Factory Yamaha riders Justin Barcia and Jeremy Martin win their respective classes at the Red Bull RedBud National on Independence Day.
It seems only appropriate that round seven of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, the Red Bull RedBud National, took place on Independence Day, and if you’re a fan of the factory Yamaha teams, there were plenty of fireworks to be enjoyed.
One week after he earned the first 450cc overall win of his Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha’s Justin Barcia went back-to-back, earning his second win in the premier class, while Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin bagged his fourth overall win of the season in a pair of action-filled 250cc motos that arguably upstaged the 450cc class. Both men’s efforts at RedBud MX Park gave Team Yamaha its first double overall victory since the Southwick, Massachusetts round way back in 1998.
450cc
Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey started the day as the fastest qualifier, but Barcia claimed the Motosport.com Holeshot Award in the first 450cc moto. Dungey was right behind him, and the two pulled away from the field quickly before Dungey was able to make a pass for the lead on lap seven. Once out front, Dungey went on to earn his fifth moto win of the season by a margin of 3.2 seconds over Barcia. RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen finished third after working his way forward from a fifth-place start, but the end result was that he lost more points to Dungey.
Barcia again put his Yamaha at the front of the field off the start of the second 450cc moto, and Dungey once again ran second. Once again, the two riders pushed the pace and pulled away from the rest of the field. Dungey ran approximately 2 seconds behind Barcia for most of the moto, but the KTM rider picked up the pace late in the race and began to pressure Barcia the lead. This time, however, Barcia refused to buckle, and Dungey was unable to make a pass for the lead on a RedBud track that was extremely rough and challenging by the end of the day. Barcia held on for a wire-to-wire win by 1.6 seconds over Dungey, claiming the overall win by virtue of the tiebreaking second-moto win. Roczen again followed in third after running fourth on the opening lap.
Barcia has clearly found a different rhythm as the season starts its second half. Winning last weekend in the muddy conditions at Budds Creek was one thing, but this time around Barcia’s win came on a typical dry track in which the conditions were fast and rough, answering questions about whether or not that first win was some sort of fluke.
“In the first moto I got the holeshot, but Ryan [Dungey] closed in and made the pass,” Barcia said. “I closed back in but then some lappers got in the way and separated us a bit, but I was feeling confident and happy with the result. I won last week in the mud, and I knew people would think that I won because of [the conditions], so I really wanted to win in dry [conditions] and show I’m able to fight for the win every weekend. Ryan kept me honest in that last moto. He was on me the whole time. It was unbelievable. For me, it was just hammer down the whole time. This is a bigger win for me [than last week] because RedBud is such a challenging track.”
Dungey, who retains a strong series point lead, may have missed out on the overall win, but he still counted today’s performance as great.
“I think we had a great day,” he said. “We got second in both starts, but if there was anything [to improve today] it’d be there and being able to take the lead on that opening lap. Overall the day was good, and I’m happy with that. The track got rough, and it made trying to push forward that much more challenging. I try to win every race [despite a large points lead], but you still have to be smart and make the right choices. Sometimes you just have to realize it’s not always worth pushing it too much [and causing a mistake].”
Dungey’s series lead over Roczen is now 44 points. Barcia’s win fortified his third-place position in the series, and he has moved to within 63 points of Dungey and 19 of Roczen.
250cc
Martin was the fastest qualifier in the 250cc class at RedBud, but he failed to claim the holeshot in either moto. When the first moto left the gate, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy grabbed the holeshot, only to crash out of the lead on the opening lap. Martin took over, but his Yamaha teammate Cooper Webb and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin were both on the gas, making for a three-way battle for the lead.
Martin’s lead lasted for five laps before Webb closed in and made a clean pass. One lap later, Musquin shot past Martin, leaving the defending series champion to battle with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne. Martin dropped behind Osborne, but then he seemed to find a second wind and quickly retook the position, setting up a dramatic drive back toward the front of the race.
Martin passed Musquin on lap nine and closed in on Webb, setting up a dramatic confrontation for the lead between the two factory Yamaha riders on the last lap. That battle swung in Martin’s favor when Webb overshot a turn and allowed Martin to make an inside pass and steal the win by a margin of 2.9 seconds. Osborne rounded out the podium in third, with Musquin finishing fourth, behind Osborne, after crashing on lap 11.
The second moto saw GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig claim the Motosport.com Holeshot Award, with Musquin, Webb and Martin once again running near the front. Musquin and Webb battled for second place, and that allowed Craig to open a gap during the first couple laps before Webb was able to pass Musquin on lap two. Musquin continued to lose ground in the ensuing laps, and Martin passed his main championship rival on laps six. Musquin seemed to struggle after that, and he would eventually drop out of the top five.
Webb methodically cut into Craig’s lead and made an aggressive pass to take the point on lap eight. Webb began to pull away and appeared to be in full control of the moto until he bobbled and crashed on lap 13. At that same moment Martin was making a pass on Craig for second, but with Webb down it became a pass for the lead.
Martin was able to pull away from Craig and go on to secure the sweep by 4.9 seconds over a flying Osborne, who passed Craig for second with two laps remaining. Craig held on to finish third for the first podium result of his career. CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha’s Alex Martin was fourth, with Webb fifth and Musquin sixth.
Martin’s fourth overall win of the season (1-1) is the most of any rider in the 2015 series.
“I got off to two really good starts,” Martin said. “I was leading the first moto and then my arms got tired. I really struggled for a while, but I found a way to turn it around and get back up there. Marvin and I battled a lot today (for the first time this season). We’ve been dodging each other all season, but today was the day we battled. He’s a phenomenal racer, and he keeps me on my toes. I saw a yellow flag and thought it was Cooper [Webb], and it ended up being him, so I just tried to pick a line and make a move, and it worked. I got lucky there.”
Osborne finished in the runner-up spot (3-2) to tie a career-best result, while Webb managed to stay on the podium despite his adversity in third (2-5). Musquin finished sixth overall (4-6), his second worst result of the season. Musquin entered RedBud with a 10-point lead over Martin in the 250cc class, but the day marked a 17-point swing in Martin’s favor and put the defending titleholder back on top of the 250cc standing in what has been a seesaw battle between him and Musquin. Martin now holds a seven-point lead over Musquin while Osborne currently sits third, 91 points out of the lead.
After the day he had, Musquin admitted that it could have been worse.
“When I crashed [at Thunder Valley] I bruised the bone in my wrist and stretched the ligaments, so it’s been tough and I’ve been dealing with this [since Round 3],” Musquin said. “I’ve actually been doing really good at the races but this week I tweaked it again. I heard a pop in my wrist and it hurt again. I knew [today] would be tough, but not that tough. This was one of my worst races. It felt good at the beginning of the motos, and my speed was good, but it just got worse and worse later in the race.”
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship takes another hiatus next weekend before returning to action at the La Crescent Wine and Spirits Spring Creek National from Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota, July 18, round eight of the 12-round championship.
2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Red Bull RedBud National
RedBud MX
Buchanan, Michigan
Results: July 4, 2015 (Round 7 of 12)
450cc Overall
1. Justin Barcia-Yam/2-1
2. Ryan Dungey-KTM/1-2
3. Ken Roczen-Suz/3-3
4. Broc Tickle-Suz/4-7
5. Weston Peick-Yamaha/5-6
6. Christophe Pourcel-Hus/10-4
7. Fredrik Noren-Hon/7-8
8. Blake Baggett-Suz/6-9
9. Justin Brayton-KTM/9-10
10. Tommy Hahn-Hon/8-12
Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Points Standings (After 7 of 12 rounds)
1. Ryan Dungey-303/3 wins
2. Ken Roczen-259/2 wins
3. Justin Barcia-240/2 wins
4. Blake Baggett-212
5. Jason Anderson-197
6. Broc Tickle-190
7. Christophe Pourcel-186
8. Weston Peick-171
9. Phil Nicoletti-151
10. Fredrik Noren-132
250cc Overall
1. Jeremy Martin-Yam/1-1
2. Zach Osborne-Hus/3-2
3. Cooper Webb-Yam/2-5
4. Christian Craig-Hon/6-3
5. Alex Martin-Yam/5-4
6. Marvin Musquin-KTM/4-6
7. Aaron Plessinger-Yam/9-9
8. Chris Alldredge-Kaw/8-10
9. Jessy Nelson-KTM/7-11
10. RJ Hampshire-Hon/14-8
Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Points Standings (After 7 of 12 rounds)
1. Jeremy Martin-298/4 wins
2. Marvin Musquin-291/3 wins
3. Zach Osborne-207
4. Joey Savatgy-191
5. Alex Martin-188
Jessy Nelson-188
7. Adam Cianciarulo-178
8. Matt Bisceglia-142
Aaron Plessinger-142
10. Chris Alldredge-137
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