Hangtown shows that champion Tomac is the man to beat!
Two weeks is the rest time that American motocross riders get between their 17-race supercross campaign and their 12-round motocross championship. Rest is not even the right word because it is preparation time. A preparation for a new season with new opportunities. In the USA you get twice a chance, you have two seasons in one calendar year, two new opportunities. They always have to be special boys. Read below to see who made the most of their chances in the first race of the motocross season!
In the first moto of the 450F in Sacramento we had a real madhouse in the first few laps. It was Christian Craig who took the holeshot, but he soon had to make room for the brand new supercross champion Jason Anderson. For a moment it seemed that this new champion would immediately make a statement in outdoor work. But after some crazy laps we saw two pilots who were able to put themselves above the rest. Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac drove up to Jason Anderson and picked up the Husqvarna pilot. It looked like he was standing still.
This was followed by an interesting man-to-man duel from Marvin Musquin who squeezed fast laps out of his KTM, and for a moment even Eli Tomac seemed to be releasing. This was until during these efforts the Frenchman made a small mistake and saw the American cycling happily past. Eli Tomac immediately used Marvin Musquin's mistake and broken rhythm to open a gap that was enough for the victory. Marvin Musquin finished thirteen seconds in second place ahead of Justin Barcia who also passed Jason Anderson. The top five was completed with Weston Peick.
The second series had the surprising Phil Nicoletti as the holeshot taker! The substitute at JGR Suzuki took the holeshot just ahead of Justin Barcia. However, the Yamaha pilot wasted no time and quickly took the lead, but after a few laps Jason Anderson took over at the front. While these gentlemen entertained themselves and the audience, both Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac came rushing through the pack after a poor start by both. It took a while before both could fight for the lead in the match. Halfway through the race it was already over when Marvin Musquin used his passing maneuver on Jason Anderson for the lead. While the Frenchman took charge of the pack, his biggest competitor lay down. Eli Tomac moved out of a track for a moment, causing him to lose some time. An ideal scenario, it seemed.
But with adrenaline pumping, reigning AMA Motocross Champion Eli Tomac closed the gap on Marvin Musquin in less than two laps and immediately took over. His French attacker tried to respond to so much show of power from the best American motocross rider, but had to acknowledge his superiority.
Behind these gentlemen we saw Jason Anderson again drop in the rankings as the race progressed. Arm pump? We won't know until the PR statement. However, his slackening pace allowed Justin Barcia to finish third again in this second moto ahead of Blake Baggett, Benny Bloss and therefore Jason Anderson.
What about Ken Roczen?
Ken Roczen did more than decently in the first moto. The German Honda pilot finished sixth. In the second series he seemed to score a similar result. However, the last ten minutes of the second series painfully showed that Ken Roczen has only just started his preparation for the new season, and that he is still far from his old self. The HRC pilot fell from fifth place to sixteenth place.
1. So Tomac
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Justin Barcia
4.Jason Anderson
5. Weston Peick
6.Ken Roczen
7. Blake Baggett
8.Christian Craig
9. Phil Nicoletti
10. Benny Bloss
11. Bradley Taft
12. Kyle Chisholm
13. Dylan Merriam
14. Jake Masterpool
15.Cody Cooper
16. Ben LaMay
17. Brandan Leith
18. Brandon Scharer
19. Cade Autenrieth
20. Dare DeMartile
1. So Tomac
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Justin Barcia
4. Blake Baggett
5. Benny Bloss
6.Jason Anderson
7. Weston Peick
8.Christian Craig
9. Phil Nicoletti
10. Bradley Taft
11. Kyle Chisholm
12.Cody Cooper
13. Kyle Cunningham
14. Jake Masterpool
15. Dylan Merriam
16.Ken Roczen
17. Toshiki Tomita
18. Ben LaMay
19. Dare DeMartile
20. Brandan Leith
1. Eli Tomac (1-1)
2. Marvin Musquin (2-2)
3. Justin Barcia (3-3)
4. Jason Anderson (4-6)
5. Blake Baggett (7-4)
6. Weston Peick (5-7)
7. Benny Bloss (10-5)
8. Christian Craig (8-8)
9. Phil Nicoletti (9-9)
10. Bradley Taft (11-10)
1. Eli Tomac, 50
2. Marvin Musquin, 44
3. Justin Barcia, 40
4. Jason Anderson, 33
5. Blake Baggett, 32
6. Weston Peick, 30
7. Benny Bloss, 27
8. Christian Craig, 26
9. Phil Nicoletti, 24
10. Bradley Taft, 21
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