Irrespective of any other stop on the 12-event Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship tour, Jeremy Martin can always find extra incentive when the series pulls into Spring Creek MX Park, because it’s his home track–literally
Spring Creek is owned and operated by the Martin family and, perhaps outside of his brother Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha teammate, Alex Martin, no one else has spun more laps around the scenic Minnesota track.
So when another teammate, Cooper Webb took over and won the first moto at the 2016 La Crescent Wine & Spirit Spring Creek National on Saturday, Martin’s “Defend This House!” mentality kicked into overdrive, and it propelled him to his first Lucas Oil 250cc overall win of the season, much to the delight of his hometown fans. It capped off a great day for the Martin family and for Yamaha, as Jeremy Martin, Webb and Alex Martin made it a bLU cRU sweep of the 250cc podium.
“It feels amazing,” Martin said afterward. “It was a good day for me. The bike was handling absolutely perfect in moto two. Like, I haven’t found that all year. I was able to ride my own pace. I saw Coop [Webb] got a bad start, and he came through, charging. I’ve just go to give it up, the whole Spring Creek crew did a great job today.”
The Martin brohers served notice that they intended to defend their castle when they roared into the top two positions at the start of the first 250cc moto, with Alex taking the point, followed by Jeremy. Next came Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Mitchell Oldenburg. Series point leader Webb, however, tore through the field after a so-so start and passed Oldenburg on lap one while being pursued by the man closest to him in the series standings, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Joey Savatgy. Alex and Jeremy Martin built a slight gap on the field early, but Webb soon began to eat up the gap between himself and the frontrunners. He would be all over Jeremy Martin’s tail by the time the moto reached the halfway point. Webb then passed Jeremy on lap six.
Webb went after Alex Martin next, but Alex made things difficult on the relentless Webb until, with three laps to go, Alex hit the dirt in a corner, handing the lead to Webb, who went on to win the moto by 3.1 seconds. Jeremy Martin also got past his older brother to finish second. Alex Martin was able to salvage a fine third place, just ahead of Savatgy and Yamalube/Star Racing’s Aaron Plessinger.
“I had a plan [to pass Martin],” Webb said after the first moto. “I knew it was going to be tough. The track was a little tough to pass, so I just had to get close enought to make it stick. But it was tough, you know? The [Martin] guys were riding good, and this is there track, so I knew they were going to be good. So, I’m stoked. I was right behind Alex, and unfortunately he went down. That made my life easy.”
Alex Martin had his outside gate pick dialed to perfection as he swept to his second holeshot of the day in Moto 2. Jeremy Martin slotted right in behind his brother again, and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo ran third. Alex Martin’s lead was much shorter than in the previous moto however, as he crashed again in another corner, losing several positions before he was able to get back on the attack. Instead of leading, he was ninth at the start of lap two. Cianciarulo took advantage of Alex Martin’s to snatch the lead, but Jeremy Martin refused to let the Kawasaki rider get away. Meanwhile Webb was able to sneak into the top five after completing lap one in seventh place.
Jeremy Martin then settled into a strong pace that took him past Cianciarulo and into the lead as the field worked lap four. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne and Savatgy also passed Cianciarulo to run second and third respectively. Savatgy made a pass on Osborne for second place on lap seven, but the plague of mistakes that has been hampering for the past two rounds struck once again when he made a mistake and dropped back to fifth place. The frustration within the team was evident as his mechanic wrote, “Dude, Really” on Savatgy’s pit board.
Webb once again put together one his patented charges to pass Osborne for second place on lap 10, setting the top three running order for the rest of the moto. There simply wasn’t enough time to catch Jeremy Martin, who clicked off the remaining six laps to win by 7.8 seconds and claim the overall by virtue of his second-moto win. Webb went 1-2 for second overall, and Alex Martin’s fourth-place finish allowed him to net third overall for his first career Lucas Oil Pro Motocross podium finish at his home track.
“Anytime you are able to win your hometown race in front of family and friends is a special moment,” Jeremy Martin said. “The last couple of weekends we have been able to turn things around and improve the bike, along with my health. I believe we are in a good position, but we need to start gaining some points on Cooper [Webb] so that we can take this championship down to the wire.”
Webb’s advantage is now 38 points over Martin, who has now passed Savatgy for second in the 2016 Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Championship Series standings. After leading the points for much of the season, Savatgy now finds himself 50 points out of the series lead..
“I’m happy to leave with a moto win today and maintain our points lead in the championship,” Webb said. “The goal for me is always to win, but I knew Alex and Jeremy would be strong today, and I’m happy to have been battling with them for the win.”
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will continue next weekend as it returns to the West Coast for round nine of the series, the Peterson CAT Washougal National in Washougal, July 23.
2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
La Crescent Wine & Spirit Spring Creek National
Spring Creek MX Park
Millville, Minnesota
Results: July 16, 2016 (Round 8 of 12)
250cc Overall
1. Jeremy Martin, Millville, N, Yamaha (2-1)
2. Cooper Webb, Newport, NC, Yamaha (1-2)
3. Alex Martin, Millville, MN, Yamaha (3-4)
4. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, GA, Kawasaki (4-5)
5. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, OH, Yamaha (5-6)
6. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, FL, Kawasaki (7-8)
7. Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Kawasaki (8-9)
8. Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, MI, Yamaha (11-10)
9. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, FL, Honda (10-11)
10. Luke Renzland, Hewitt, NJ, Yamaha (9-12)
2016 Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Points Standings (after 8 of 12 rounds)
1. Cooper Webb-337/3 overall wins/6 moto wins
2. Jeremy Martin-299/1 overall win/4 moto wins
3. Joey Savatgy-287/3 overall wins/5 moto wins
4. Alex Martin-270
5. Zach Osborne-237
6. Austin Forkner-221
7. Aaron Plessinger-217
8. Arnaud Tonus-163
9. RJ Hampshire-153
10. Adam Cianciarulo-150
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