Ten rounds in the books, just two more left to go. As usual, there will be a ton of focus on Eli Tomac and Marvin Musquin and their battle for the 450 Class championship, particularly after the two contenders split moto wins last week at Unadilla. But Aaron Plessinger, who’s on the verge of his first 250MX championship, could upstage them both.

Here are a few of the storylines to follow during this Saturday’s GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National.

STORIES TO WATCH

Championship scenarios: Part 1
Entering this weekend with a 78-point lead in the 250MX standings, there’s a strong likelihood that Aaron Plessinger will wrap up the title at Budds Creek. He can secure the championship by the end of the first moto by simply finishing ahead of Alex Martin (or at least finishing close enough behind Martin that he has a lead of at least 75 points after Moto 1). Should that not happen, Plessinger would just need to maintain a lead of at least 50 points at the end of Moto 2 — a scenario that’s likely to occur unless Plessinger has a DNF somewhere along the way.

Championship scenarios: Part 2
While Plessinger will be expected to wrap up a title at Budds Creek, things are much more uncertain in the 450 Class. Eli Tomac currently holds a 15-point lead over Marvin Musquin, which means a number of scenarios are possible this weekend — anything from Tomac clinching the title to Musquin leaving Maryland with the points lead. In order for Tomac to wrap up the title this weekend, he would need to pick up an additional 35 points on Musquin during Saturday’s two motos. That means that even if Tomac were to sweep both motos, he would likely need Musquin to DNF at least one moto and finish outside the top five in the other moto.

Musquin battled through the mud at Unadilla to win the overall and keep the points gap steady. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

The return of Jason Anderson (maybe)
The 450 Class is expected to get one of its heaviest hitters back this weekend. Jason Anderson has missed the last eight rounds due to a broken foot, but the plan is for him to be on the bike at Budds Creek. If all goes well during the timed practice sessions, he’ll line up for the motos. While expectations should be tempered due to the long layoff, the return of this year’s supercross champion would add some extra intrigue to the final two rounds.

The battle for the top 10
Not everyone can be a championship contender. For many riders in the 450 Class, finishing in the top 10 in points would be a noteworthy accomplishment this year. The top eight riders are secure (although the order is unsettled), but the battle for the No. 9  and No. 10 positions has come down to a handful of riders. A pair of privateers, Kyle Cunningham and Cody Cooper, currently occupies the last two spots thanks to solid seasons that have seen both riders flirting with the top 10 in a number of motos. Factory riders Justin Hill and Cooper Webb are 11th and 12, respectively, as both riders have missed a number of rounds due to injury. All four riders are separated by just 11 points right now, but Hill will be absent from Budds Creek, which will hurt his chances at cracking the top 10. One rider with an outside chance at reaching the top 10 is Jason Anderson. Even though he’s only raced two rounds, Anderson is still 18th in points thanks to strong results at those two events. He would need to have some incredible rides over the final two rounds, plus get some help from the other riders on this list, but it’s not impossible.

Bounce-back rides needed
The 250 Class title is slipping away from Alex Martin, particularly after he had one of his worst outings of the season (10-7) last week at Unadilla. Despite being second in points, Martin still has yet to win a moto in a season where the class has seen eight different riders take the checkered flag so far.  Also in need of a rebound (still) is Austin Forkner, who hit the ground again at Unadilla. A look at his results from the last five rounds tells the story: 1-20, 35-2, 2-18, 2-39, 23-9.

Dylan Ferrandis earned his second overall win of the season at Unadilla. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

Can Ferrandis stay in the top five?
Despite missing the first three rounds of the season, Dylan Ferrandis has worked his way up to fifth in 250MX points and, coming off a 1-1 sweep at Unadilla, is on another hot streak. His grasp on fifth place is tenuous though, as fifth through 10th are separated by a mere 10 points. RJ Hampshire, Chase Sexton, Austin Forkner, Joey Savatgy and Jordon Smith are all lurking close behind, so these positions could shake out any number of ways over the next two rounds.

On the rise
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Michael Mosiman has continued to improve throughout the season and is now turning in the best results of his career. The second-year pro has finished seventh or better in three of the last five motos, and he even led the first four laps of Moto 1 last week. He’s someone to keep an eye on over the final two weeks of the season.

A mudder couldn’t stop Michael Mosiman from having one of his best races of the season. (Photo: Jeff Kardas)

THE INJURY LIST

A look at some of the notable riders who have picked up new injuries or are nearing a return to action.

Jason Anderson (450MX): Will attempt to return to racing this weekend. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team manager Bobby Hewitt told Racer X via text message that “the final decision will be made after timed qualifying.” Anderson has missed the last eight rounds due to a broken foot.

Josh Grant (450MX): Will reportedly miss another round as he continues to recover from a leg injury. Grant has managed to race just one moto this season — he finished 10th — but might return for next week’s finale at Ironman.

Justin Hill (450MX): Has opted to sit out Budds Creek after tweaking his banged-up knee last week at Unadilla. (He dropped out of Moto 1 and then did not line up for Moto 2.) Hill hopes to return for the season finale at Ironman next weekend.

Kailub Russell (450MX): The five-time GNCC champion’s fill-in stint with Red Bull KTM lasted just one race. He’ll miss the final two rounds of the season after getting banged up in a crash last week at Unadilla, though he says the injury isn’t too serious.

Kailub Russell’s lone Lucas Oil Pro Motocross race: 6th in Moto 1, a DNF in Moto 2. (Photo: Jeff Kardas)

(Story from ProMotocross.com)