Written by:
SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com
06/09/2009
Morgantown, WV
Beginning in the mid 1970s, High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pa. has been a mainstay on the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship circuit. With a course layout inspired by the late Dave Coombs Sr, the June 13th Monster Energy National Presented by Centra Bank will serve as host to a new beginning in Motocross, as the first-ever live network television broadcast will take place.
NBC Sports will present Saturday's Monster Energy National live, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki's Ryan Dungey will head a strong 250 Class lineup while WMX Class leader Ashley Fiolek will lead the way for a historic day of racing in Southern Pennsylvania. Current 450 Class points leader Mike Alessi will miss High Point and the following rounds for the foreseeable future.
After a dominating performance last weekend in Texas in which Alessi asserted himself as the man to beat for the series title, the Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki rider suffered a broken kneecap yesterday in preparation for Saturday's race. He underwent successful surgery this morning and the current prognosis for a return is positive as Alessi could make it back to the track before the end of the season.
Alessi's injury is the latest twist in what has already been an interesting 2009 season. Just two weeks earlier, Glen Helen winner and then-points leader Ryan Villopoto suffered a knee injury of his own and was forced to sit out the remainder of the season. Now, this weekend's race and the chase for the championship is wide open with Alessi's teammate Chad Reed asserting himself out front thanks to his current second place standing.
Reed, a former two-time AMA Supercross class champion, picked up his second consecutive podium finish of the season last Saturday and will see his 31 point deficit to Alessi erased this weekend. He continues to inch closer to his first career outdoor motocross victory, but Honda Red Bull Racing's Andrew Short, who made his first appearance on the overall podium for 2009 in Texas, and JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha's Josh Grant, who captured a second moto victory over Alessi at Hangtown, are right with Reed and will make this a memorable title fight through the remaining nine rounds.
