Well, it's over: She sang, and the fat lady is now crawling back under her little rock or wherever it is she hides between gigs. We now have ourselves a brand new (and perhaps overdue) 250 Motocross champion who is becoming a championship machine as his career rolls onward.

That machine, of course, is Ryan Dungey. He showed every attribute of a champion this season, as things went from dominant to depressing for him on several occasions, but he was able to hold it together and beat the incredibly talented Christophe Pourcel for the title. Yeah, yeah, Pourcel's motor DNF the first moto at Southwick, but that doesn't matter – what matters is that Dungey remained close enough in the points chase to that crazy fast and finicky Frenchman to strike out when it counted. He made his own luck, as Ricky Carmichael used to say, and just as it did for the GOAT, it worked out for Ryan in the end. So even though we've been prophesizing all season that Pourcel would be our next champ, Ryan Dungey proved us wrong and provided one half of a Suzuki sweep of national titles this summer. Congratulations to Ryan Dungey, his crew, and the entire Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team for sweeping this summer's national titles! It was cool that MX Sports arranged for Ryan Villopoto to hand over the #1 plate to Dungey, replaying the scene last season when Langston coughed it up for Stewart in the 450's.

So, what really happened at Steel City? It was a beautiful day, featuring an incredible track at a world-class facility - but more about the track later. We had a couple of new winners in the 450 class, two champs crowned, an unbelievable dice in the first 250 moto, and a whole lot of extra stuff going on all weekend long. First things first, and let's make that 250 moto #1. It was clear from the first few corners that Pourcel desperately wanted to get out front and hide. He almost immediately made his way up past holeshot winner Ryan Sipes, then set out after the youngster Justin Barcia, who was blazing away out front. It was amazing to watch the two completely different riding styles and attitudes face-off up front, as Barcia seemed way faster than Pourcel, who almost seemed bored with it all. Pourcel's style is so ridiculously smooth and precise, you don't even notice he's a gear higher everywhere and on the gas almost constantly and very carefully. There's very little wheelspin, very little hopping around, almost no energy is spent unless it equates to getting into and out of the next corner as quickly as possible. Christophe got past Barcia and pretty well checked-out, while Dungey took another lap to get up to 2nd, and that's when the fun began. In what was confirmed in interviews after the fact, Pourcel admitted to letting up on the pace a bit so Ryan would go by, but when Dungey would give it a shot, the Frenchy would gun it and go right back around again. This happened several times, and eventually ended up with Dungey no longer taking the opportunities to pass, since he no doubt realized there was absolutely nothing to gain by winning the moto and everything to lose. Still, ya gotta give the kid credit for getting up there in Pourcel's face when he had absolutely no business doing it – it showed the heart of a true racer, and the speed and tenacity of a deserving champion.

Pourcel, though, was damn impressive on the day. He owned that track and everyone on it, and flat-out killed everyone that second moto. It was all for naught, of course, but he did make a statement. He was visibly unhappy with himself afterwards despite the dominating performance (even with a kiss from the lovely Erin Bates, to boot!), but it actually appeared a little bit... orchestrated. The way he wouldn't get up from the podium floor to do his SPEED interview, the way he held himself and presented himself afterwards, it was just so 'whoa, look at me, I deserved the title but it was not to be'. Well, that's racing Christophe, and that's why you guys line up every weekend. We love ya baby, but come on, drop the theatrics at the podium.

Believe it or not, there was a whole lot more going on than just the 250 title chase, and that was two more new winners in the 450 class. It was Tommy Hahn who was credited with the overall win for the day, and the eldest of the Racing Hahns made quite an impression with his first moto win. Tommy moved his way past Jeff Alessi and Andrew Short early in the moto to gain the lead, but something happened and put him back to 3rd again while Ivan Tedesco gained the lead. Then Tedesco fell, Shorty moved back into first, and Hahn had to pass him again, this time making it stick. Tedesco eventually got going again and charged back to 4th at the finish. So, Tommy Hahn got his first moto win and later, his first overall win to make it one beautiful day for Tommy and the Canidae/Motosport Kawasaki team. Oh and please, don't think of Tommy as a privateer – that's just ignorant and misleading. The second moto was an interesting one too, as Reedy (who we haven't even mentioned yet) got off to a good start but fell in a rut at the top of the valley, taking quite a while to get rolling again. He eventually pulled off and DNF the moto (his second 2nd moto DNF in the last two weekends, and second of the entire season), and hey – why not? He was already wearing the big fat #1 that he earned for next year's series (which he probably won't be a part of). This was probably his only chance to run it, and he did.

The real story in that 2nd 450 moto, of course, was the wire-to-wire win for Muscle Milk/KTM's Justin Brayton. The Wisconsinite looked every bit the part of a winner as he clicked off 15 or so nearly perfect laps, just out of reach of the wickedly hard-charging Aussi Jake Moss in 2nd. Brayton would have none of it, though, and just kept going to the point of a 12 second gap by the finish – a veritable runaway victory, and a beauty of one at that. Team USA's Ivan Tedesco came across a solid 3rd, 22 seconds back and pretty pleased with himself that he managed to charge past Hahn for 3rd on the final lap. Brayton's win marked his first, and KTM's 2nd ever 450/premier class win. Rumor is that he'll be on a JGR Yamaha next season, no doubt taking the place of Cody Cooper who's had quite a forgettable season aboard the blue bikes.

While we're on the subject of impressive riding, how about that Blake Baggett? In his first non-mud-non-crash-in-the-first-turn moto as a pro racer (OK, maybe his 2nd if you count the first moto at Steel City), Baggett busted out a bag of skills that very few thought he had. Sure, everyone believed he was a very fast Loretta's graduate, but few thought he'd be running top-5 and knocking on the podium door at the final National moto of the season. He looked just plain awesome out there, clearly enjoying the feeling of finally being "on pace" with a rider of Blake Wharton's level. There were plenty of missed opportunities to pass Wharton, and lots of times his wide, sweeping lines didn't seem to make much sense, but what's important here was to see the maturity and good sense this rookie showed while running around at the front of the unbelievably talented 250 National motocross scene. It was a great ride, so let's hope Mitch Payton had some extra time to keep an eye on Blake as most of his other riders were riding around behind him...

Some riders that we didn't see toward the front that we were used to seeing up there which are worthy of noting are...

Kyle Regal. The talk of the pits for the past several weekends, Regal has been top 5 several times over the past few races but failed to make it to the starting line for either moto at Steel City due to an injury sustained during practice. Word has it that he sort of 'got stabbed' by one of those wooden stakes lining the circuit, but that hasn't been verified as of yet. Let's hope Kyle is doing well. We believe he's all set to stay with the Valli Motorsports team next season, and it seems to be a good fit.

Matt Goerke. Last weekend's winner was just never where he needed to be at Steel City. In fact, he was barely able to get into the top 10, ending up 9th overall via a 7-12. Maybe he's hungover from all of the partying that must've ensued following his Southwick victory? Nah, maybe not, but he was definitely off all day – first barely qualifying in the 33rd position (almost 7 seconds off the pace), going backwards in the first moto then moving from 17th to 12th in the second. Matt's already signed, sealed and delivered to ride for the Steve Lamson managed MotoConcepts Racing Team next season, who are rumored to be switching to Yamahas. Since Matt's stock has presumably risen since his win, do ya figure he's kicking himself for signing anything less than a full factory contract for next year? Hey, at least he knows what's going on – and that he's lined up to get a paycheck.

In addition, Cody Cooper was way back in the pack, as was Tyler Bowers, Weston Peick, Jarred Browne, Les Smith, Jimmy Albertson - the list goes on. What this shows us is how similar everyone's pace is in the 450 class, and how important a good start and no mistakes is to getting a good moto finish. This class isn't emaciated from lack of top stars, no siree, it's jam-packed with fast, hungry rookies or sophomores trying to make an impression and earn a paycheck next year. Good luck to them all.

We had a couple of visitors join us again this weekend, and this time they had a bit more star power. The fastest guy up in Canada-land all summer was Blackfoot Yamaha's Colton Facciotti, #361. He's a big dude, and apparently when he's really on his game, he's super-fast. He looked mmmpretty good all day at Steel City, there's no doubt about it, but this ain't the first time he's been down for this race so we sort of expected him to be more of a factor. Possibly battling with the likes of Nick Wey or even Timmy Ferry for a top-10 instead of barely making it off the track in time to DNF both motos. With all due respect, though, he did get a great start in the 2nd moto (top 3'ish) and stuck around in 7th all the way up to lap 9 when we saw him rolling slowly off the track for the DNF. Will there ever be another Jean-Sebastien Roy, who can dominate up north then come down here and do respectably on a regular basis? Yes. His name is Dean Wilson, 'cept he won't be spending much time up North...

Adding to the alien starpower was MXoN Team UK's Carl Nunn and Matiss Karro, from the Latvian team. Both were riding out of the same van at Steel City, and are teammates on the other side of the pond. Karro is the Junior MX2 World Champion and a pretty solid top-10-15'ish MX2 GP rider, while Nunn has had some success but spends a lot of his focus on the British Championships. Their results at Steel City: 16-16 for Nunn in the 450 class and 25-16 for Karro in the 250's. Motocross.com contributing pro racer Willy Browning commented on Karro to us afterwards: "Dude, he was fast as %^&*! But I passed him both motos so he must not be that great".

This, of course, is a perfect lead-in to talk about the next big race on the international calendar, which is of course the 2009 Red Bull Motocross of Nations coming up October 4th near Milan, Italy. Weimer, Tedesco and 250 Champ Dungey are a solid squad coming over from the states, there is no doubt about it. Are they the first choice? Of course not, or at least two of them aren't, but it doesn't matter – the U.S. still must be considered a favorite. The difference this year is, we're just not an overwhelming favorite. This year we can expect to have to work for it even harder than last year, and this team is capable of pulling it off. The track looks like it was custom-built for the U.S. team, what with it's quite supercrossy and overall flat appearance in the few photos that have thus far surfaced. This is what we said last year too, though, and look how that turned out. The big equalizer here is how much (or little) the track is groomed and watered before and during the motos. Last year at Donington, UK, the track definitely featured a wide variety of jumps, but they weren't really 'American Supercross' type of jumps, not to mention the fact that the ruts were never knocked down, and the braking/acceleration bumps just kept growing as the day wore on. When's the last time you saw a huge, fast supercross track with peg-deep ruts and monster holes to fall into? And it rained? Never, and this race could turn out exactly the same way.

It's easy to get the impression that Ivan Tedesco may be a weak link here, but that's probably not valid. He's been suffering a bit lately from injury and personal problems, but he seemed to have really kicked it up this weekend in PA, charging hard through the very last lap in both motos, He has the speed, the fitness and the experience to be a strong contender for that MX3 class win, and hey – no matter how many links are in the chain and now matter how strong they all are, somebody will always be the weakest link, right? Italy's David Phillipaerts, Spain's Jonathan Barragan, Australia's Michael Byrne and Belgium's Steve Ramon should be his biggest rivals. Go get 'em, Ivan.

Jake Weimer is stoked to be representing his country in the only team event of the year, and he's been vocal about the excitement and honor he feels every time he's asked of it. Jake's proven he can win indoors and out this year, and he is always on pace and is a hard fighter – he will do well. His biggest competition will probably be from a guy he lines up against every weekend, Australia's Brett Metcalfe. Also providing some excitement for Weimer will probably be Portugal's Rui Goncalves, Puerto Rico's (!) Zach Osborne, Germany's Ken Roczen, France's Marvin Musquin and – in his big international debut – Canada's Dean Wilson. The MX2 class should be a doozy, but it isn't as stacked as Jake's been dealing with all summer, that's for sure.

Ryan Dungey is kicking it up to the big RMZ-450, and he should do well too. Arguably the favorite for the win going in, it's tough to predict since Ryan's had so little time on a 450 during his career. He's done well in the amateur ranks, but hey – let's not forget that he was a "B" rider right before he moved up to the big rig. He's smart, calculating and talented, though, and is probably as patriotic as anyone on any team out there. His biggest rivals are, of course, his Rockstar/Makita teammate Chad Reed, new MX1 World Champion – Italy's Antonio Cairoli, and, uh, that's about it. Oh wait, there's also Josh Coppins on the New Zealand squad (although he's been sub-par all season). That's about it. We're looking pretty good, when considering the win is based on overall team performances. And in case we haven't mentioned it – Motocross.com will be providing you the same coverage for the Motocross of Nations as we have for the rest of the motocross and supercross seasons, with practice photo updates followed by a race report photo essay and mid-week report as well. We're going to Italy, baby (by way of Amsterdam)!

A few last tidbits about Steel City, though. First and foremost, we must give huge props and congratulations to our friend Shast Johnson, who put on an incredibly well produced "Save the Boobies" event for breast cancer awareness. There was pink everywhere around the track, on the riders, on the fans and even among the media (yours truly wore some pink socks for the occasion). Shasta did an amazing job in raising cash for the cause with several methods, most effective of which was the silent auction which went on all day. We didn't get a final count, but we'd say that judging by the level of interest it received, it was significant.

There was a 2-stroke that qualified for the 450 class again – and we say again because that's happened exactly twice this season, and exactly twice in the state of Pennsylvania. Local hotshoe Brian Shuckhart made it into the show at both High Point and Steel City this year, making him the only rider to do so all season long. He did respectably, too, going 25-28 on a track that he was probably somewhat familiar with.

It's almost disgusting that we've gone this far and not mentioned the WMX's final round action. The truth of the matter is that, even without two more motos and another championship to keep up on, there's too much to photograph and take notes on in one day. As a result, the "other stuff" (in this case the WMX action) becomes an afterthought. That is unfortunate, but that's just the way it is. Ashley Fiolek and her Red Bull Honda Racing CRF250R nabbed the championship, but it seemed like a foregone conclusion. That's not fair to Jessica Patterson, though, who's really come on fire since getting on the saddle of Trey Canard's Geico Powersports CRF250R. Patterson has been atop the podium a lot more than she hasn't been recently, and is no doubt once again showing up in Fiolek's nightmares every night, as she will likely come back next season even stronger and more determined. JP$ went 1-1 at Steel City, while Fiolek could muster only an uncharacteristic 7-21 but hey – she did that with a broken collarbone the second moto! Yep, she crashed pretty hard and hopped back on the bike for the final four laps of the season with a genuinely broken collarbone. Not a little crack, mind you, but a big nasty broken collarbone. She's a saint, a stud and an ambassador all wrapped up into one so a huge congratulations must also go to Ashley Fiolek for her second #1 plate in as many tries.

OK that's it, check back Thursday for 30 of our (well, MY) favorite hi-res wallpaper images from this summer's outdoor season. Then, be sure and remember to get the latest updates from the Motocross of Nations the first weekend of October. Thanks for reading!

A summer of some of the most memorable racing in Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship history came to an exciting conclusion at the American Motocross Festival from Steel City Raceway on Saturday. The tight and highly-competitive 250 Class championship came down to the wire with Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki's Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., edging out Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Christophe Pourcel, the race winner, for his first career national championship.

Canidae/Motosport/Kawasaki's Tommy Hahn, of Decatur, Texas, became the seventh first-time winner of the 2009 season in the 450 Class, winning his first career moto en route to the victory. In the WMX Class season finale, Honda Red Bull Racing's Ashley Fiolek, of St. Augustine, Fla., secured her second straight title despite not competing in the final moto of the day. GEICO Powersports Honda's Jessica Patterson, of Tallahassee, Fla., won her third race in a row to close out the season second in the standings.

After a dramatic turnaround in the 250 Class title fight last weekend, Dungey entered Steel City with a 17-point advantage. Pourcel, of France, did what he needed to do in order to stay in the hunt, sweeping the day's motos. However, Dungey kept the Frenchman in his sights with a pair of runner-up finishes to add this AMA Motocross championship to the AMA Supercross title won earlier this season.

"I knew all year from the very beginning it was going to take every weekend to be there and be in the hunt," said Dungey, who becomes the eighth rider in history to claim entry-class titles in each discipline. "After Southwick, I was able to come out with a bit of a lead to carry into this weekend. All year it's been him and (I) in a back and forth battle with wins and everything so I'm just pumped to be up here with (the championship)."

GEICO Powersports Honda's Blake Wharton, of Pilot Point, Texas, rounded out the podium in third.

Not since 1999 has the premier 450 Class seen so much parity when seven winners took the checkers during that season as well. With the title wrapped up, it was another opportunity for a new face to grace the top of the podium as each of the day's motos produced first-time winners with Hahn and Jagermeister KTM's Justin Brayton, of Murrieta, Calif. Hahn backed up his moto one victory with a fourth in the final moto to clinch the overall for his privateer Kawasaki team.

"After I won the first moto today I came into (moto two) with an open mind and let it end up where it ended up," said Hahn. "I concentrated on getting a good start and just went from there. I wasn't going to let (a bad second moto) happen again. It's happened too much in the past. So I just wanted to go ride as hard as I could for 30 minutes."

Honda Red Bull Racing's Ivan Tedesco, of Tallahassee, Fla., finished second overall (4-3), while Brayton grabbed third (11-1) for his first career podium finish.

Patterson dominated the WMX Class for the third race in a row, sweeping the day's motos. Her late-season charge closed the gap over her rival in the standings, but it was too little too late. Fiolek's lone result of seventh in moto one helped secure the title and served as a bit of good fortune when a crash late in the race resulted in a broken collarbone and forced her to miss moto two.

"I'm in a lot of pain but it's exciting to be the champion again," said Fiolek. "I knew something was wrong (in the moto) but I just needed to finish. I didn't get nervous about (Jessica) because I won the first five rounds so I just had to ride smart and that's what I did."

Honda's Mariana Balbi, of Brazil, finished second overall (2-2) with Muscle Milk KTM's Sarah Whitmore, of Cheboygan, Mich., in third (5-3).

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
American Motocross Classic
Steel City Raceway - Delmont, Pa.
September 5, 2009
Round 12 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki (1-4)
2. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda (4-3)
3. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (11-1)
4. Jake Moss, Australia, Kawasaki (10-2)
5. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (5-5)
6. Michael Byrne, Australia, Suzuki (3-9)
7. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda (6-10)
8. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki (12-7)
9. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha (7-12)
10. Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki (2-34)

450 Class Championship Standings
1. Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki, 481
2. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 388
3. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 376
4. Michael Byrne, Australia, Suzuki, 348
5. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki, 302
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 280
7. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 249
8. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Yamaha, 200
9. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha, 191
10. Jimmy Albertson, Ozark, Mo., Yamaha, 185

250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (2-2)
3. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda (8-3)
4. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., KTM (6-5)
5. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (4-8)
6. Justin Barcia, Cairo, Ga., Honda (3-13)
7. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Kawasaki (5-10)
8. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (9-7)
9. Tommy Searle, Great Britain, KTM (13-6)
10. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (17-4)

250 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 503
2. Christophe Pourcel, France, Kawasaki, 492
3. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 378
4. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 353
5. Justin Barcia, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 340
6. Tommy Searle, Great Britain, KTM, 332
7. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 285
8. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 273
9. Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki, 236
10. Matt Lemoine, Collinsville, Texas, Yamaha, 189

WMX Class (Moto Finish)
1. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda (1-1)
2. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Honda (2-2)
3. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM (5-3)
4. Tarah Gieger, Vero Beach, Fla., Yamaha (4-4)
5. Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., Honda (3-7)
6. Elizabeth Bash, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (6-6)
7. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki (8-5)
8. Allison Vrba, Albion, Ind., Yamaha (10-8)
9. Penni Cyrus, Queen Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki (9-10)
10. Alyssa Fitch, Denver, Colo., Honda (12-9)

WMX Class Standings
1. Ashley Fiolek, St. Augustine, Fla., Honda, 350
2. Jessica Patterson, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 345
3. Sherri Cruse, Bakersfield, Calif., Suzuki, 258
4. Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif., Kawasaki, 237
5. Elizabeth Bash, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki, 217
6. Vicki Golden, El Cajon, Calif., Honda, 192
7. Sarah Whitmore, Cheboygan, Mich., KTM, 185
8. Mariana Balbi, Brazil, Honda, 170
9. Penni Cyrus, Queen Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki, 157
10. Jacqueline Strong, Sedona, Ariz., Honda, 148

What really happened at Budds Creek? It rained. A lot. And before the rains came, it was so hot and muggy that it may as well have been raining, because everyone was soaked in sweat with humidity hovering at or above 90% all day long. Coupled with temperatures in the lower 90's, the rain was actually welcomed by some, especially when the temps dropped about 20 degrees as the 2nd 250 moto concluded. It was an epic afternoon in Maryland, folks, and here's what we noticed while peeping through our snorkel mask.

The track was great, and when the track is great, then everything else always seems to fall in place. After a deluge of rain Friday night left standing water everywhere, there was some major concern about how well the track held up. The qualifying schedule was cut in half, with just one 20 minute session instead of the usual 20 then 15 minute deal. Once the riders got out on the track and put a few laps in, it became apparent that the track held up remarkably well. That may come as a bit of a surprise to many who have been to Budds before, since it could've easily turned out to be a greasy, slick mess of clay. But ever since the Motocross of Nations held there in 2007, the surface has been much better and more… loamy. A lot of organic matter and sand was added, and typically it's been disced pretty deep to allow more lines to form. This year, thanks to somebody in charge taking a good hard look at the weather radar, they decided not to disc or rip it at all, and it even appeared that they rolled a few sections to help it shed the rain that was imminent in the forecast. Well whatever they did, it worked like a charm and the track was primo, and when the first 450 moto hit the track, it turned into a technical, loam with hardpack, rough, multi-lined pro motocross track, and that's obviously what everyone's always looking for. Add to that the tricky off-camber stuff and the big jumps, and this turned out to be a beauty of a National.

So yeah, everything was great until about halfway through that 2nd 450 moto (the 450's raced first in the rotation this weekend due to the 2nd moto running live on NBC), when the skies started to slowly open up. Things got slick, but for the most part the track held together as things got a bit more complicated but it still wasn't exactly a 'mudder'. Then it came – as the 2nd 250 moto was lining up, it started really coming down. Just to make things more interesting, there was a huge snafu performed by the lovely young Monster Energy lady holding the 30 second board. She apparently mistook the 30 plastered on the front to mean "oh, about 8", and as she soaked in the rain for a few just long enough, she picked the board up, turned it sideways, and ran for the sidelines. It must've confused the gate guy too, because he went ahead and dropped it, despite the fact that many of the riders weren't even looking the right direction or, in Ryan Dungey's case, hadn't even put their bike in gear yet. It was comical. As 250 moto 2, take #2 took off, it was Weimer and Metcalfe who raced to the front trying to stay clean, and luckily they were helped by bucketfuls of rain coming down to wash them clean. While the mud did get a bit tacky and sticky for a while, that only lasted until the steady rain evolved into sheets and sheets of heavy rain with occasional strikes of lightning. The track deteriorated into flowing rivers of water that all went to one place – the drainage pond strategically placed in the center of the track. Long story short, they should've dug a deeper pond. As water flowed over the banks and into the bottom portion of the track at just about the 25 minute mark, the decision to red flag the race was an easy (and smart) one to make. Honestly? Somebody could've drowned out there, and everyone had been through enough – not to mention that 95% of the fans had already left.

Let's get to the fans, shall we? The crowd looked very thin, and the reasons for that can be endlessly debated. We'll blame it on the weather, because it was very sketchy and downright nasty all weekend, with just a short window of 'nice' for the first half of the day Saturday. It actually looked like there was maybe 20% of the crowd of the awesome number that was on hand for the MXoN a couple of years ago. No matter though, as there were probably 20x that amount sitting at home watching on NBC Live, or on the web and videocasts.

Many props can be handed out to a few riders this weekend, but let's start with the guy who wrapped up the 450 title: Chad Reed. The 2009 AMA 450cc National Motocross Champion was crowned at Budds, thanks to two great rides (2-1) and two not-so-hot ones by 2nd in points, Andrew Short. Reed's first moto was a fantastic ride, coming from 10th and, even after making a few big mistakes, catching up to Millsaps who had about a 20 second gap in the lead. It was a little less exciting in moto 2, as Reed started up front and ended there too, gaining 18 points on Andrew Short which put him 100 ahead with 4 motos to go, which of course meant that it was mathematically impossible for him to lose the title even if Short won all 4 of the remaining motos and Reed scored zero points.

Also of note was the ride that Millsaps put in during his time up front in moto 1, as he outpaced everyone enough to build a seemingly insurmountable gap. That's when he sort of hit the wall, as Reed reeled him in, but Davi managed to dig deep for the last two laps and keep Reed at bay while scoring his first moto win of the season. Unfortunately for Davi it looked like that really took its toll on him for the 2nd moto, as he didn't show the drive and fitness like he did in moto 1, although he did still end up with 2nd overall.

Matt Goerke's day didn't start out so hot, as he realized he was pants-less when he was getting ready for his motos. He managed to fit into a set of Josh Hill's THOR pants, though, and ran his typical Moose jersey while charging to an almost unbelievable 3rd place in the first 450 moto. The Yamaha guys were ecstatic to finally be a factor again, after both of their regular riders (Hill and Hepler) are still suffering through injury. Not sure what happened to Matt in moto 2 to end up with 27th, but that 3rd in moto 1 was even more impressive considering the hard get-together he had with Jake Moss that resulted in Moss' DNF.

Like we mentioned in the race report, Kyle Regal continues to do almost unbelievably well. Not only is he now somewhat of a regular in the top 5, but he's doing so after a bunch of guys have returned to the track – guys he 'should' be finishing behind. Not only is he beating them, but he's passing them aggressively and sticking in wheels all over the place in his efforts to get by. Suffice to say, everyone is talking about Kyle Regal in the pits and those results will not go unrewarded. Great job, Kyle.

There were a couple more newbies out there this weekend too, plus a couple of nice rides by some freshmen that are worth going on about. Blake Baggett looked great from his first practice on, ending up THIRD (!) in timed qualifying in the insanely stacked 250 class. Blake lined up between Ryan Dungey and Chris Pourcel for the start of his very first pro national (imagine what he was thinking at that point), but unfortunately got tangled up with Brett Metcalfe before the two even reached the first turn, and ended up getting rolling in about last place. Blake worked his way back up to quite a commendable 12th by the end of the moto, so it's safe to say he's got the speed he needs to nail top-10's with some consistency.

Honda support rider Taylor Futrell came over from North Carolina to make his much-anticipated debut as well. Futrell's been hyped a fair bit over the past year or so, and rightfully so – he looked fast and confident all day, even nailing down a top-10 in the mud moto. Taylor should be another guy mixing it up in the top-10 the next two weekends, as everyone's trying to jockey for the few 250 class rides that will be open for next season.

Otherwise worth noting was the return of a few riders, most significantly Daniel Reardon, Ryan (and Justin) Sipes, Josh Grant and Kevin Windham in the 450 class. First things first, and that goes for the shortest return to racing in history: Dan Reardon. Reardo's comeback lasted exactly the length of the start straightaway and half of the first turn, as he crashed in front of the entire field (he was a sure bet to cross the holeshot line first) and took out or slowed up every single other southern hemisphere rider in the field. Reed, Byrne and Cooper were all caught behind the Aussie's little faux pas, and he never came back. He didn't show up for moto 2, either.

Josh Grant's return was somewhat more impressive as he was able to run top-5 after coming back probably way too early after his horrific crash at the X Games a couple of weeks back. With a bruised heel and broken ankle, one would expect a rider to be out for at least 6 weeks, but not so for Grant, as he took about half that much time and apparently paid the price. A small wash-out in moto 1 lead to a DNF, and a DNS in moto 2 thanks to just too much pain to deal with.

Significantly less impressive was Kevin Windham's return to the 450 class. It was actually a little bit sad to see Kdub being passed like he was standing still, even after getting a reasonably good start for that first moto. When Kevin didn't show up for moto 2, inquiring minds asked new Geico Honda team manager Mike LaRocco (oops, did we say that out loud?) what the deal was, to which Mike replied something to the effect of 'he wasn't ready to come back yet'. It must've been a last moment decision, as the #14 Honda was pushed down to the line by his mechanic, but Kdub was a no-show.

Ryan Sipes was awesome in moto 1, and had he not slid out in one of the many hardpacked off-camber sections, he seemed to be able to hold his own well within the top 5. Justin's big brother was a solid 3rd for the first couple of laps in the company of Weimer, Pourcel and later Dungey as those three tore away from the rest of the field. Not sure how his 2nd moto went (due to the mud), but he did end up 9th which was good enough for 8th overall after his 11th in moto 1.

Tyla Rattray came back too, and it's always nice to have a current MX GP World Champ in the mix. Styla looked to be right back up to speed, as he was typically toward the front and seemed comfortable. He ended up the first moto in 6th after several tough battles, and came through the mud in moto 2 for an 11th. Look for Tyla to be a real factor at next weekend's Southwick national.

So, going into Southwick there's only one championship left to settle. Pourcel has proven to be the man down the stretch to the finale, that's for certain, as he's won 4 of the last 5 motos while Dungey hasn't won a single moto since Washougal. There's now a 13 point gap between the two, but don't let that fool ya – another mudder like this, and anything can happen. A win by Dungey with a late moto fall by Pourcel and everything's tied back up. Dungey should of course by solid at Southwick, since his home state of Minnesota is quite sandy in spots, but its safe to say that Pourcel will be blazing fast there as well. It was clear, though, that Ryan is feeling the pressure now and for the first time this season almost looked 'beat' in the press conference and on the podium following the 2nd moto. The other battle in the 250 class will be for 3rd between Metcalfe and Weimer, where Jake trails by only 10 points. In the 450's, the battle is between Honda Red Bull Racing teammates Andrew Short and Ivan Tedesco. With only 8 points now separating the two, it's clear that Tedesco has been more on a roll, but honestly they're both in a bit of a slump (again) at this point. Shorty looked to be feeling better at Unadilla, but his results at Budds were dismal (7-10), and you can bet that IT9 smells blood in the water. How much more is 2nd worth than 3rd in season bonus payouts, anyway? Probably a lot. Keep an eye on these guys to see just how good of friends and/or teammates they are as these final four motos are played out.

On a brighter note, Willy Browning's bike has been recovered. We've just received report that the Conneticut state police have the bike in their custody and that he's on his way to pick it up now.

That about does it for our Budds Creek reporting. This weekend the moto circus heads up the coast about 10 hours to Southwick, Massachusetts and the revered Motocross 338. We'll be there with bells on, delivering practice photo updates, race reporting and the follow-up mid-week report. Stay tuned, this thing isn't over yet!