This year’s 250 class is perhaps the most stacked it’s been in a long time. There really is no clear favorite as Marvin Musquin, Jeremy Martin, and Cooper Webb are all very promising title contenders. Riders such as Adam Cianciarulo, Joey Savatgy, Justin Bogle, and Jessy Nelson could also contend for moto wins. Here are this writer's top 10 championship contenders, ranked in order from first to tenth.
1. Marvin Musquin
In my opinion, Marvin was the best 250 rider in Supercross this year, and I’m expecting him to also be the overall best 250 rider outdoors this summer. He is such an incredibly smooth rider, which is going to favour his riding style when the tracks get rough and technical as they do towards the end of a 30 minute moto. He has also been training with Aldon Baker, which probably means that racing hard for all 30 minutes is not going to be a problem for him. I expect his consistency and sheer speed to win him his first AMA motocross title this year.
2. Cooper Webb
There’s no doubt that Webb has what it takes to win this championship. He’s unbelievably fast, and is extremely dedicated; he will definitely get a few overall wins this summer. However, poor starts and crashes have plagued him throughout his career thus far, and when you’re racing against a guy like Musquin you just can’t afford any mistakes.
3. Jeremy Martin
Martin proved last year that he has the speed and consistency to win a championship. He could very well win it again this year, but Musquin and Webb appear to have improved a lot within the past year, and will definitely be tough competitors. Similar to Webb, I’m expecting Martin to get some overall wins this summer, but I don’t foresee him being consistent enough to beat Musquin. Martin surprised me a lot last year though, so you just never know.
4. Adam Cianciarulo
Cianciarulo is definitely fast on a dirtbike, but it’s been over a year since he’s raced in the U.S. On top of that, he has never finished a full year of racing in the pro class. I think his lack of racing experience in a professional series will result in some mediocre and inconsistent finishes for him, although I do expect flashes of speed and some moto wins.
5. Joey Savatgy
Savatgy has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but after finishing a full supercross season injury-free, I think this summer will be the best he’s ever ridden. He has a great team behind him, and finished off with some strong results at the end of the motocross series last year. He’s building up his confidence with every race, and will keep improving every weekend. Watch for him to finish on the podium a few times this summer.
6. Jessy Nelson
Similarly to Savatgy, Nelson has been steadily improving with every race since the last half of the motocross series last year. He had a career-best Supercross season, and is looking very fast on his Troy Lee Design KTM. He got his first moto win ever last summer, so don’t be surprised to see him back on the top of the podium once or twice again this year.
7. Justin Bogle
Bogle found his way onto the podium outdoors for the first time last year. However, he still has yet to get that crucial career-first moto win. I think we will see some more solid results from him this year, but I don’t think he has the necessary speed for a full 30 minutes on a motocross track to get a moto win in such a stacked class.
8. Justin Hill
Hill is coming off of a very disappointing Supercross season. After failing to finish the full motocross season last year, expect some more mediocre finishes from him. He also has never found himself on the podium outdoors. However, Hill is definitely fast, and will be a constant top 10 threat.
9. Chris Alldredge
Don’t let Alldredge’s rookie Supercross season fool you; the kid is very fast, especially outdoors. He also has some experience racing in the pro class outdoors, with 2 top 10 finishes in only 3 races last year. He most definitely can race for some more top 10 finishes this year; the only question is whether or not he’s consistent enough to make himself a top 10 threat for championship points.
10. Alex Martin
The older brother of the 2014 250 Pro Motocross Champion is often overlooked by his more successful younger brother, but there’s no doubt that Alex also has the speed to run near the front. He just came off the best supercross season of his career, so his confidence entering Hangtown will be very high. Keep a close eye on him, for he’s definitely capable of top 10 results.
Disagree with any of these picks or want to discuss the season before the gate drops at Hangtown? Tweet to this writer at @MotoNowBlog.
