Ken Roczen had to wait until the last moto in Utah, but he is now the 2014 Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Champion.
Only an epic twist of fate at the 12th and final round of the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, could prevent Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen from claiming the 2014 Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship. Fate almost intervened in the first moto of the day, but when all was said and done, the German got what he deserved. Roczen is the new king of America’s premier motocross series.
Heading into the Zions Bank Utah National, the focus was on Roczen and teammate Dungey, as Roczen enjoyed a 20-point lead in the series standings with two motos remaining. Roczen was expected to ride conservatively–and ultimately he did in the second moto–to clinch the championship, while Dungey needed a miracle that never came. However, at the end of the day Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard got what he came for, his first career Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship overall win, via a 1-1 sweep. In the 250cc class, Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin put an exclamation point on his 250cc title by also going 1-1 for his fifth overall win of the year.
450cc Moto 1
Canard, who has only gotten stronger in the latter stages of this year’s Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship campaign, in the series coming into Utah, claimed the Motosport.com holeshot ahead of GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac at the start of the first 450cc moto. Roczen, meanwhile, only crossed the holeshot stripe in sixth place, but a brilliant carving job on the extreme inside of the subsequent downhill left-hander allowed him to pick up four positions and take over second place. Canard, Roczen, Dungey and Tomac immediately established a four-rider breakaway.
Roczen made numerous attempts to pass Canard as the pair raced at the head of the pack, but Canard managed to repel Roczen’s advances each time. Then, as the two began to encounter lapped traffic, Roczen’s season-long hard work was very nearly turned upside down. Roczen made contact with a lapped rider and nearly crashed (the lapper went down hard). Only a heroic save and an excursion off the track kept Roczen out of the “hero to zero” category. Roczen’s trouble allowed Canard to pull away to a comfortable lead.
Roczen then found himself in the sights of Dungey and Tomac. On Lap 14, Dungey made the pass on Roczen for second, only to give the position back a few laps later when he was balked by a lapper the prevented him from clearing a jump. Dungey fought back, however, and he was able to re-pass Roczen with two laps remaining. Canard cruised to his third moto win of the last four motos, nearly seven seconds ahead of Dungey, who gained two precious points on Roczen, who was third. Tomac finished fourth, with Toyota/Yamaha/N-FAB/JGRMX’s Josh Grant fifth.
450cc Moto 2
Canard got off the gate strongly in Moto 2 to capture another Motosport.com Holeshot Award, and Roczen was right on Canard’s tail once again, the duo setting a torrid pace on the opening lap. Dungey overcame a start outside the top five to move into third place before the end of lap one. While Canard pulled away, Dungey caught up to Roczen and began to pressure him for second place. It as appeared as though Roczen might be goaded into a battle with Dungey, but Roczen eventually yielded to on lap five. Dungey set off after Canard and closed in to within a couple seconds of the Honda man, but Canard would not be denied his first overall win, maintaining an 8-second lead over Dungey at the finish, claiming his first overall win after 26 attempts.
“I’ve gotten more comfortable [the last few weeks],” Canard said. “It’s no secret we made bike changes, and it was instant for me in gaining more confidence. I really have to attribute that to the team and I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve been through such a roller coaster career I thought that if I didn’t win today then it would be hard to win [ever]. I just wanted to put two motos together to give us [momentum] going into next year.”
Tomac also found his way past Roczen to land third in the moto. Dungey’s consistent 2-2 effort landed him second overall, while Tomac (4-3) earned the tiebreaker over Roczen (3-4) to grab the final spot on the podium.
With his title victory, Roczen becomes the first German native to win a Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship title. He is the 23rd different 450cc class champion in the series’ 43-year history, and he joins an elite group of riders who hold the distinction of winning the 450cc title in their rookie season, including Dungey, Ricky Carmichael and Jean-Michel Bayle.
“I’ve been trying to play it cool [all weekend] but I’m not going to lie, I’ve been really nervous about today,” Roczen said. “I just didn’t want to talk about it and [wanted to] go out there and ride. I just pumped myself up for the motos and went, but it was honestly hard to put it out of my mind. I just went out there and did what I needed to do and made it happen, which is a huge accomplishment.”
Roczen’s championship is the second for KTM in the 450cc class, but Roczen and Dungey’s performance this season also mark the first 1-2 championship sweep for the team.
250cc Moto 1
Behind the Yamaha duo, the battle for the final spot on the podium involved Rockstar Energy Racing teammates Joey Savatgy and Jason Anderson, along with Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett. Musquin and Baggett found their way past Savatgy and Anderson. Musquin then yielded third place to Baggett on lap five. Musquin kept Baggett close for the rest of the moto, byt Baggett withstood the pressure.
Martin took his ninth moto win by 14 seconds over Webb. Baggett was third, and Musquin was fourth. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Alldredge delighted his team and the fans by recording a career-best fifth-place moto finish in just his third career pro start.
250cc Moto 2
Savatgy grabbed another strong start in the second moto, claiming the Motosport.com Holeshot Award over Martin. However, it didn’t take long for Martin to assume the lead and check out on the field. Savatgy soon came under fire from Musquin and GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle, while Baggett and Webb also began their marches toward the front.
Musquin took over second from Savatgy on lap three, bringing Bogle with him. Musquin and Bogle would battle for six laps before Bogle got the best of the Frenchman, and that battle allowed both Webb and Baggett to close in on Musquin, who ended up dropping behind both of them. Webb tried to hold off Baggett for third, but Baggett found a way past Webb and set his sights on Bogle.
Martin wound up winning the moto by a stout 18 seconds over Bogle, with Baggett third.
“I found something with my bike setup that helped last week, and I think that played a key factor in how comfortable I felt and how well I did today,” Martin said. “To be able to go 1-1 today was nice because it shows why I won the championship. I got good starts and chose good lines and it all worked out really great. I wanted to really enjoy it today and I did.”
Baggett’s 3-3 scores earned the runner-up spot overall classification and clinched second place in the 250cc series standings over Webb, who tied Baggett in points for the afternoon but finished third overall (2-4) following the second moto tiebreaker.
“I showed up and rode my bike to the best of my abilities today,” Baggett said. “Some days I do that, and some days I don’t–it’s as simple as that. The track was much better this year, and I was able to fight my way to the front. I just charge all the way to the checkered flag and where I end up is where I end up. Today that was good enough for second.”
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Zions Bank Utah National
Miller Motorsports Park
Tooele, Utah
Results: August 23, 2014 (Round 12 of 12)
450cc
1. Trey Canard-Hon/1-1
2. Ryan Dungey-KTM/2-2
3. Eli Tomac-Hon/4-3
4. Ken Roczen-KTM/3-4
5. Brett Metcalfe-Kaw/7-5
6. Ryan Sipes-KTM/9-6
7. Andrew Short-KTM/6-12
8. Fredrik Noren-Hon/10-9
9. Weston Peick-Suz/13-7
10. Justin Brayton-Yam/12-8
Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Standings (After 12 of 12 rounds)
1. Ken Roczen-532/5 wins
2. Ryan Dungey-518/4 wins
3. Trey Canard-468/1 win
4. Brett Metcalfe-334
5. Eli Tomac-319/1 win
6. Andrew Short-302
7. Weston Peick-290
8. Josh Grant-259
9. James Stewart-226/1 win
10. Fredrik Noren-207
250cc
1. Jeremy Martin-Yas/1-1
2. Blake Baggett-Kaw/3-3
3. Cooper Webb-Yam/2-4
4. Justin Bogle-Hon/6-2
5. Marvin Musquin-KTM/4-5
6. Chris Alldredge-Kaw/5-8
7. Joey Savatgy-KTM/8-7
8. Dean Wilson-Kaw/10-6
9. Zach Osborne-Hon/7-9
10. R.J. Hampshire-Hon/9-11
Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Standings (After 12 of 12 rounds)
1. Jeremy Martin-500/5 wins
2. Blake Baggett-421/3 wins
3. Cooper Webb-419/1 win
4. Marvin Musquin-408/2 wins
5. Justin Bogle-368
6. Christophe Pourcel-355/1 win
7. Jason Anderson-276
8. Cole Seely-260
9. Jessy Nelson-252
10. Dean Wilson-230
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