2010 Motocross des Nations Preview

Professional motocross returns to Colorado’s Thunder Valley Motocross Park for the second time this year as the Motocross des Nations goes off of this weekend. That’s right, I said “des Nations” not “of Nations.” Our Off-Road Editor, JC, likes to kick it old school and isn’t down with the moniker change back in 2004. I’ve got JC’s back, so for us here at MotoUSA it’s MXdN all the way. Now that we’ve got that out of the way let’s get into what lies ahead for the motocross world.

This Sunday the trio of Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard and Andrew Short will represent the United States of America. Dungey is the only returning rider from last year’s team where he showed his skills for the first time on a 450cc machine by claiming the top individual honors and leading his country to a victory. This year he is the team captain, adding yet another milestone in his epic 2010 season. Leading the American contingent to a victory at the MXdN would be the perfect finish to the year and one heck of a way to part ways with Roger DeCoster. There’s not much doubt that RD5 will be a favorite for the win in the MX1 class, but there is some serious competition.

GEICO’s Trey Canard is making his Team USA debut in Colorado in the MX2 class and is going to have his hands full with a talented field of riders from around the world. Current MX2 Champ, Marvin Musquin, will be one rider to watch as he represents France and does battle with Canard. Musquin is signed on to race in America full-time in 2011-2012, so this is a preview of things to come. Too bad Christophe Pourcel is out with his injured shoulder from his championship-ending crash at Pala. Team France could have had a chance for the win with Pourcel and Musquin. As it stands, Canard will have a target on his back and the world’s fastest MX2 riders are gunning for him.

Filling out the American Squad is Honda’s Andrew Short. We’ll see if Shorty’s holeshots will still be on point against the rest of the world. He’s going to need his usual banging starts to hold off the Belgian Open class rider, Clemente Desalle. Early in the year the two did battle at Unadilla, with Desalle coming out on top in both motos. In fact the MX Panda even put the heat on Dungey, taking second overall. Shorty is a patriotic guy, and he’ll dig deep to get the MX3 win. Plus, this is Short's home track, and the Honda equipment has been known to run well in the thinner air - both of which were considerations when selecting Short for the team. Earlier this year, #29 led both motos in Colorado, but a fall kept him out of the top-three. A crash-free day should be enough to help Team USA take home the Chamberlain Trophy for the sixth year in a row.

The United States has taken the overall 20 times in the 40-year history of the MXdN, and has been undefeated since 2005. Even though Team USA is the favorite for the win, there are a couple of teams that have a very real shot at dethroning the USA. If not for some injured riders that list would be doubled or tripled. So who is going to be the biggest threat to the USA?

Number three on the win tally is Team Belgium. Belgium’s roster of Steve Ramon, Jeremy Van Horebeek, and Desalle is super solid. Desalle has experience racing with the Americans and beating all but one of them earlier this year. Ramon is the 2007 MX1 champ and will be up near the front all day. The wild card is Horebeek. It will be tough for him to hang with Canard and Musquin, but just one good moto could be enough to get the 14-time winners to the front. Sometimes at the MXdN, it's not about winning so much as minimizing damage. That's the beauty of team racing. A solid finish from the role-player is just as important as a moto win.

The second team to watch out for is one you normally wouldn’t expect to be vying for the overall, Germany. They are definitely less likely than Belgium, but they’ve got Cairoli’s KTM teammate, Max Nagl. Nagl was second in the MX1 class in 2009 and won a GP this season, so he’s got some skills. For the German MX2 entry Ken Roczen is a solid contender. The 16-year old German finished second in the MX2 Championship and won the last FIM GP in Ferme, Italy with a perfect 1-1 moto score. The third member of the squad is also the weakest link, Marcus Schiffer. Schiffer finished way back in 44th place in the MX1 class, but there must be a reason he was chosen to carry the German flag. Perhaps Nagl and Roczen will help their MX3 teammate rise to the challenge. 

Italy’s Antonio Cairoli, the 2010 MX1 champ, was able to find a solution to the conflict of terms with the Italian Motorcycle Federation which threatened to keep him off the team. The high altitude might not suit his smaller-displacement Red Bull KTM 350 SX-F, but he's still the biggest threat to Dungey in the MX1 class. Unfortunately, David Philippaerts and his Monster Energy Yamaha will not participate which lessens Italy's ability to challenge Team USAconsiderably. Alessandro Lupino and Manuel Monni will contest the MX2 and Open classes, respectively, for the Italians.

The exciting thing about the MXdN is that it takes three racers to take the win, and just one mistake by any one on the team can spell disaster for the overall. On the flipside, the international competition and racing for the love of country raises the level of intensity for every racer that lines up this Sunday. It’s going to be a great day for racing in Colorado, so stay tuned to MotoUSA for updates and results from the 2010 Red Bull Motocross DES Nations.

For ticket information, please visit: http://www.tvmx.net/2010-mxon/tickets/