The outdoor season of motocross championship racing kicks off in the United States this weekend and what a season it is expected to be.

After only a two-week hiatus, with the Supercross season having just concluded in Las Vegas, teams and riders are preparing for the gate drop of round one of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in Hangtown this Saturday, May 16.

With plenty of past champions in the mix, it’s promising to be an exciting season of racing in America.

Expectations are high for the 250 and 450 reigning champions: Jeremy Martin and Ken Roczen. Both showed great speed earlier this year in Supercross, but neither were able to win a title in their respective classes.

Germany’s Roczen pulled out of the Supercross season halfway due to a nagging ankle injury but he is expected to be fully ready for the opening round this weekend. Nonetheless, questions still remain as to whether or not his ankle will inhibit his performance.

On the other hand, the 250 reigning champion Martin is entering the race this weekend with no nagging injuries and he is fully rested after sitting out the last Supercross round a couple weekends ago.

Expect both reigning champs to be serious threats for a repeat title as both have something to prove as they leave disappointing Supercross seasons in the dust.

250 Class

Plenty of other riders in the 250 class could also win the championship, such as Marvin Musquin, Cooper Webb, Adam Cianciarulo, Joey Savatgy, or Jessy Nelson. Musquin and Webb are both entering the series with a lot of confidence after winning the East and West 250 Supercross titles this year, and will definitely be able to grab a few overall wins this summer.

Savatgy and Nelson also had the best Supercross seasons of their careers and both had career bests last year in the motocross championship as well. Expect them to continue improving, and definitely get a few podiums this summer.

Perhaps the most interesting riders to watch this summer will be the Pro Circuit rider Cianciarulo. Cianciarulo hasn’t raced in the US for over a year, but no doubt is very fast and capable speed-wise of getting a few wins. However, after such a long time not racing, he most likely will take a few rounds to warm up and ride to his full potential.

450 Class

In the 450 class, Ryan Dungey is perhaps the favourite to win a title.

After a career-best supercross season, the 2015 supercross champion has all the momentum heading into Hangtown this weekend. Dungey has proven that not only can he be super consistent, but he is also capable of setting some of the fastest lap times. With Aldon Baker as a trainer, there’s no doubt that Dungey will be able to push through all 30 minutes of a moto – even in the most gruelling of conditions.

Besides from Roczen and Dungey, another potential title favourite is the Geico Honda rider Eli Tomac. Tomac has always had the speed to win, but lately his consistency has been lacking.

He also won a 250 Pro Motocross Championship back in 2013, so he know’s exactly what it takes to win a championship in the 12-round long series. Tomac’s main downfall in Supercross was his inability to start in the top 10, but with 30-minute motos this summer, he will have a lot more time to rebound from bad starts.

Other riders to watch for this summer in the 450 class will be Cole Seely, Chad Reed, Weston Peick, Justin Barcia, Blake Baggett, and Jason Anderson.

Seely, Baggett, and Anderson are all rookies to the 450 class this year, so expect that lack of experience to result in some inconsistent results. However, all three riders have shown in Supercross that they have the speed to run near the front of the premier class, so a couple of wins here and there are definitely possible for them.

In fact, Baggett tends to do better outdoors than at Supercross, and has actually won a 250 Pro Motocross title back in 2012. In contrast, Seely typically struggles outdoors when compared to his success in Supercross. If that’s the case again this year, than Seely may struggle to finish within the top five.

Overall, there’s no clear favourite to win the title.

The opening round of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is set to get an exciting season underway.

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The 2015 AMA Motocross Season calendar:

Round 1:   16th May – Hangtown – Sacramento, CA

Round 2:   23rd May – Glen Helen – San Bernardino, CA

Round 3:   30th May – Thunder Valley – Lakewood, CO

Round 7:   4th June – RedBud – Buchanan, MI

Round 4:   6th June – Tennessee National – Blountville, MD

Round 5:   13th June – High Point – Mt. Morris, PA

Round 6:   27th June – Budds Creek – Mechanicsville, MD

Round 8:   18th July – Spring Creek – Millville, MN

Round 9:   25th July – Washougal – Washougal, WA

Round 10:   8th August – Unadilla – New Berlin, NY

Round 11:   15th August – Utah – Tooele, UT

Round 12:   22nd August – Ironman – Crawfordsville, IN