It was a big weekend for factory Monster energy Kawasaki motocross racer Ryan Villopoto. It’s only the halfway point in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Series, but Villopoto busted the 450 Championship wide open with his 1-1 at RedBud (just outside of South Bend, Indiana). Meanwhile his chief series rival Ryan Dungey suffered a DNF in the first moto when he killed the motor on his Red Bull KTM and could not get it restarted. That means RV has a huge 42-point lead in the championship going into the second half of the season.

It’s different story in the 250 class where there is an excellent two-rider battle for the title between former world champ Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac. Roczen won the overall this past Saturday with a (2-1) at RedBud, but the point standings didn’t change since Tomac went (1-2). So just seven points separate the two going into Washougal On July 20.

In AMA Grand National action the series finally got a Twins race in after two straight rainouts. At Hagerstown, Maryland it was former Rookie of the Year Brad Baker earning his first career Grand National victory. It sounded like Baker was more relieved to finally get the monkey off his back than being jubilant for the victory, since friends and fans have asked him every weekend for the last couple of years when he was going to finally win. Baker took over the series lead as well.

It was a feel-good story in Pro Singles too.  Local hero Jason Isennock to the win in an epic race with Wyatt Maguire. The two battled the entire way and Isennock took the flag first. Maguire’s consolation prize is that he’s now the Pro Singles Series leader.

In a rarity both the AMA Pro Grand National Series and AMA Pro Motocross Series will be in Washington State on July 20^th. Washougal (motocross) and Elma (Grand National) are about two hours apart so it would be possible to watch the motocross national and then hit the I-5 and make it to the flat track well before the main events – that is if you could somehow get out of Washougal without sitting in traffic for an hour.