross” and is one of the most high-profile motorsport events in the world. It features national teams composed of three riders across three divisions competing to determine which country is the best in the world. The event emerged in post-war Europe in 1947 and has run uninterrupted since that time.

The U.S. last won the Motocross of Nations in 2011 when the event was held in Saint D'Angely, France. The U.S. is also the winningest team in Motocross of Nations history with 22 victories. The 2016 Motocross of Nations will take place in Maggiora, Italy. 

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