Page 50 - ISSUE-5-PULSE-BIGVALLEY-HONDA

PREVIEW
There are a lot of major storylines on display as the 2018 Motocross Des Nations quickly approaches, but none more prominent than the compounding pressure that looms over Team USA. The contest is coming to American soil for the first time since 2010 when it
took place at Thunder Valley MX Park in Lakewood, Colorado. On that particular weekend, Team USA was far and away the best on track, led to their 21st Chamberlain Trophy by
the likes of Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, and Andrew Short. One year later, Team USA won its most recent trophy at the coveted event, coming out on top in a thrilling event at Saint- Jean-d’Angély in France. Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto, and Blake Baggett were the last of the Americans to hoist the Chamberlain Trophy, making the United States the winningest nation in MXDN history with a total of 22 overall wins. It has been a heartbreaking six year drought for American fans as recent years have been dominated by the French team, winning the event four years on the trot. If there was a ever a time for Team USA to regain their crown, it’s at Red Bud at the beginning of October. The two-time reigning 450 Pro Motocross Champion, Eli Tomac, is competing on the team for the first time since 2014, ac- companied by a reinvigorated Justin Barcia and incredibly confident Aaron Plessinger. It’s one of the strongest teams that the United States have fielded in years and if they’re not able to get the job done this year, when is it meant to happen?
50 THE PULSE • ISSUE FIVE
There are a lot of m display as the 2018 M quickly approaches inent than the comp looms over Team U