2017 Ironman 250 MX Results

Steve Cox | August 26, 2017

2017 Ironman 250 MX Results: Racers never want to let anybody beat them. It doesn’t matter if you have anything to lose or not. But in the case of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne, after clinching the 2017 AMA 250cc National Championship, Osborne came into the series finale at Ironman Raceway, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, with nothing to race for but pride. And as it turned out, that was more than enough.

2017 Ironman 250 MX Results

GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin got his (season-best) eighth holeshot of the year in the first moto just in front of Osborne, Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s rookie Justin Cooper and the winner of the last round, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo. Cianciarulo went by Cooper immediately, and then Cooper – attempting to cross a few ruts from the inside to the outside entering the third turn of the race – tangled with KTM privateer Hunter Sayles. Sayles was committed to the rut and Cooper rode right into him, going over the bars and taking Sayles down with him.

Cooper would eventually catch back up to 15th while Sayles dropped out of the moto a few laps later.

Cianciarulo moved into second in the same corner and set out after Martin, and on the third lap of the race, Cianciarulo went around the outside of Martin, then inadvertently collected Martin exiting the corner when his line moved him into Martin’s path, putting Martin on the deck. Martin got up 11th and finished an eventual eighth.

Cianciarulo seemed to have control of the moto at that point, but as has become his M.O., Osborne caught fire around the halfway point and passed Cianciarulo on the inside as they headed onto the start straight. From that point, he was gone.

Cianciarulo hung on for second, while Martin’s rookie teammate Chase Sexton hung on to third until two laps to go, when he ran into the back of a lapped rider who had apparently slowed more than Sexton anticipated. Sexton hit the ground, handing the spot to Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Colt Nichols. Sexton then hit the ground again later that same lap and ended up 10th.

At the finish, it was Osborne by about 9 seconds over Cianciarulo, Nichols, and his teammates Aaron Plessinger (who has won this event previously) and Mitchell Harrison

2017 Ironman 250 MX Results

In moto two, it was again the usual suspects up front, this time with Cianciarulo grabbing the holeshot over Osborne, Martin, Sexton and Plessinger. In the early laps, Cianciarulo struggled with line choices, and first Osborne and then Plessinger went by Cianciarulo around the outside, but less than a lap later, Plessinger went down awkwardly entering a rutted left-hander, lost his glove, and dropped out of the race with an apparent injury to his left hand/wrist.

Osborne led the rest of the way over Cianciaurlo, while Martin had his hands full in a battle for third with Nichols, who passed Martin for the spot with a handful of laps left, only for Martin to steal it back just before the finish to take third in the final moto of the year. Nichols was fourth, then came Martin’s teammates RJ Hampshire and Sexton, Star Yamaha teammates Cooper and Harrison, and Cianciarulo’s teammate Justin Hill, who returned to action for the final race of the year after missing five rounds due to injury.

2017 Ironman 250 MX Results

Osborne ended his season the same way he started it, with a 1-1 score, and he didn’t do that at any of the 10 rounds in between rounds 1 and 12. Cianciarulo finishes with a 2-2 for second overall, and Nichols garnered a 3-4 for third overall. For Nichols, it was his first-ever outdoor moto podium finish in moto one and podium overall finish as well. Martin’s 8-3 gave him fourth, and he finished the championship in second place, 81 points behind Osborne. Harrison was fifth overall on the day with a 5-8.

And that’s all she wrote. For most racers, now is when the off-season starts. They’ll get some rest, then get started on 2018 Supercross testing in a month or more. But for Osborne, he’s got the Motocross of Nations coming up in about a month, so he can’t take too much time off.

2017 Ironman 250 MX Results

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