The RedBud track, in Michigan, hosted the seventh round of the 2019 United States Pro Motocross Championships at the weekend.
Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac and Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis took the wins in the 450 and 250 class respectively.
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 class moto, Cooper Webb emerged with the holeshot over Justin Bogle and Blake Baggett. Bogle quickly went to work as he found his way around Webb to take over the race lead before the end of the opening lap. Tomac was just behind the leaders in third.
Bogle used a clear track and impressive riding to lead the first several laps as Webb and Tomac gave chase. On lap three, Tomac carried speed downhill and around the outside of Webb for the second position, followed by a pass on Bogle for the lead in the same section just one lap later. As Webb set his sights on Bogle, he made a costly mistake by stalling the engine of his bike, which let Jason Anderson slip by.
Tomac instantly took full advantage of having the lead and began opening a gap over his competition, while Anderson began to knock on Bogle’s door and made an aggressive move for second. Webb followed shortly after, bumping Bogle outside of the top three.
When the chequered flag waved, it was Tomac who remained unchallenged to win by 6.3 seconds, giving him his sixth moto win of the season. Anderson finished strong in second, followed by Webb in third. HRC Honda’s Ken Roczen and Frenchman Marvin Musquin finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
Bogle and Baggett once again put themselves towards the front when the gate dropped on 450 Class Moto 2 as Baggett was credited with the holeshot, followed by Bogle and Musquin. As Baggett set the pace out front, Roczen muscled his way into second, just ahead of Musquin in third to complete the opening lap. Anderson, Webb and Tomac started the moto just outside of the top five.
On lap two, Roczen used his early race speed to charge past Baggett for the race lead, while Musquin followed shortly after, shuffling Baggett back to third. With clear track ahead, Roczen relied on his effortless style to calmly navigate the demanding circuit as Musquin put his head down in an attempt to track down the German. As the race neared the halfway point, Musquin began to slowly close in on the race lead, eventually making the pass stick on Lap 9.
Behind the leaders, the battle for third began to heat up between Anderson and the first moto winner Tomac. Every time Tomac searched for a way around, Anderson would wick it up to close the door. On Lap 12, Tomac dove to the inside of Anderson and pushed him against the edge of the track to overtake third. The defending champion continued his push forward in the final laps of the race as he chased down and made the move around Roczen with two laps remaining.
Musquin managed the moto with his veteran experience to take his third moto win of the season, 6.2 seconds ahead of Tomac. Roczen soldiered home in third.
Tomac’s 1-2 moto scores carried him to his third overall victory of the season, tying him with James Stewart for fifth on the all-time win list with 20 apiece. Anderson finished the day runner-up (2-4), while Musquin completed the podium in third (7-1).
“Overall, it was a really good day for us,” said Tomac. “I had been feeling good all day. It has been a little bit rough the last couple of weeks, but the first moto was a really good way to start the day and get things turned back around. I think that I had some better lines in the first moto, but I was able to move up and get the job done in the second moto.”
The winning effort allowed Tomac to extend his lead in the 450 Class championship standings to 34 points over Musquin. Roczen maintains hold on third in the standings, 40 points out of the championship lead. Zach Osborne was unable to compete due to a shoulder injury sustained in the morning’s practice, dropping him from fourth to sixth.
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will take a weekend break before resuming on Saturday, July 20, from Spring Creek Raceway.
Photo courtesy Simon Cudby
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RESULTS AND STANDINGS:
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-2)
2 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-4)
3 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (7-1)
4 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (3-5)
5 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (6-3)
6 Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM (4-6)
7 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (5-9)
8 Benny, Bloss, Oak Grove, MO., KTM (9-8)
9 Dean Wilson, United Kingdom, Husqvarna (12-7)
Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Suzuki (8-13)
450 Class Championship Standings
1 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 304 points
2 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 270 points
3 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 264 points
4 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 252 points
5 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 238 points
6 Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 227 points
7 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 170 points
8 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 159 points
9 Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 150 points
10 Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 136 points
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (1-1)
2 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-2)
3 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (3-6)
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (2-8)
5 Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (8-4)
6 Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Yamaha (4-11)
7 Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (11-5)
8 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (10-7)
9 Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha (6-12)
10 Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, KTM (9-10)
250 Class Championship Standings
1 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 307 points
2 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 282 points
3 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 281 points
4 Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 204 points
5 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 200 points
6 Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 193 points
7 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 173 points
8 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 167 points
9 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 165 points
10 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 129 points