Cycle News Staff | August 24, 2019
The only championship left to be handed out in AMA motocross/supercross for 2019 was decided at the Ironman Raceway finale of the 2019 Lucas Oil/AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo needed to score 21 points on the day to clinch the title, and he did it in the opening moto, taking second behind Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis, who went 1-1 on the day to take the overall and carry those bragging rights into the off-season.
In the 450cc class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac found himself in a new situation; having clinched his third-consecutive 450cc National Championship a week earlier at Budds Creek, he came into the series finale for the first time in his career without a championship on the line and was able to just race. He took the overall on the day with a 3-1 score.
Cianciarulo’s The Champ at Ironman MX 2019
Adam Cianciarulo finished off his 250cc career with a bang, clinching his first-ever pro title at the Ironman MX series finale. Photos: Rob Koy
JGR/Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Kyle Peters got the holeshot to start moto one over TLD/Red Bull KTM’s Mitchell Falk, Ferrandis and his Yamaha teammate Justin Cooper, while points leader Cianciarulo gave chase in fifth. Within two laps, it was Ferrandis out front over Cooper and Cianciarulo, and Cianciarulo needed to finish second place if Ferrandis won the moto in order to clinch the title one moto early, but it seemed as if Cianciarulo was going to get some help to that end from Ferrandis’s teammate Cooper, who passed Ferrandis for the lead early in the race. With Cooper taking the win, it would’ve allowed Cianciarulo to clinch the title in third, but Ferrandis had other ideas and chased his teammate back down in the later stages and made the pass, sprinting away with the moto victory.
Cianciarulo dug deep and also chased Cooper down, passing him for second with just a few minutes left on the clock. Ferrandis took the moto win over Cianciarulo, Cooper and GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Michael Mosiman rounding out the top five. With second place in the moto, Cianciarulo clinched his first-ever professional championship in his last race in the 250cc class.
Ferrandis Finishes Strong at Ironman National
Dylan Ferrandis went 1-1 on the day but it wasn’t enough to overcome the points deficit and win the title. Still, in the last half (12 motos) of the series, he won eight of them.
Ferrandis grabbed a rare holeshot in moto two over Sexton’s teammate RJ Hampshire, but both Cooper and Cianciarulo went by Hampshire on the opening lap. Cianciarulo pressured Cooper for a while before he succumbed to Sexton around the halfway point and cruised in to finish fourth in the moto, having achieved his championship goal in the first outing.
Ferrandis took the overall with a 1-1 score over Cooper and Cianciarulo. While Cianciarulo won the title, Ferrandis ended the series with more moto wins than anybody, including Cianciarulo.
Ferrandis heads into the off-season preparing for his 250cc West title defense (and possibly his 450cc SX debut on the east coast) while Cianciarulo packs his bags and heads over to the Monster Energy Kawasaki semi to team up with 450cc champ Eli Tomac in 2020.
Tomac Makes A Statement at the 2019 Ironman National
Eli Tomac won the 2019 Lucas Oil/AMA 450cc Pro Motocross Championship and topped it off with an overall win at the finale.
In his last race as Tomac’s teammate at Monster Energy Kawasaki, Joey Savatgy grabbed the holeshot in both motos at the finale, and in the first moto, he was quickly passed by Honda’s Ken Roczen, who came into the last race of the year trailing Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin by 5 points for second in the championship. Roczen led nearly the entire moto while fending off Tomac, and then late in the moto, both came under attack from Musquin, who passed Tomac and then immediately went after Roczen, passing him as well and taking off to win the first moto. Roczen was second and Tomac was third, followed at a distance by Savatgy, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna duo of Zach Osborne and Jason Anderson, and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Justin Barcia.
Roczen Second at Ironman, and for 2019
Ken Roczen, once again, was fast all day, but with his illness, he just didn’t have the energy to hold onto either moto lead late in the races. He was second overall.
Savatgy got the holeshot again in moto two and was again quickly passed by Roczen, but Musquin went down hard in the third turn when he tangled with his training partner Osborne and highsided. After such an epic first moto, where he passed both of his main 450cc title rivals, Musquin ended the day—and the series—being carted off the track by the Alpinestars Medical crew with a bum leg from the crash.
Roczen again led for quite some time, but his illness caught up with him and he eventually succumbed to the pressure from Tomac, who went on to win the moto and the overall. Within a couple minutes of Tomac passing Roczen, he also lost a spot to Osborne, then fought off Barcia for the rest of the moto to finish third. Barcia was fourth in front of Anderson, Savatgy and Dean Wilson.
Tomac finished his third-consecutive 450cc National Championship with 11 moto wins in 24 motos, along with 19 moto podium finishes and only two motos finishing outside the top five (both seventh place).
2019 Ironman National Motocross Results
2019 Ironman National Motocross Results
2019 Ironman National Motocross Results
2019 Ironman National Motocross Results
For more of the latest motocross and supercross news and information, click here.
The final round of the 2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship plays out at Crawfordsville, Indiana’s Ironman Raceway today, where one championship is still up for grabs. Eli Tomac clinched the 450MX title last week at Budds Creek, but the 250MX title will be decided today between Adam Cianciarulo and Dylan Ferrandis. Cianciarulo has the upper hand by holding a 30-point lead over the Frenchman, who edged out Cianciarulo for the 250SX West title earlier in the year. Fifty points are up for grabs in Indiana, but it will be tough for Ferrandis to make up 30 points on Cianciarulo, who could clinch the title in the first moto.
Cooper Top 250MX Qualifier
Justin Cooper: Photos: Rob Koy
Ferrandis, however, has the edge over Cianciarulo going into today’s races. He qualified second quickest with Cianciarulo nearly a second back in fifth. Justin Cooper is the top 250MX qualifier, followed by Ferrandis, Chase Sexton, last week’s surprise winner Shane McElrath, Michael Moisiman, and Cianciarulo.
Roczen Leads The Way In 450MX Qualifying
Ken Roczen
In the 450MX class, second place in the championship is still up for grabs, with Marvin Musquin holding a five-point advantage over this morning’s top qualifier Ken Roczen. Benny Bloss put in a fast lap that places him in between Roczen and Musquin. Zach Osborne was fourth qualifier and Tomac fifth.
Weather won’t be a factor today. Conditions are ideal, not too hot and not too humid.
2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Round 12
Ironman Raceway
Crawfordsville, Indiana
RESULTS: August 24, 2019
2019 Ironman National Motocross 450MX Qualifying Results
2019 Ironman National Motocross 250MX Qualifying Results
