Irvine, Calif. – The 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship came to a close Saturday as Round 12 wrapped up a great season for Monster Energy Kawasaki at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett came up short on the 250 Class championship, but fought hard until the final moto to finish 3-3 on the day for second overall and secured second place in the championship. Behind Baggett was the rookie Chris Alldredge who raced to his first career top-five finish in the first moto and finished sixth overall and Dean Wilson finished eighth overall. In the 450 Class, Brett Metcalfe put in one final ride on his KX450F to finish fifth overall in Utah and secured fourth overall in the championship, while Jake Weimer continued to battle with injuries and decided to sit out the second moto.

Fight to the End
Baggett had many ups and downs over the 12-round season, which included scoring no points in two motos, but also finishing on the podium in 12 of the 24 motos raced. He came into Utah only two points over third place and after battling through the first moto to finish third, he was then tied for the position. In the second moto, he charged from outside the top-10 off the start to pass his rivals and finish in third which awarded him second overall on the day and secured second place in the championship.

“We finished strong today,” said Baggett. “It’s not the way we wanted to end the championship, but those guys rode awesome all season. We had some bad luck along the way, but never gave up and I’m happy I was able to finish second.”

Turning Heads
Alldredge continued to progress at the final round in Utah on his way to a career-best finish.  In only his third professional national, Alldredge got off to a top-10 start on his KX™250F and methodically worked his way forward to finish in fifth place amongst the world’s best motocross riders. He started the second moto outside the top-10 and moved forward to finish eighth and post his best overall finish in sixth.

“Today went really well,” said Alldredge. “I came in to the weekend pretty sick from the rain last weekend, but fought hard both motos and gave it all I had. I’m super happy to put it in the top five and can’t wait for more next year.”

The Fill-In
Before the start of the 2014 motocross season, Metcalfe was planning on defending his championship for Kawasaki in Canada. He got the call to fill in for an injured Ryan Villopoto and had a fantastic season for Monster Energy Kawasaki. Metty came into the final round with a small points gap to hold fourth overall, but had to finish strong. He did just that by finishing fifth overall on the day and achieved fourth overall in the championship.

“This summer has been a blast,” said Metcalfe. “The team welcomed me in last-minute and poured their heart and soul into giving me the best bike out there. I’m happy with the season but wish I could have gotten on the podium. We had all the tools and I hope to have the opportunity again.”

Pushing to the End
Wilson has not had the season he was looking for in 2014. As a former champion, his goal was to finish his final year in the 250 Class on top of the box, but after an injury at Round 1 forced him to miss another four races, it was an uphill battle. The Scotsman rode his way back from injury and only finished outside of the top-10 in two motos and finished 10th overall in the championship. In Utah he crashed while in podium position in the first moto and fought to fifth place in the final moto.

“I would have really liked to finish out the year better than I did,” said Wilson. “It’s frustrating because I know I have the best team behind me and I just couldn’t get it done. I’ve had a really good run and am thankful for everyone who has stood behind me.”

Not as Planned
Hoping to finish out the season on a high note, Weimer qualified ninth in practice and rounded the first turn in sixth in the first moto, but unfortunately the track got the best of him on the opening lap and put him on the ground. He remounted quickly and did his best to move through the field but could not score any points. Once the moto was finished and the adrenaline was out of his system it was evident that his body had taken quite a beating and he decided it was best to not line up for Moto 2.

Press Day Fun
With Baggett in a top three position in the championship, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki was invited to take part in the press day activities leading up to Saturday’s race. The rider’s got some extra track time on Thursday and spent some time with the local media, but they also got to take advantage of the great facility at Miller Motorsports Park. The media were invited to take on the riders and mechanics in a hot lap karting race to see where they stacked up on the asphalt, as well as checking out the off-road truck courses.

The “Off-Season”
With the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship coming to a close, Monster Energy Kawasaki will begin to focus on the next big event on the calendar on October 18th for the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas. October marks a fresh start for the teams as they begin supercross preparation for 2015 with new riders, new gear and the 2015 KX™ line.