The first quarter of the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is in the books, and after a week off, it’s time to head to Pennsylvania for Round 4, the Red Bull High Point National.

In the 450 Class, it’s been a similar story at each of the first three rounds. Eli Tomac has sliced and diced his way to the front of the field to win each and every race. The foes have changed each week along with the track, but Tomac has found ways to get his Kawasaki to the checkered flag in six consecutive motos.

Now that Tomac’s unbeaten streak has reached three rounds, it’s time to start looking at some historical context around the streak.

First off, Tomac is the fourth rider to start the season 6-0 since the series moved to a two-moto format. The other names on that list: Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath, James Stewart.

Tomac also has the longest win streak to start a season since 2008, when James Stewart went a perfect 24-0.

While Tomac has a long way to go to challenge that mark, he’s still building one of the most impressive streaks of the past 10 years. Here’s a look at the longest win streaks (at any point in the season) since 2008:

Longest 450MX Win Streaks Since 2008
24 – James Stewart (2008)
11 – Ryan Dungey (2010)
10 – Ryan Dungey (2012)
9 – Ken Roczen (2016)
6 – Ryan Dungey (2012)
6 – Ryan Villopoto (2013)
6 – Ryan Dungey (2015)
6 – Ken Roczen (2016)
6 – Marvin Musquin (2017)
6 – Eli Tomac (2018)

If Tomac is able to win at least the first moto at High Point, he’d move into sole possession of fifth place on that particular list.

The most likely candidate to put an end to the streak? Perhaps that would be Ken Roczen. The Honda HRC rider came into the season at a disadvantage, as serious injuries had kept him sidelined for about three months. But after a slow start to the season, Roczen has steadily improved in recent weeks, showing more and more of the speed and conditioning that has made him a two-time champion of the 450 Class.

Last time out at Thunder Valley, Roczen went 2-2, led 13 of 31 laps, and had intense battles for the lead with Tomac in both motos. It was his best performance of the season so far, and the extra week off between Rounds 3 and 4 means that he could be even better at High Point.

Of course Marvin Musquin seems due for a win at some point as well. The Frenchman is 28 points back of Tomac right now—it’s not an insurmountable deficit by any means, but at some point he’ll need to prove he can beat Tomac if he’s going to make a serious run at the championship.

Though he’s been unable to hold off Eli Tomac so far, Ken Roczen continues to get better each week. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

OTHER STORIES TO WATCH

Will Justin Hill make an impact in the 450 Class?
Autotrader/Yoshimura Suzuki is moving Justin Hill up to the big bike this weekend. It was an inauspicious start to the season for Hill in the 250 Class, as he was sitting 13th in points and had yet to post a top-10 finish after Round 3. But perhaps the move to a 450 will be the shot in the arm that he’s looking for. Hill has always positioned himself as a better 450 rider, and he rode well when he made some 450 appearances during the supercross season. With the 450MX field depleted right now due to injuries, he could make some noise. The teams says that Hill will be evaluated after several rounds, at which time a decision will be made whether to have him contest the remaining rounds aboard a 450.

New bike, same results for Phil Nicoletti?
The reason that Hill is getting the chance to bump up to a 450? That’s because Phil Nicoletti is moving from one fill-in ride to another, leaving Autotrader/Yoshimura Suzuki to join Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (which is missing both Jason Anderson and Dean Wilson) for the remainder of the season. In extremely consistent fashion, Nicoletti has finished between seventh and 10th in every moto this season and is one of six riders to finish top 10 in every moto. He’ll try to build on those solid results with his new team.

Dylan Merriam has top-10 finishes in three out of six motos this season. (Photo: Jeff Kardas)

Privateers get their time in the spotlight
Factory teams have been ravaged by injuries to the 450 Class this season, but privateers have been reaping the benefits. Bradley Taft (10th at Hangtown), Cody Cooper (10th at Glen Helen), Dylan Merriam (9th at Thunder Valley) and Brandon Scharer (10th at Thunder Valley) have all recorded top-10 finishes. Plus Merriam currently sits 10th in points. There’s a good chance that at least one privateer—maybe more—could finish the year as a top-10 rider in the championship battle.

Who will take charge of the 250MX title fight?
Even with the news that Zach Osborne is out for the rest of the season, the championship battle in the 250 Class is set up to be a good one. Right now it looks like a three-way fight with Jeremy Martin, Aaron Plessinger and Alex Martin all separated by just 13 points, but rookie Justin Cooper—who just won his first career moto—is on the fringes of the conversation as well. Although the red plate is currently in Jeremy Martin’s possession, Plessinger or Alex Martin could easily have it after Round 4.

How will Joey Savatgy bounce back?
The season started with championship aspirations for Joey Savatgy, but he’s still in search of his first podium result. The tide appeared to be shifting his way at Thunder Valley, but a surefire win in Moto 1 quickly turned into a DNF after he experienced bike problems with two laps to go. In Moto 2, he went down in a first-turn crash and could only salvage a 12th-place finish. Savatgy has to be disappointed with where he ranks in the championship standings (11th) but after proving that he can still contend for wins, don’t expect him to go away quietly.

The Martin brothers have had to battle each other several times already. (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.

Zach Osborne: The most consequential injury of the last two weeks was clearly the one sustained by the reigning 250MX champion. Osborne tore his labrum after getting collected in a first-turn crash at Thunder Valley and will miss the rest of the season. That brings an end to his bid for four championships in two years and will also conclude his time in the 250 Class, as he’ll move up to the big bike next year.

Mitchell Harrison: Although Rockstar Husqvarna has lost Osborne for the summer, the team should get one of its other 250 Class riders back this weekend. Harrison is expected to return for High Point after missing the first three rounds with a shoulder injury.

Dylan Ferrandis: The Frenchman has missed the first three rounds while recovering from a broken arm. On June 1, he said that he would “try to be ready to race for Round 4” at High Point. Ferrandis, who won two motos last season, would be a welcome addition to a 250MX field that is now missing Osborne.

Cameron McAdoo: The GEICO Honda rider confirmed on social media that he’ll be on the gate for High Point after missing the start of the season due to a shoulder injury. McAdoo, who hasn’t raced since March, is in his second professional season. He only raced three rounds of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross last year due to injury.

Kyle Cunningham: After a hard crash at Glen Helen, Cunningham sat out Round 3. He’s expected to race High Point though.

As Zach Osborne’s injury proves, a championship fight can change in the blink of an eye. (Photo: Rich Shepherd)

LINKS FOR ROUND 4

How to watch
Historical package
This week in motocross
Track map
NBC Sports Gold

(Story and photos from ProMotocross.com)