Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
Nothing appears to phase Christophe Pourcel. The calm, cool and collected Frenchmen witnessed a nine point lead dwindle to nothing over the course of two rounds, but rather than let his emotions get the best of him, the former World Champion made a statement at Unadilla with a dominating 1-1 performance that gave him sole possession of first place in the standings. With just three rounds to go, he knows now is the time to make every moto count. Teammate Jake Weimer bounced back at Unadilla as well after a pair of disappointing results by his standards. His third overall provided a boost of confidence for the Idaho native and with two wins under his belt already this season, he is hungry for number three. In his first race back since injuring his hip at the series' second race of the season, Austin Stroupe showed the speed that makes him a threat to win each and every week. After misfortune dropped him to 34th in moto one, the young rider rebounded to finish sixth in moto two to salvage 11th overall. Also rejoining the team this week is South African rookie Tyla Rattray. After injuring his thumb four rounds ago, he returns hungrier than ever to reclaim his spot at the front of the pack and return to the podium that has eluded him since the season's opening round.
"I'm going to be patient and just take what comes to me," said Pourcel. "I've won titles before and I know what I need to do to get the number one plate. We should have fun in these last three races."
"Last weekend was good, but I want to get another win," explained Weimer. "Once you get one win you want more. I've been riding well this week and we did some testing so hopefully that will help me get on the box."
"I really like the track," stated Stroupe. "It fits my style and I always seem to ride well there. I hope it's a good weekend for me."
Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki
With two wins in a row, it appeared as though Ryan Dungey was prepared to make a strong run at the championship. However, his momentum was slowed thanks to the performance of his rival. Despite missing out on his fifth win of the season, Dungey still minimized the damage by posting a pair of runner-up finishes in an impressive ride through the field. He sits just three points back and has a runner-up finish at Budds Creek one year ago to give him the extra boost of confidence he needs to get back on top. With just three races to go, its crunch time for Dungey and he needs to make it count every time the gate drops. Perhaps providing some support for Dungey in his fight this weekend will be Cole Seely. A Suzuki support rider, Seely will debut with the factory 250 team this weekend, marking the first time all season a pair of bikes will come from the Rockstar/Makita team.
"Budds Creek is a great track," stated Dungey. "It's a lot of fun and it's one of the better ones on the racing circuit. We've been working really hard as a team and trying to chip away at the points on the championship so it would be great to get a win there this weekend. So we're just going to keep doing what we've been doing and do our best at Budds Creek."
GEICO Powersports Honda
The GEICO Powersports Honda crew was strong at Unadilla, with all three riders running in the top five at some point in each of the day's motos. Australian veteran Brett Metcalfe led the way and has been very consistent throughout the latter part of the season. His pair of fourth place finishes gave him fourth overall and further solidified his third place spot in the standings. Last season, he rounded out the podium at Budds Creek and expects to do equally as well this weekend. Justin Barcia was eager to do well in front of his hometown crowd and was strong throughout each moto, but some misfortune caused the rookie to drop slightly at the end of each moto with seventh and 10th resulting in eighth overall. Blake Wharton was also strong. After a solid fifth place run in moto one, the Texas native was making a bid for the podium in moto two before a frightening crash took him out of the race to 28th and relegated him to 11th overall. Wharton has shown a tendency to recover well from bad luck and will look to do so again on Saturday.
"So far this season, I think I've done really well," remarked Metcalfe. "I've definitely been building momentum and have become a real contender for the championship podium. I feel pretty good positioned third in points with three rounds to go. I successfully finished third on the podium at Budds Creek last year and I typically enjoy racing on the Maryland track; it should be a good weekend for me."
Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM
Tommy Searle's second half of the season has not gone the way he had hoped, especially after posting three straight overall podium finishes. At Unadilla, the British rider found himself deep within the top ten in each moto, garnering 10th and 7th place finishes to bring home seventh overall. He hopes to bounce back this weekend and regain the momentum he had just a few rounds earlier. In his first race of the 2009 season after returning from injury, Ryan Sipes put forth a respectable performance for 16th overall. He looks to build on his race conditioning for the remainder of the season.
"I attempted to race Unadilla and performed decently the first moto but really suffered from my wrist in the second moto and was forced to pull off," explained Sipes. "I am hoping my wrist has improved and that I can maintain my pace through both motos this weekend."