Ryan Dungey goes 1-1 for the 450cc win, and Joey Savatgy’s 2-3 finishes top the 250cc class at the Red Bull Unadilla National.
Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey edged closer to regaining the Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy earned his first career 250cc overall win at the Red Bull Unadilla National in New Berlin, New York, Saturday.
Nicknamed “The Diesel,” Dungey kept on truckin’ at the Unadilla Motorsports Complex, putting together two flawless motos for to claim his fifth overall win of the season and further distance himself from nearest competitor Justin Barcia in the 450cc series points standings. Meanwhile, Savatgy failed to win a moto in what was another rollercoaster day in the 250cc series. Savatgy’s consistency netted his first career Lucas Oil Pro Motocross overall win while Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin regained almost all of the points that he had lost to reigning 250cc Champion and series points leader Jeremy Martin, who had a mediocre day on the rough Unadilla circuit.
450cc
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Christophe Pourcel appeared to have things wired at the Unadilla circuit–perhaps the most European-style of all the stops on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross calendar. The Frenchman led the order in timed qualifying to land Bud Light Fastest Qualifier Award for the 450cc class, but the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider’s hopes for the win effectively evaporated in the first moto he lost the front end in the first turn and crashed, collecting RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki-backed 450cc Champion Ken Roczen in the process. Both men were able to remount and rejoin the race.
BTOSports.com KTM’s Justin Brayton surged to the Motosport.com Holeshot Award just ahead of Dungey, who wasted no time in taking over the lead, however, and he built a several-second cushion over the rest of the field by the end of the first lap. Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha’s Barcia quickly moved into second place, and he tried to keep Dungey in his sights, but Dungey continued to set a torrid pace, extending his lead at every turn.
Barcia had to contend with Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard early in the moto, but Barcia was able to pull clear of Canard, who then had to stave off the challenges of GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle, the former Monster Energy AMA 250cc Supercross Champion who was making his 450cc debut at Unadilla. Bogle passed Canard for third place at around the midway point of the moto, but Canard reclaimed the position on Lap 12.
Meanwhile, visiting FIM MXGP contender Shaun Simpson of Scotland was having a great ride aboard his borrowed Red Bull KTM, running in fifth place in his Lucas Oil series debut. Simpson was running right behind Canard before Canard passed Bogle, and he was able to get around Bogle to finish fourth. Bogle appeared to run out of steam, and would drop back to 10th late in the moto.
Dungey led every lap to take the moto win by 13.860 seconds ahead of Barcia, with Canard third.
Bogle got off to a strong start put his Honda in the mix again, earning his first Motosport.com Holeshot Award just ahead of Dungey, who again quickly moved into the lead on the first lap, with Barcia almost as quickly taking over second place ahead of Roczen. Bogle would later crash hard during the moto. He would be credited with 36th place.
Dungey’s was flying again up front, and he quickly pulled away from Barcia and Roczen, who engaged in a fierce battle for second, with Roczen taking the spot away from Barcia. Bogle, that ultimately fell into Roczen’s favor. Once in second, Roczen pushed to close in on Dungey and he was able to inch closer to Dungey as the moto wound down. Roczen had a chance for the win on the last lap, but he got mired in the fluff on the outside of a berm, and that killed his momentum. Dungey crossed the line 1.604 seconds ahead of Roczen, with Barcia third.
Dungey’s 1-1 effort was his second sweep of the season and his fourth 450 Class win at Unadilla. Barcia finished in the runner-up spot (2-4) while Canard earned his first overall podium of the 2015 season in third (3-6). Dungey said that good starts were key in both of his moto wins.
“I got a great start in both motos and could put myself into the lead early,” Dungey said. “That allowed me to really ride my own race and work on building a gap. Ken [Roczen] was really strong in that last moto, and it kind of caught me off guard, so I really had to put my head down and focus on hitting all my marks. We kept him behind us and finished the day with a 1-1 effort, which feels great.”
There are still two rounds left in the series, but Dungey could clinch the title at the next round, as he currently holds a 79-point lead over Barcia. Roczen sits third, 92 points behind Dungey and 13 behind Barcia.
250cc
Musquin topped the 250cc field to earn the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier Award, but Savatgy claimed the Motosport.com Holeshot Award after the gate dropped for the first 250cc moto. GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig ran second, and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Alldredge moved into third. Musquin was battling for fourth when he almost went down in a turn. The miscue allowed title rival Martin to put his Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha into fourth place.
Savatgy extended his lead early in the moto, but Martin has proved time and time again that he is strong in the later laps, and he did it again at Unadilla, passing both Alldredge and Craig early and then methodically cutting into Savatgy’s lead. Alldredge followed Martin into third, and from there the top three riders started to pull away. Savatgy was able to fend off the pressure from both Martin and Alldredge for much of the race, while Musquin started to close in on them after passing Craig for fourth.
Martin mounted another late-race charge, and his pressure caused Savatgy to make a mistake that allowed Martin to take over the top spot. Musquin battled with Alldredge for third before he was forced to back off the pace due to goggle issues. Once in the lead, Martin pulled away and took the moto win by 2.754 seconds over Savatgy. Alldredge held on to finish third, ahead of Musquin.
GEICO Honda’s RJ Hampshire put his bike across the line first to claim the Motosport.com Holeshot Award in moto two, but Savatgy quickly got around him to take over the lead, while GEICO Honda’s Jordon Smith moved into third after making a early pass on CycleTrader.com/Rocky River Yamaha’s Alex Martin. Jeremy Martin, meanwhile, had gotten a bad start and had to work his way through traffic from 13th place.
Both GEICO Honda riders suffered crashes that derailed their podium bids; Hampshire crashed out of second on lap four, handing the runner-up spot to Smith, who also crashed a few laps later. That allowed Musquin to move into second place, and in just a matter of two laps he was able to catch and pass on Savatgy for the lead.
Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb was also charging, and he dropped Savatgy to third. Webb appeared to have the speed to challenge Musquin for the win, but his charge ended spectacularly when he crashed hard and was knocked out of the race. Musquin went on to take the moto win, 4.685 seconds ahead of Savatgy, with Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger third. Jeremy Martin fought his way to fifth place and actually had a shot at passing Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/Lucas Oil KTM’s Jessy Nelson for fourth place on the final lap before a small crash halted his bid. Martin was still able to finish fifth, which was good enough for third overall.
Musquin (4-1) had the overall win in his grasp until Webb’s crash effectively handed the top spot to the consistent Savatgy (2-2), who took his first career overall win despite losing a shot at both moto victories in the late stages. It was the first win of the 2015 season for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki squad, and its first since round seven of the 2014 season last July. Savatgy also became the 76th different winner in 250 Class history.
“I can’t complain,” he said. “It was a great day even though I didn’t quite get a moto win. The main thing for me today was getting out of the gate good. To get the first overall [of my career] is an unreal feeling. We were able to get the lead in both motos and run out front for a while, which was great. When I came around in the second moto and saw Cooper [Webb] on the ground I started figuring out that the overall win was mine, and my mechanic confirmed it when I came back around.”
After another topsy turvy day, the battle for the 250cc class title tightened once again. Martin and Musquin entered the afternoon separated by four points, but Martin’s advantage was cut in half again, as he now leads Musquin by just two points. The race for the title is still wide open. Savatgy’s win moved into a distant third in the standings, 132 points behind Martin.
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend with round 11 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The Zions Bank Utah National is schedule for next Saturday, August 15.
2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Red Bull Unadilla National
Unadilla Motorsports Complex
New Berlin, New York
Results: August 8, 2015 (Round 10 of 12)
450cc Overall
1. Ryan Dungey-KTM/1-1
2. Justin Barcia-Yam/2-4
3. Trey Canard-Hon/3-6
4. Shaun Simpson-KTM/4-8
5. Ken Roczen-Suz/16-2
6. Broc Tickle-Suz/6-9
7. Weston Peick-Yam/12-5
8. Blake Baggett-Suz/13-7
9. Josh Grant-Kaw/9-11
10. Dean Wilson-KTM/11-10
Lucas Oil 450cc Pro Motocross Championship Standings (After 10 of 12 rounds)
1. Ryan Dungey-450
2. Justin Barcia-371
3. Ken Roczen-358
4. Blake Baggett-297
5. Christophe Pourcel-267
6. Jason Anderson-263
7. Broc Tickle-253
8. Weston Peick-223
9. Phil Nicoletti-209
10. Fredrik Noren-206
250cc Overall
1. Joey Savatgy-Kaw/2-2
2. Marvin Musquin-KTM/4-1
3. Jeremy Martin-Yam/1-5
4. Jessy Nelson-KTM/6-4
5. Alex Martin-Yama/8-6
6. Shane McElrath-KTM/7-8
7. Christian Craig-Hon/5-10
8. Aaron Plessinger-Yam/16-3
9. Matt Bisceglia-Hon/12-9
10. RJ Hampshire-Hon/15-7
Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Championship Standings (After 10 of 12 rounds)
1. Jeremy Martin-416
2. Marvin Musquin-414
3. Joey Savatgy-284
4. Zach Osborne-277
5. Jessy Nelson-266
6. Alex Martin-261
7. Aaron Plessinger-228
8. Shane McElrath-208
9. Matt Bisceglia-195
10. RJ Hampshire-189
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