Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Results: Unadilla
Monday 10 August: Round 10 of 12. Dungey was flawless enroute to series leading fifth victory of the season. In the 250 Joey Savatgy breaks through for his first career 250 Class win.
The stretch run of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship got
underway on Saturday with the series' annual visit to Central New York's
iconic Unadilla MX. The Red Bull Unadilla National signified the 10 th
stop of the 12-round season and was a showcase of dominance for Red
Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey, who eared his series-leading fifth overall win
of the season with a 1-1 effort, inching one step closer to a third
Edison Dye Cup. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's
Joey Savatgy emerged triumphant despite not winning a moto, relying on
unmatched consistency to prevail with his first-ever professional
victory in underdog fashion.
Dungey inched one step closer to the 450 Class title. Photo: Simon Cudby
Competition
in the 450 Class began with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's
Christophe Pourcel securing the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier, but the
Frenchman was hit with misfortune off the start in the first moto.
Pourcel and defending champion Ken Roczen collided in the first turn,
sending the top qualifier and the RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki
Factory Racing rider to the ground. Both competitors eventually returned
to action. Out front, BTOSports.com KTM's Justin Brayton surged to the
Motosport.com Holeshot Award just ahead of Dungey.
Starting ahead
of his closest competitors in the title fight, Dungey seized the
opportunity to take control of the moto early and passed Brayton for the
lead on the first lap. By the time he came around to complete Lap 1,
Dungey had already opened a multiple second lead over
Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha's Justin Barcia, his main rival over the
last month of competition. Although Barcia saw his seven-moto holeshot
streak come to an end, he still had Dungey in his sights as the field
settled in.
The points leader continued to extend his advantage
over the field, leaving Barcia to briefly deal with a hard charging Trey
Canard aboard his Team Honda HRC machine. Barcia soon pulled away and
Canard then fell into the clutches of GEICO Honda's Justin Bogle, who
made his 450 Class debut at Unadilla. The battle for third provided the
most excitement of the moto, as Bogle gained the upper hand through the
middle of the race. Canard was persistent and eventually reclaimed the
position on Lap 11. Not long after, Bogle went down and eventually
dropped to the tail end of the top 10.
Dungey led every lap to take the moto win by 13.860 seconds ahead of Barcia, with Canard third.
Home state rider Barcia earned a runner-up finish. Photo: Simon Cudby
In
the second moto Bogle put his Honda in the mix again, earning his first
Motosport.com Holeshot Award just ahead of Dungey. As was the case in
the first moto, Dungey wasted little time in putting his KTM in front
and took the lead on the first lap, with Barcia again following into
second. After a tough first moto, Roczen bounced back to put himself at
the front of the field in third.
Dungey's early pace gave him a
comfortable margin over his two title contenders, who began a heated
battle for second that ultimately fell into Roczen's favor. Once in
second, Roczen pushed to close in on Dungey and was able to consistently
sit about a second behind the leader throughout the moto. While he was
unable to put any serious pressure on the lead, Roczen kept Dungey
honest through to the finish.
Dungey crossed the line 1.604 seconds ahead of Roczen, with Barcia following in third.
Canard made his return to the podium. Photo: Simon Cudby
Dungey's
1-1 effort was his second sweep of the season and his fourth 450 Class
win at Unadilla. Barcia finished in the runner-up spot (2-4) while
Canard earned his first overall podium of the 2015 season in third
(3-6), in just his second start since returning from injury.
"I
got a great start in both motos and could put myself into the lead
early. That allowed me to really ride my own race and work on building a
gap," explained Dungey. "Ken [Roczen] was really strong in that last
moto and it kind of caught me off guard, so I really had to put my head
down and focus on hitting all my marks. We kept him behind us and
finished the day with a 1-1 effort, which feels great."
With two
rounds remaining, Dungey has put himself in position to win the
championship next weekend, currently holding a 79-point lead over
Barcia, who took over sole possession of second. If he completes the
next round with at least a 50-point advantage, Dungey will clinch his
third Edison Dye Cup in six seasons. Roczen sits third, 92 points behind
Dungey and 13 points back of Barcia for second.
Savatgy took a big win for Kawasaki in the 250 Class. Photo: Simon Cudby
The
battle for the win in the 250 Class began with Red Bull KTM's Marvin
Musquin making the first statement as the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier.
That allowed Musquin to earn a start inside the top five in Moto 1,
while Savatgy took the Motosport.com Holeshot Award and the control of
the early lead. GEICO Honda's Christian Craig pursued Savatgy on the
opening lap in second, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Chris
Alldredge slotted into third. Musquin was initially in this battle in
fourth, but after almost going down in a turn he lost a couple valuable
positions, including one to his championship rival Jeremy Martin, who
moved into fourth aboard his Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha.
Savatgy's
holeshot put him in a position to set a torrid pace early and he
extended his advantage over the field. It wasn't long before Martin
started his march to the front, passing both Alldredge and Craig on Lap 3
to set his sights on the lead. Alldredge followed Martin into third,
and from there the top three riders started to pull away. Savatgy was
able to fend off the pressure from both Martin and Alldredge, but as the
lead trio continued their fight it allowed Musquin to start closing in
after he passed Craig to take over fourth.
Martin mounted another
charge as the moto started to wind down, forcing a bobble out of
Savatgy that allowed Martin to take over the top spot. As this was
taking place, Musquin looked to make a pass on Alldredge for third but
an apparent issue with his goggles forced him to back off the pace
briefly and start the push again. Once in the lead, Martin pulled away
and took the moto win by 2.754 seconds over Savatgy. Alldredge was
forced to fend off a major charge from Musquin in the final corners, but
held on to finish third.
Musquin narrowly missed out on the overall win. Photo: Simon Cudby
As
the gate dropped on Moto 2, GEICO Honda's RJ Hampshire put his bike
across the line first to claim the Motosport.com Holeshot Award, but
once again it was Savatgy who was able to put his Kawasaki at the front
of the field early. Hampshire asserted himself into second and kept
Savatgy within reach, while his GEICO Honda teammate Jordon Smith moved
into third after an early pass on CycleTrader.com/Rocky River Yamaha's
Alex Martin.
As the front-runners settled in, the pressure was on
Musquin to fight his way forward from a top-five start, but even more
work had to be done by Jeremy Martin, who suffered from a terrible start
and began his race outside the top 10 in 13th.
Savatgy moved into a comfortable position at the front of the field as
the moto wore on, but misfortune hit both of the GEICO Honda riders in
their quest for first ever podium results. Hampshire crashed out of
second on Lap 4, handing the runner-up spot to Smith who soon did the
same just a few laps later. Those mistakes allowed Musquin to fight his
way into second and in just a matter of two laps he was making a pass on
Savatgy for the lead, erasing a multiple second deficit.
Musquin's
charge to the front of the field also included Yamalube/Star Racing
Yamaha's Cooper Webb, who followed into second and dropped Savatgy from
first to third in the span of a lap. Webb appeared to have the speed to
challenge Musquin for the win, but as he looked to mount a charge Webb
had a big crash that took him out of contention. That gave Musquin the
breathing room he needed to take the moto win, 4.685 seconds ahead of
Savatgy. Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha's Aaron Plessinger was third.
Jeremy Martin impressively fought his way back from a bad start to
finish fifth and was actually in a position to claim fourth on the final
lap until a small crash ended the run.
Martin earned a podium finish on an up and down afternoon. Photo: Simon Cudby
Musquin
(4-1) had the overall win in his grasp as he was chased by Webb, but
the crash by the Yamaha rider effectively handed the top spot to Savatgy
(2-2), who took his first career overall win despite losing a shot at
both moto victories in the late stages. Martin's resiliency in the final
moto allowed him to finish third overall (1-5).
It was the first
win of the 2015 season for the legendary Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki effort and marked the team's first victory since the
seventh round of the 2014 season last July. Savatgy also became the 76th different winner in 250 Class history.
"I
can't complain. It was a great day even though I didn't quite get a
moto win," said Savatgy. "The main thing for me today was getting out of
the gate good. To get the first overall [of my career] is an unreal
feeling. We were able to get the lead in both motos and run out front
for a while, which was great. When I came around in the second moto and
saw Cooper [Webb] on the ground I started figuring out that the overall
win was mine, and my mechanic confirmed it when I came back around."
Team
USA for the 2015 Motocross of Nations was announced with (left to
right) Cooper Webb (MX3), Jeremy Martin (MX2) and Justin Barcia (MX1)
and Team Manager Roger DeCoster. Photo: Simon Cudby
The
battle for the 250 Class title, the Gary Jones Cup, continues to
tighten between Jeremy Martin and Musquin. The pair entered the
afternoon separated by four points and following their up-and-down
afternoons now just have two points between them with two rounds
remaining. With his win, Savatgy moved into a distant third in the
standings, 132 points behind the leader.
"Something happened with
my goggles in the first moto. I kept getting dirt inside and it made it
really difficult to ride the way I wanted," said Musquin. "It was
frustrating to not get the finish we wanted, but we regrouped and came
back strong in the second moto. Once I got into second I knew I could
get the win, but Cooper [Webb] was really aggressive. I knew I would be
able to hold him off, but then he crashed and it made it a lot easier in
the end [to take the win]. We made up more points on Jeremy [Martin]
and we're ready to keep fighting [for the title]."
"As long as I
can start in the top five I know I can be there in the end [to challenge
for the win]. I rode a smart race in the first moto and was able to get
the win," stated Martin. "I just spun [my tire] off the gate in Moto 2,
and with the starts being so important now more than ever that puts you
in a tough spot right away. I kept pushing and we were able to fight
our way into fifth. I didn't really even realize how much ground I had
made up until the end. We have four motos left and I'm ready for [the
battle]."
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next
weekend with its second-to-last round of the 2015 season. Miller
Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, will be the host site of the Zions
Bank Utah National next Saturday, August 15.
Copy and images courtesy of Brandon Short mxsports.com
450 Class (Moto Finish)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-1)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (2-4)
- Trey Canard, Edmond, Oka., Honda (3-6)
- Shaun Simpson, United Kingdom, KTM (4-8)
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (16-2)
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (6-9)
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha (12-5)
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki (13-7)
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki (9-11)
- Dean Wilson, United Kingdom, KTM (11-10)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 450
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha, 371
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 358
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 297
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna, 267
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 263
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 253
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha, 223
- Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha, 209
- Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda, 206
250 Class (Moto Finish)
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (2-2)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (4-1)
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (1-5)
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM (6-4)
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (8-6)
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (7-8)
- Christian Craig, Plymouth, Minn., Honda (5-10)
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (16-3)
- Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda (12-9)
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (15-7)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 416
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 414
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki, 284
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna, 277
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM, 266
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 261
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha, 228
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM, 208
- Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda, 195
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda, 189
|