2017 Ironman 450 MX Results

Steve Cox | August 26, 2017

2017 Ironman 450 MX Results: There were many times during the 2017 AMA 450cc Supercross and Motocross Championships when Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac looked like he was on another level altogether from everybody else on the track. But there were also quite a few when he appeared a mere mortal. At the season-finale Ironman MX National in Crawfordsville, Indiana, all Tomac had to do was finish in the top 10 in both motos to clinch the championship, regardless of what anybody else did. It should’ve been easy, but when is racing ever easy?

Further complicating things, with the USGP of Motocross next weekend in Florida, Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings was already Stateside, riding with Aldon Baker and the other KTM/Husqvarna crew in Florida, when he decided he wanted to race the AMA finale. He showed up, was fastest qualifier in both sessions, and made it clear that he wanted to make a statement. He did.

2017 Ironman 450 MX Results

Nerves or not, Tomac actually got his first holeshot of the year in the first moto with title rival Baggett and Musquin chasing him through turn one, and AutoTrader/JGR Suzuki’s Justin Barcia and Herlings behind them. When Barcia pushed Musquin wide in the second turn, Herlings struck, moving into third, then followed Tomac through an inside line while Baggett went outside. This put Herlings into second, and then only one turn later, Herlings pushed Tomac wide and took the lead.

Tomac fought back, but on the third lap, as he attempted to jump from the inside to an outside line right behind Herlings, he landed too far wide and went down, bending his clutch lever up, and giving up a handful of spots.

Musquin caught Herlings in the middle of the race, but Herlings would have none of it, and all it took was one error in a corner that stopped Musquin for about a second for Herlings to break free and go on to win in convincing fashion.

2017 Ironman 450 MX Results

Musquin finished eight seconds behind Herlings, with Baggett a further 22 seconds back, then Honda’s Cole Seely in fourth, Tomac in fifth, and then Monster Energy/Yamalube/Chaparral Yamaha’s Cooper Webb, Barcia’s teammate Weston Peick, Baggett’s teammate Benny Bloss, Seely’s teammate Christian Craig, Barcia, RCH Suzuki’s Justin Bogle, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Dean Wilson.

Going into moto two, Baggett and Musquin were tied on points, both exactly 24 behind Tomac. With a moto win paying 25 points, and second only paying 22, the only one of the two of them who could possibly have a shot at the title would be the one who wins the moto – and Tomac finished outside the top 20.

Baggett got the holeshot over Seely and Musquin, while Tomac was outside the top 10, and Herlings went down early on the opening lap with Honda privateer Freddy Noren, which seemed – for a little while – to have ended his shot at American glory.

2017 Ironman 450 MX Results

Musquin took the lead on the opening lap and started pulling away while Baggett was fighting Seely off for second, but by the end of lap one, Herlings was already in 22nd, having passed 16 racers. You read that right: 16 racers on the first lap.

While Musquin seemed to be handling the lead just fine, pulling away from Baggett as the race wore on, and Tomac was riding cautiously near the tail end of the top 10, Herlings passed Tomac for ninth place on lap five, then went by Craig, Weston Peick, Webb, and Bogle to sit fourth at the end of lap seven.

In no time at all, he was all over Seely for third, and passed this year’s Motocross of Nations Team USA racer on lap nine, then it took him only five laps to close the gap to Baggett, but when he did, he went by Baggett immediately.

At this point, there were only three laps to go, though, and Musquin held a lead of over 10 seconds. A 2-1 would give Musquin the overall over Herlings’ 1-2, but the Dutchman kept reeling off quick laps anyway. And then it happened: Musquin, by himself, cased a double, got squirrely, and went down. He restarted quickly, but got going just behind Herlings.

2017 Ironman 450 MX Results

Herlings went on to win the moto after falling on the opening lap, coming through from 38th place in moto two to finish the day with a 1-1 score.

Musquin was second in front of Bagget, Seely, Webb and then Tomac, who clinched his first-ever 450cc National Championship with a 5-6 score.

Musquin’s 2-2 was good for second overall, and second in the championship, and Baggett’s 3-3 was likewise good for third overall and third in the 2017 title chase.

Baggett has an appointment on Tuesday to have surgery to repair the ligament in his thumb that he injured at RedBud, the halfway point in the series.

Seely’s 4-4 gave him fourth overall, and Webb’s 6-5 gave him fifth, just in front of Tomac in sixth.

2017 Ironman 450 MX Results

Tomac is slated to race the US GP in Florida next weekend where he and Herlings will get to go at it again, but this time with no championship pressure on either of them, as Herlings is 101 points behind teammate Antonio Cairoli in the 2017 MXGP Championship.

2017 Ironman 450 MX Results

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