Round 8 of the 2010 Lucas Oil Pro AMA Motocross Championship is over and done, but there is still plenty to talk about. Big name riders were absent from the mix, crashes were abundant, and clothing choices were questionable at best. Retro race weekend always adds a bit of lightness to the serious task at hand, and most of the attendees of the Washougal National had a great time.

One team that did not have a great time, however, was the Lucas Oil Troy Lee Honda Team. Both of their riders never made it past the first lap of Moto 1 in their respective classes. Ben Townley got a good start and was running up near the front when he slammed hard in the whoops. He hit the ground so hard that his arm was paralyzed for several minutes and immediately bruised. I caught up with him on the flight home and he said he was on the way to the doctor to see what was the deal. “I didn’t want to look like a p---y, but I couldn’t even lift my arm at all. It was just dead,” said BT101. The last thing he said to me as we parted ways at the baggage claim was that he was going to be back at Unadilla, and was “going to win that thing.”

Townley’s 250-class teammate Cole Seely only made it to the second turn in his first moto. The TLD rider took a rock right to the nose on the start and couldn’t continue. Seely actually turned around and rode back to the mechanics' area, never making a complete lap. When he took his helmet off blood was gushing from the bridge of his obviously broken nose.

One rider that was noticeably absent from the starting line was Kawasaki’s Chad Reed. After struggling most of the season with fatigue and poor performances, Two-Two went to the doctor for some tests to find out why he just didn’t feel right. This week the diagnosis came back as the Epstein Barr Virus. Kawasaki and Reed both decided that he should take some time off to allow his body to recover and fight off the virus. In a letter to his fans, the current Motocross champ apologized for not being able to perform well for his supporters. Get well soon Reedy!

Once again Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey put on a clinic with a perfect 1-1 moto score. His confidence and conditioning is unmatched right now, and it’s clear that he will most likely earn his second Number-1 plate in 2010. The only real question is whether or not James Stewart’s return at Unadilla is going to slow his progress. At the post race press conference the subject of JS7’s return was breached, and how would Dungey handle it. RD5 said he is looking forward to racing Stewart. The Professor Gary Bailey asked Dungey if he would play it safe for the championship if Stewart was out in front. The points leader replied, “The championship is important, but I’m not going to let someone walk all over me.”

In the 250-class Honda’s Trey Canard posted his third overall win in as may races, and seems to have the momentum on his side to take it down to the last race at Pala. Ice-Trey is back in a groove like he was on the 450 during Supercross. Once he gets on a roll like this the competition is going to have their hands full.

Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel had to work for second place in both motos. In Moto 1 he was back from the leaders with a bad start, but he showed that he could move through the pack if he wants to, making it up to second with four laps to go. The second moto the crafty Frenchman rode the entire moto without a clutch. Perhaps he could have gotten close to Canard if his bike was 100%. Either way he didn’t cruise like we’ve seen in other races when things don’t go his way; maybe he’s feeling the heat from Canard’s GEICO Honda or from the boss-man Mitch Payton. Pourcel still has a 38-point lead over Ice-Trey, but that lead has continued to shrink over the last few races.

My pick for charge of the week would have to go Pro Circuit’s Dean Wilson. In Moto 2, Wilson face planted and found himself back in 15th position and without a visor on his helmet. Usually a missing visor wouldn’t be too big of a deal, but Washougal is notorious for the harsh transitions from dark to light and back to dark. Without a visor to help with the light, it had to be dicey for the Canadian rider to come blasting back into the bright sunlight. By the end of the moto Wilson had moved up to sixth place salvaging some serious points to stay within the top three in the championship chase.

The riders and teams will enjoy a couple of weekends off before heading to Unadilla for Round 9 of the Lucas oil Pro AMA Motocross Championship. Stay turned to Motorcycle USA for updates on all the moto-action.