Some of them won, and some of them didn’t but all of these riders still turned in noteworthy performances at the GoPro Hangtown Motocross Classic.
The following is from MX Sports Pro Racing:
Parity reigned supreme for specialty awards at the second round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, at the 46th GoPro Hangtown Motocross Classic. However, it was both Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen and Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin who took advantage of their achievements in the 450 Class and 250 Class, respectively, to earn the overall victories in each division.
Through partnerships with series sponsors, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship recognizes riders who are able to lay claim to the Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program, the MotoSport.com Holeshot Award in each moto, and the Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award throughout the 2014 season.
The Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program is designed to present a unique challenge for the 2014 season, providing a different twist by recognizing the rider who sets the fastest lap of practice in both the 250cc and 450cc classes. Each rider will receive special Oakley Bomb trophy, specially designed by Oakley. As the season wears on, the total number of Oakley Bomb awards a rider receives will be tallied into a final season total. The competitor with the most awards at season’s end will be presented with an Elite Oakley Time Bomb II Swiss Automatic Watch.
At Hangtown, Roczen paced the 450cc field with a lap of 1 minute, 59.134 seconds and ultimately used it to his advantage in the motos. The German rookie in the premier division started at the front of the field in each moto and proceeded to eventually take over the lead en route to a dominant 1-1 sweep and capture the first 450cc class win of his career, taking over the points lead from his Red Bull KTM teammate Ryan Dungey in the process. He and Dungey now share one Oakley Bomb Award apiece through the first two rounds.
Frenchman Christophe Pourcel once again showed his prowess for setting a fast lap in the 250cc class, putting his Valli Motorsports Yamaha atop the charts for the second consecutive week with a lap of 2:02.048. He now has two Oakley Bomb Awards to his credit to start the season.
The MotoSport.com Holeshot Award is brand new to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross this season, and it awards $500 to the rider who gets the holeshot in each moto—in both the 450cc class and 250cc class—at every round of the championship.
Four different riders claimed the $500 prize in each of the afternoon’s four motos at Hangtown, showcasing the competitiveness of the entire Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship field. In the 450cc class, Dungey edged out Roczen to the holeshot in Moto 1 en route to a second-place finish. In Moto 2, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer put himself out front early with his first holeshot of the season and finished the race in seventh place.
In the 250cc class, GEICO Honda’s Zach Bell displayed impressive speed to earn the holeshot in Moto 1 and proceeded to post a solid fifth-place finish. In Moto 2, Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin made the most of his holeshot, taking the lead out of the gate and never relinquishing it. Martin ultimately won by nearly 20 seconds to cap off another dominant day and remain undefeated through the first four 250cc motos of the 2014 season.
The RC Hard Charger Award is entering its sixth season in 2014. Named after Ricky Carmichael, the most winning motocross rider of all time, the RC Hard Charger award recognizes the one competitor at each of the 12 rounds of the championship who overtakes the highest number of his fellow racers in any of the four championship motos among the 250cc and 450cc classes. The award is a testament to “The Greatest of All Time” or “The GOAT” and his never-give-up attitude over the span of a career that warranted 10 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross titles and 102 wins—two feats that will likely never be duplicated. All recipients of the RC Hard Charger Award are given a custom-designed trophy.
Following a solid start to the afternoon, in which he posted the seventh-fastest lap during the timed practice sessions, BTOSports.com KTM’s Andrew Short was faced with adversity on the opening lap of Moto 1. The Colorado native was involved in an incident with Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s Phil Nicoletti and crossed the line in 38th at the conclusion of the opening lap. True to his resilient nature, Short put his head down and began to work his way through the field like the true veteran he is. At the conclusion of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto Short had climbed all the way to 14th, passing a total of 24 riders along the way. His achievement was unmatched by any other rider at Hangtown, and as a result Short earned the week’s RC Hard Charger Award. The momentum from Short’s inspiring ride led to a 10th-place finish in Moto 2, placing him 11th overall.
Round 3 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads to Lakewood, Colorado, for the Toyota Thunder Valley National on Saturday, June 7.
Your Privacy Choices