Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, and Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin rip to perfect 1-1 moto sweeps at Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship round two.
It must have annoyed Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen that he had missed out on the overall win at the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season-opening Red Bull Helen National last weekend, because during yesterday’s 46th running of the GoPro Hangtown Motocross Classic, Roczen left nothing to chance.
After getting off to clean starts in both of the 450cc motos, Roczen passed his way to the front in both and then left teammate and two-time former Lucas Oil 450cc Motocross Champion Ryan Dungey in his wake to earn his first career 1-1 moto sweep in the 450cc class and take the overall win. In the 250cc class, Yamalube Star Racing’s Jeremy Martin knew exactly what a 1-1 sweep felt like, having accomplished the deed at Glen Helen, and he came to Hangtown looking for another win. In a performance far less surprising than the Glen Helen round, Martin got it, putting together two more brilliant rides to dominate the 250cc class in what would turn out to be a Yamaha YZ250F sweep of the top three positions overall.
Warm, clear weather and a fantastically manicured Hangtown track greeted the racers for round two of the 12-round Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Multiple lines made for excellent racing, treating the huge crowd to excellent racing action.
450cc Moto 2
Red Bull KTM’s dynamic duo of Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen quickly shot to the front of the 40-rider pack when the gate dropped for the first 450cc Pro moto, Dungey just beat Roczen to collect the $500 Motosport.com Holeshot Award, but the moto quickly became more interesting when Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart and Muscle Milk Honda’s Trey Canard tagged onto the rear of Dungey and Roczen as they headed through the three “Split-S” corners on the Hangtown track. Stewart would bobble and slip back to fourth place in the second of the three turns at the same time that Roczen charged past Dungey to take the moto lead.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe was having a great moto, and he caught and passed Stewart for fourth place on the opening lap. Stewart appeared to be battling some of the steering issues that had plagued him at the Glen Helen season opener, but he quickly found his way back around Metcalfe.
Muscle Milk Honda’s Justin Barcia ran a lonely sixth and MAVTV/Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Malcolm Stewart a lonely seventh as the moto progressed, but the race for eighth place behind them began to heat up as TwoTwo Motorsports/Discount Tire’s Chad Reed, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer and Toyota/JGR Yamaha’s Josh Grant were tied together and battling for eighth place 10 minutes into the moto.
Barcia stepped up his game just before the halfway point, and he ran down Metcalfe and then Stewart, drawing close to Canard at the halfway point in the moto. Stewart would lose ground to the two Honda riders.
Roczen was like a machine as he attacked the Hangtown course, and he had a comfortable 5.1 second lead over Dungey with 10 minutes remaining in the moto, Canard was just over 14 seconds behind Dungey, with Barcia and Stewart still in contention for the final podium spot. Metcalfe, Malcolm Stewart, Reed and Weimer ran in the sixth through ninth positions, with RCH Soaring Eagle Suzuki’s Weston Peick passing Grant to run inside the top 10.
The burly Peick passed Reed in the Split-S corners with about 7 minutes remaining to take over the eighth spot, once again fostering a great battle among Reed, Weimer and Grant.
“We pushed it from the beginning, and toward the end, I don’t know if Ryan [Dungey] let loose, but [I was] just saving energy for the second moto,” Roczen said. “But it was a good race. I got right by him and just put my head down and charged. It was good.”
Dungey still said he was happy with his first-moto result.
“We got off to a good start,” Dungey said. “Kenny [Roczen] made the pass right away, which I didn’t want to happen. He rode a good race, had some good lines, and by the time I got things figured out he opened up a little bit of a gap. You know, he’s young and quick, and he is coming out of the gate fast. So, I have to work on that, but overall everything felt good.”
Canard again showed speed and consistency in the first moto, making his Glen Helen finish less of an eye opener in retrospect. If Canard can stay healthy, he could be the closest threat that the Red Bull KTM team faces in the battle for the Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross title.
“We’re just trying to get off to a good start, and that was a decent job that time, I felt like,” Canard said. “I was struggling a little bit, but I was just trying to keep tabs on those guys. We’ll try to make some changes to the bike and try to come back stronger in the second moto.”
450cc Moto 2
A pair of Kawasaki’s led the start of the second 450cc moto, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer got off to a lightning-fast start and claimed the $500 Motosport.com Holeshot Award, followed by teammate and Canadian National Champion Brett Metcalfe. Ryan Dungey was third, with James Stewart off to another fantastic start in fourth, with Ken Roczen and Justin Barcia engaging in a frantic battle for fifth that carried them right past Stewart just a few turns into the race.
Barcia then passed Dungey to move into third place before the uphull double, while Metcalfe shot past Weimer to take the lead. What followed was an excellent five-rider battle for the lead, with Metcalfe, Weimer, Barcia, Dungey and Roczen putting real estate between themselves and Stewart. Weimer would be the first rider to drop back from the lead group.
Dungey pressured Roczen for third place, and that seemed to spur Roczen toward Barcia, the two supercross rivals running nose to tail on the battle for second place. That only helped Metcalfe to maintain the lead. Barcia was finding success by using wider lines and holding the gas on longer, and he caught Metcalfe to challenge him for the lead.
Roczen then closed back up on Barcia while Dungey lurked in fourth on lap three. Barcia and Metcalfe ran side by side in several places on the track, but the stubborn Metcalfe refused to relinquish the moto lead. Roczen then made a daring outside pass on Barcia in one of the Split-S corners on lap four and shot past Metcalfe over the Thor/Parts Unlimited jump to take the lead, going from third to first. Dungey also got by both Metcalfe and Barcia to take over second place.
The lead change appeared as if it might set up another Red Bull KTM clash for the lead, but Roczen was flawless as the moto wore on, claiming the moto win and cinching the overall win via 1-1 finishes. Dungey finished second, a surprising 11 seconds behind Roczen.
Stewart, meanwhile, overcame whatever issues he was having to finish third in the moto, which was good enough for fourth overall via 5-3 moto finishes.
Canard came from behind in the moto, put an aggressive pass on Metcalfe by pushing him aside in a berm and then battled with Barcia before passing him to claim fourth place and land a second consecutive third overall finish via 3-4 moto scores. Barcia was fifth in the moto and fifth overall, followed by Weston Peick, who finished sixth overall with 8-5 moto scores.
Roczen was clearly happy to prove that he can hold a lead once he gets it.
“I didn’t get off to the best start, and I got roosted in the beginning the whole time,” Roczen said. “I could make the first [place] pass pretty much at the same time [as the pass for second]. From then on, I just took off. It was awesome. That was the plan. It’s my first 1-1, and I’m super happy about it. I’m super fit, and I just want to keep going like that.”
Dungey said that bike changes made between motos may have hampered his performance
“I was really trying to push,” Dungey said. “That second moto, we made a change going into it—just a minor change—and it was a big no-no. It was just kind of fighting that, but no excuses on my part. Ken rode a good race, and he rode hard. We just came up a little bit short. This track is just the one that I can’t seem to get a win at, it seems. We’ll regroup and keep ‘er going.”
Canard was happy to finish third overall but said that if he had gotten a better start, he might have had a chance for the moto win.
“It was a tough race, you know,” Canard said. “I was way back in the beginning, managed to come back up, and I was really happy with the bike that time. I just wish I would better track position to show it off a little more. But I’m grateful, you know. I’ve got to give it all the Lord. I’m very thankful to be safe and grateful to be racing next weekend.”
250cc Moto 1
GEICO Honda’s Zach Bell pulled the Motosport.com Holeshot, but Jeremy Martin quickly leaped past Bell just after the first jump on the track. GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle ran third, ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin, but that didn’t last as Rockstar Energy KTM’s Jason Anderson slid out and took down Muquin while attempting to pass him. Musquin remounted in 12th place. Anderson was mired way back in 22nd.
Martin quickly pulled away from the field, while Bogle passed Bell for second place, and then Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb shot passed Bell for third place and came after Bogle. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Justin Hill ran all alone in fifth place. Hill wasn’t battling for the lead, but at least he wasn’t battling flat tires like the one that cost him dearly at the Glen Helen season opener.
Martin was simply on fire, however, and he claimed the win with 19 seconds in hand over Webb. Bogle was third, another 2.4 seconds behind Webb, with Hill and Bell finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett overcame a poor start to finish sixth.
“I know what I want to do,” Martin said after the moto. “I want to win, and I want to win as many races as I can. I won’t be satisfied unless I go out there and win. [Yamaha’s] bike is really good. It’s fast and it handles good. Last year’s bike was good. This year’s bike is even better and continues to get better, so I have to step my game up and try to get better too.”
250cc Moto 2
Jeremy Martin led a three-Yamaha train into the first turn during the second 250cc moto, with teammate Cooper Webb and Valli Motorsports Yamaha’s Chrstophe Pourcel, the former World Champion, who quickly shot past Webb to run second while Martin rode off into the sunset.
GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle was fourth early, running ahead of teammate Matt Bisceglia and Cycletrader.com/Rock River Yamaha’s Alex Martin, the brother of Jeremy Martin. Jason Andeson, Justin Hill and Marvin Musquin were battling for seventh place.
Bogle’s race suddenly went south when he swapped ends and crashed at very high speed on the downhill section after the Red Bull uphill double on lap four. Bogle was unable to continue, and he would be credited with 35th place. Hill then passed Alex Martin to take over fourth place.
As the series moves onto round three, the Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, Colorado, Martin has to be considered the favorite for the win.
“I don’t know if it’s going to roll on to the rest of the season,” Martin said. “You know, those guys were going good. Christophe [Pourcel] got a good start. He qualified faster than me by like a second and a half, so he was up there. My teammate, Cooper [Webb] was up there, finished second to me so far this year. It was a dogfight. I was pushing, and they were pushing. It was good racing. I wasn’t pulling that much on them. I just tried to race the track and go forward.”
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
GoPro Hangtown Motocross Classic
Prairie City SVRA
Sacramento, California
Results: May 31, 2014 (Round 2 of 12)
450cc
1. Ken Roczen-KTM/1-1
2. Ryan Dungey-KTM/2-2
3. Trey Canard-Hon/3-4
4. James Stewart-Suz/5-3
5. Justin Barcia-Hon/4-5
6. Weston Peick-Suz/8-6
7. Jake Weimer-Kaw/7-8
8. Brett Metcalfe-Kaw/6-9
9. Malcolm Stewart-Suz/10-7
10. Chad Reed-Kaw/11-12
Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Points Standings (After 2 of 12 rounds)
1. Ken Roczen-94/1 win
2. Ryan Dungey-89/1 win
3. Trey Canard-72
4. James Stewart-66
5. Brett Metcalfe-61
6. Justin Barcia-52
7. Weston Peick-52
8. Jake Weimer-52
9. Malcolm Stewart-51
10. Josh Grant-43
250cc
1. Jeremy Martin-Yam/1-1
2. Cooper Webb-Yam/2-2
3. Christophe Pourcel-Yam/8-3
4. Justin Hill-Kaw/4-6
5. Jessy Nelson-Hon/7-5
6. Jason Anderson-KTM/10-4
7. Marvin Musquin-KTM/9-7
8. Zach Bell-Hon/5-12
9. Matt Bisceglia-Hon/13-8
10. Justin Bogle-Hon/3-35
Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Points Standings (After 2 of 12 rounds)
1. Jeremy Martin-100/2 wins
2. Cooper Webb-88
3. Christophe Pourcel-63
4. Jessy Nelson-51
5. Marvin Musquin-50
6. Jason Anderson-49
7. Justin Bogle-48
8. Blake Baggett-48
9. Matt Bisceglia-45
10. Justin Hill-43
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