After a summer full of some of the best competition in series history, the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship came to a close on Saturday, in the heart of the motocross industry in Southern California. Thousands of fans were on hand to witness the Traxxas Pala National from Pala Raceway, as Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., secured his first premier 450 Class title. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Dean Wilson, of Scotland, capped off his championship season by sweeping the day's motos for his third win of the season.
In the opening moto of the 450 Class, all eyes were on Villopoto and his championship rival, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., who were separated by just 14 points. Out of the gates, the duo positioned themselves within the top 10, and immediately began working on moving forward. Out front, Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., looked to pull away, with American Honda's Justin Barcia, of Monroe, N.Y., in pursuit. After just three laps, Barcia took over the top spot, but it was only a matter of time before the series' perennial front-runners were battling for the lead. Both Villopoto and Dungey followed nose to tail throughout the moto, and on Lap 12, Villopoto slipped past Barcia and never looked back. Dungey followed suit two laps later, finishing second, and also losing an additional three points in the standings.
In Moto 2, the championship leaders found themselves in similar positions off the start, while TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing's Chad Reed, of Australia, took over the early lead. While leading, Reed went down, allowing a closely-pursuing Barcia to assume the position. Upon remounting, Reed was forced to deal with a hard-charging Dungey and Villopoto. Dungey worked his way past quickly, and set his sights on Barcia, and the overall win. Villopoto took his time getting around Reed, using his healthy points lead to his advantage, but eventually settled into third, where he would finish the moto. At the front of the field, Barcia and Dungey brought the fans to their feet, battling for the win over the final two laps, with Dungey prevailing to secure his fourth win of the year.
"It was a great day," said Dungey. "It's been a long, hard-fought season. I'm bummed I couldn't come out on top, but there is a sense of happiness along with it. Every race, you had to be on top of your game. Every single week, just trying to get more out of yourself. This is definitely the toughest season of my career. I know I gave it my all, and did everything I can, so I can walk away happy knowing that."
Villopoto's 1-3 moto results placed him second overall for the day, but with 12 points to his credit over Dungey, was able to claim the season championship - his fourth career AMA Pro Motocross title. With the AMA Supercross Championship to his credit earlier this season, Villopoto becomes the 12th rider in AMA Pro Racing history to win the title in both disciplines in the same year.
"I didn't want to just go out there and ride today," said Villopoto. "I felt good in the first moto, and I went into the second just looking to stay out of trouble. We started off outdoors not very good, but we finally came around. It's been a tough year. If it weren't for (Dungey's) DNF at Texas, I would have come up a little shy (of the title). But, things like that happen. The turning point was at Unadilla, when we brought out our new bike. We made a lot of progress there."
Barcia finished third (2-3), giving him his second overall podium finish in four rounds of 450 Class competition.
