It appears as though Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship fans hoping for a more competitive 450cc series may be in for some disappointment as Ken Roczen continues to steamroll the class.
It happened again at RedBud MX Park in Michigan during Independence Day Weekend as the RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki factory-backed Roczen rolled to yet another 1-1 sweep of the 450cc class and collected his 11th career Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship overall win. It was also his fifth win of the season, and it pushed his 2016 moto win tally to 11 out of 12. It’s the kind of dominance not seen by a Suzuki rider since the great Ricky Carmichael last swung a leg over one of the yellow factory machines.
“We’ve been doing good work over the whole year,” Roczen said. “I have to give it up to my team because I went from riding maybe the worst bike I’ve had all year—we made some
changes [going into the moto]—to the best bike I’ve had all year [in the second moto]. We crushed it in that second moto, and I couldn’t be happier right now.”
In the first moto, GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle before being swallowed by the pack as Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Justin Barcia moved into the lead, and Roczen moved into second place. Roczen wasted no time in challenging Barcia for the lead, and the German rider claimed it before the end of the first lap. Shortly thereafter, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac challenged Barcia for second place, and the pair battled for several laps, allowing RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki’s to close in on them. Tomac made the pass for second place, leaving Barcia and Tickle in a scrum for third place.
Roczen went on to open a huge lead, taking his 10th moto win of the season by more than 13 seconds over Tomac, who finished second after stalling his bike at one point in the race. Barcia’s third place finish was his best of the season. Tickle was fourth, and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin was fifth.
Bogle was once again the fastest man off the starting gate in the second moto, and he managed to hold onto the position a little longer this time as he led Tomac, BTO Sports/WPS/KTM’s Andrew Short, Tickle and the rest while Roczen started outside the top five. Barcia took the lead away from Bogle, but then Tomac hounded Barcia and made the pass for the lead before the end of lap one.
Roczen continued to move toward the front, passing Tickle for third and Bogle for second, setting the stage for the showdown with Tomac that RedBud fans had come to see. The battle didn’t last long, as Roczen leaped past Tomac over the track’s fabled LaRocco’s Leap after Tomac elected not to go for the massive jump, and that was pretty much the end of it. Roczen officially led lap two, and he would go on to lead the rest of the way, pulling more than 30 seconds clear of Tomac as the race continued. The focus then shifted on the battle for third between Bogle and Tickle. Tickle passed Bogle on lap three, setting the podium positions for the moto.
Roczen crossed the finish line a whopping 31 seconds ahead of Tomac. Tomac finished second, going 202 for second overall. ickle finished third in the moto and third overall via 4-3 scores, marking back-to-back overall podium finishes for the Michigan native. Roczen’s win extends his lead in the 2016 Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship standings to 53 over Tomac. Musquin, who finished fifth overall at RedBud is now third, 126 points out of the lead.
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will return to The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts, for the first time since 2013 when the celebrated sand track hosts the 36th running of the Red Bull Southwick National on Saturday, July 2.
2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
RedBud National
RedBud MX Park
Buchanan, Michigan
Results: July 2, 2016 (Round 6 of 12)
450cc Overall
1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (1-1)
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, CO, Kawasaki (2-2)
3. Broc Tickle, Holly, MI, Suzuki (4-3)
4. Justin Barcia, Monroe, NY, Yamaha (3-4)
5. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (5-6)
6. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, CA, Suzuki (7-5)
7. Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna (6-7)
8. Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, OR, Suzuki (8-8)
9. Justin Bogle, Cushing, OK, Honda (10-9)
10. Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, MO, KTM (11-10)
2016 Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Series Points Standings (after 6 of 12 rounds)
1. Ken Roczen-293/5 overall wins/11 moto wins
2. Eli Tomac-240
3. Marvin Musquin-167
4. Cole Seely-151
5. Broc Tickle-147
6. Justin Barcia-146
7. Christophe Pourcel-136
8. Ryan Dungey-131/1 overall win/1 moto win
9. Justin Bogle-118
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