One week after he missed out on winning a moto for the first time all season, Roczen rebounded in resounding fashion at the previous stop from Minnesota’s Spring Creek MX Park. In the first moto the German rider outdueled championship rival and Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac, who beat Roczen with a 1-1 sweep of his own the week prior, to take his 12^th moto win of the season. In Moto 2, Roczen managed to overcome a bent shifter on the opening lap to soon take the lead from Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin and eventually run away to a near 30-second advantage. It was the dominant form that fans have come to expect from Roczen this season and added to his incredible win totals this season, winning 13 out of 16 motos and securing six overall victories in eight rounds, setting a new personal single season record. All six of Roczen’s wins this season have come via 1-1 sweeps and it’s given him a very comfortable 55-point lead with four rounds remaining. 

Tomac has done all he can to keep pace with Roczen, posting nine consecutive moto finishes inside the top three, but his two moto wins compared to Roczen’s 13 has proven to be the biggest disparity of the entire season. Roczen has been able to outscore Tomac at all but one race this season, consistently inching away with each passing round. While Tomac is still very much in the title fight, his ability to overcome a deficit of more than two motos will likely need to be complemented with some hard luck for Roczen. Nevertheless, Tomac won’t go down in his chase of a first career 450 Class title without giving it his all in all eight of the remaining motos. He and Roczen have put on a show for the fans on several occasions this season and there’s no reason to think their battles won’t continue Saturday at Washougal.

Neither Roczen nor Tomac has ever won at Washougal and with defending series champion Ryan Dungey, winner the last two seasons, sidelined by injury, the opportunity is there for a new rider to emerge victorious. While the lead tandem in the title fight will enter as favorites, Musquin is confident in his ability to challenge them after posting the best result of his rookie season last weekend with a runner-up effort. 

Heading into Minnesota there wasn’t a rider in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship hotter than Webb. The 250 Class points leader claimed his first overall win of the season at Tennessee and carried the momentum to a three-round winning streak that saw him take over the top spot in the standings and open up a 37-point lead in the championship battle. Although he missed out on making it four in a row last weekend, Webb still left Minnesota losing no points to his competitors after tying Jeremy Martin for first place in event points. While it was a bittersweet end to his midseason surge, Webb remained in full control of his own destiny and his hopes of clinching the first national championship of his career.

For Martin, the victory as Spring Creek was long overdue. It was fitting for the back-to-back champion to end an eight-race winless streak at the track owned by his parents, it was highly unusual for it to take Martin until the eighth round of the season to earn his first overall victory. Martin has been battling his bike and his own health throughout the summer, and while he’s been a consistent presence at the front of the field at virtually every round, uncharacteristic mistakes have cost him valuable points and the trademark late-race charges that almost defined his title-winning seasons have been missing. With that elusive win under his belt, and possession of second in the championship standings, perhaps now is time Martin begins making his move. 

While Webb and Martin are on the upswing, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy continues to lose ground. The once dominant force of the early part of this season has endured a rough midseason stretch in which he’s found himself on the ground all too often. As a result, the Georgia native has gradually fell from first to third in the 250 Class standings and while he enjoyed a much-needed solid outing at Spring Creek, finishing just off the podium in fourth, he’s now facing a 50-point deficit to Webb with four rounds remaining. A return to the west coast could provide the change of scenery Savatgy needs to get the momentum rolling again, potentially setting the stage for a three-rider battle for the championship. 

Webb enters Washougal as the defending race winner, and his six moto wins this season is the most in the division. He’s won five of the last seven motos, finishing no worse than second, and looks to be completely healed from a wrist injury that hindered him coming into the season. While controlling the championship has been unfamiliar territory for Webb, he’s handled the pressure of the red plate like a veteran and looks ready to take on everything his teammate, Savatgy, and the rest of the field have to throw at him.