Cycle News Staff | June 15, 2019
It wasn’t pretty, but Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac managed to win the High Point MX National today in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, with consistency, rather than outright speed. His primary championship challenger, Honda’s points leader Ken Roczen, finished second overall on the day.
And in the 250cc class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo took home his fourth 250cc MX win in a row, this time splitting moto wins with GEICO Honda’s Hunter Lawrence.
High Point Motocross Video Highlights
Tomac Wins High Point MX 2019
Eli Tomac took the win at High Point despite not winning a moto. He’s now tied atop the points standings with Ken Roczen. Photos: Rob Koy
In 450cc moto one, Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM’s Blake Baggett grabbed the holeshot over Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb, but Tomac was on the move early and went by Webb, but as he tried to keep up with Baggett’s torrid pace out front, Tomac went down, handing second back to Webb, who soon had his hands full with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson. Tomac got up in fourth, just in front of Roczen, who was struggling to move forward at the tail end of the top five.
Eventually, Anderson and Tomac both got around Webb, who soon after was lucky to avoid injury when he went down in a big way. Webb got back going quickly, in eighth, and would eventually finish seventh in the moto. Tomac tried for most of the last half of the moto to find a way around Anderson, but couldn’t, and had to settle for third, but Baggett absolutely dominated moto one, winning by almost 10 seconds over Anderson and Tomac, while last year’s winner Marvin Musquin ended up fourth despite starting outside the top 10. Anderson’s teammate Zach Osborne made a late-race pass on Roczen for fifth, and Roczen ended up sixth, just in front of Webb and Tomac’s teammate Joey Savatgy. Then came Baggett’s teammate Justin Bogle, and the pair of Monster Energy Yamahas ridden by Justin Barcia and Dean Ferris.
Roczen Grabs Second at High Point MX
Ken Roczen was second overall on the day with a 6-1 score after struggling in the opening moto with bike settings. He reverted to his Colorado settings for the second moto and won. He’s tied for the championship lead with Tomac heading into round five.
Savatgy got the holeshot to start the second moto over Webb, while Musquin tangled with Baggett just after the first turn and went down hard. Webb took the early lead right away while Savatgy fended off the advances of Barcia, Anderson, Osborne, Tomac, and Baggett’s teammate Benny Bloss, who has missed all of 2019 up to this point after knee surgery. Roczen started just behind Bloss, and Baggett was just behind Roczen.
Webb led the first half of the moto until Roczen finally found his way through the frontrunners to grab second, then wasted no time whatsoever going by Webb. Once in the lead, Roczen was gone.
After spending more than half the race trying to find a way around Anderson, Tomac finally made the pass with five laps to go, then set out after Webb, passing the supercross champ just a couple of laps later for second. Webb hung on for third in front of Osborne, who made a late-race pass on his teammate for fourth. Anderson was fifth, Savatgy sixth, and then came Musquin, who fought his way up to seventh at the finish. Behind him came Bogle and his teammate Bloss, but their third teammate, Baggett, ended up 15th after a big crash earlier in the race while running eighth.
Tomac took the overall win with a 3-2 score while Roczen’s 6-1 landed him in second overall and Anderson’s 2-5 gave him third on the day. Webb was fourth overall with a 7-3, in front of Osborne’s 5-4, Musquin’s 4-7 and Baggett’s 1-15.
Tomac and Roczen are tied atop the points standings as the series heads to Florida for round five next weekend, both on 176 points. They’ll both have red plates next Saturday. Teammates Anderson and Osborne are tied for third place in points, 32 behind the lead duo.
Cianciarulo Wins Fourth Straight at High Point
Adam Cianciarulo had won one MX National in his entire career prior to 2019, but he’s won all four of them so far this year.
In the 250cc class, much of the talk in the two weeks since the Colorado National surrounded how angry Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Justin Cooper was after that race, feeling as if the race had been taken away from him. He said he was going to use it to fuel the fire from that point on, and it looked like that might be the case early on at High Point, as he got the holeshot in the opening moto and led the early laps while points leader Cianciarulo worked his way forward from outside the top five. But barely more than a handful of laps into the race, Lawrence fought his way by Cooper’s teammate Colt Nichols, who ran second to that point, then went right around Cooper for the lead and took off. This triggered a slide for Cooper, who eventually finished sixth in the moto.
Cianciarulo had a trio of Star Racing pilots in front of him at one point, but dispatched of them in short order, taking advantage of their mistakes, first going by Nichols, then Cooper, and then Dylan Ferrandis, but once he got up to second, he had nothing for Lawrence out front.
Lawrence took the win in the opening moto over Cianciarulo, Ferrandis, Lawrence’s teammate Chase Sexton, Nichols, Cooper, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Michael Mosiman, and newly signed TLD/Red Bull KTM pilot Cameron McAdoo, who is filling in after the team lost both Jordon Smith and Shane McElrath to injuries prior to the High Point race.
Lawrence Wins High Point Moto One
Aussie import Hunter Lawrence won the opening moto at High Point and ended up second overall on the day.
Nichols got the start in moto two over Cianciarulo, Sexton and Lawrence, and he put up a good fight out front. After five laps, the top four were split by just about three seconds, but fifth place was over 15 seconds behind them. Cianciarulo found his way around Nichols before too long, while Lawrence struggled to pass his teammate Sexton for third. Then Sexton went by Nichols, and Lawrence continued to struggle to move forward, and the race was essentially over. Lawrence eventually did find his way past, but by that point, the leaders were too far gone. Cianciarulo took the moto and overall win over Sexton, Lawrence, Ferrandis, Nichols, GEICO Honda’s RJ Hampshire, McAdoo, Mosiman and Cooper.
Cianciarulo took the overall with a 2-1 score, while Lawrence was second with a very strong 1-3 day. Sexton rounded out the podium with a 4-2. Ferrandis was fourth with a 3-4 over Nichols’ 5-5, Hampshire’s 9-6, and an incredible performance “off the couch” for McAdoo, who ended up seventh overall on the day with a 8-7. Cooper ended up ninth overall with a 6-9 score.
Cooper’s off day at High Point leaves Cianciarulo with a massive 26-point lead over Cooper in the championship chase with 8 rounds still left to run.
Thunder Valley Motocross Results 2019
Thunder Valley Motocross Results 2019
Thunder Valley Motocross Results 2019
Thunder Valley Motocross Results 2019
For more of the latest motocross and supercross news and information, click here.
Things are well underway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, June 15, for round four of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at High Point Raceway 2019. Qualifying is complete and Jason Anderson and Chase Sexton are the top qualifiers in their respective classes.
Anderson Top High Point Motocross Qualifying 2019
Jason Anderson top 450MX qualifying. Photos: Rob Koy
It was a back-and-forth battle among a number of riders in the 450MX, but it was Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) who busted out the quickest lap of all right at the end of Q2 with a 2:02.846. For a while, it looked as though Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) would get top honors with a 2:03.209, but he got demoted to second at the last moment by Anderson.
Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS) has been fast all morning, and he gets third gate pick with a 2:03.569, followed by Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM), who was the top rider out of Q1.
Ken Roczen, Joey Savatgy, Benny Bloss (who is back after injuring his knee in December), Justin Bogle and Zach Osborne round out the top 10. Monster Energy Yamaha’s Justin Barcia and Dean Ferris qualified 10th and 11th, respectively.
Chase Sexton Dominates 250MX Qualifying At High Point
Chase Sexton is the one to beat in the 250MX class at High Point.
Chase Sexton (Geico Honda) topped both 250MX qualifying sessions and posted the quickest lap of all in Q2 with a 2:02.698, followed by Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki), Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing), Hunter Lawrence (Geico Honda) and Michael Moisiman (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna).
The High Point National has a reputation for being a mudder, but weather has been pretty good so far. There is a threat of rain but not until later tonight.
High Point Motocross 450MX Qualifying Results 2019
High Point Motocross 250MX Qualifying Results 2019
