| August 28, 2021
With both title hunts still up for grabs, the action at the Ironman National in Crawfordsville, Indiana, was bound to be tight. And it was.
In the 450MX class, it was Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) who shook things up by capturing his first overall victory of the season after going 2-1. However, Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) managed to stretch out his championship lead over Ken Roczen (Honda HRC) with a 1-2 for second overall.
It proved to be a good day to be a Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC) fan as the young Aussie put in a clutch performance, going 1-1 on the day and reclaiming the points lead in the process. He now sits 11 points over rival Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha).
450 Moto 1
Joey Savatgy (Rocky Mountain KTM) grabbed the holeshot in the 450MX moto one with Ferrandis and Tomac in tow. Savatgy put up a good fight but was swallowed up quickly by Ferrandis and a hard-charging Roczen.
Roczen quickly got by Ferrandis and claimed the top spot early in the race. Tomac made the pass on Savatgy that rounded out the top three early in the race.
Ferrandis and Roczen went wheel to wheel, but Ferrandis let off the brakes long enough to make the pass. At five minutes in, the top three are all within 1.5 seconds of each other.
Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) found some speed at Ironman and quickly rode into the fourth position just a few clicks off the leaders.
Tomac looked like the ET3 of old as he pushed towards the rear wheel of Roczen. A daring pass at the halfway mark secured second place for the Kawasaki racer. Tomac stalked Ferrandis and put on a late-race charge but was never able to close the gap and make a pass.
The top three settled into their respective paces with Ferrandis, Tomac, and Roczen going 1-2-3. Webb rode consistently all race and finished fourth with Chase Sexton (Honda HRC) in fifth.
450 Moto 2
The second 450 moto looked to be a carbon copy of the first, as Ferrandis, Webb, Tomac, and Sexton all led the pack through turn one.
Webb finally had the break-out speed he’s been looking for all season and passed for the lead before the end of lap one. Ferrandis put up a fight, but Webb made it stick.
Tomac looked to be returning to his old form and rode with serious intensity during the opening laps. He passed Sexton and Ferrandis in the same lap and rode to the back of Webb’s wheel just nine minutes into the race. He locked in the pass for the lead and continued to march away from the number-two KTM.
Roczen did not get moving quick enough in moto two and the early leaders squirted away without him. He passed for fourth, but his Honda teammate Sexton did not give up the position easily. The two duked it out for the majority of the race with Sexton ultimately claiming fourth and Roczen fifth.
Ferrandis worked his way into the second spot and passed Webb near the halfway mark of the race. Webb looked strong and this year’s Supercross champ held it down for a podium in moto two.
It was smooth sailing for Tomac once he passed for the lead. The three-time 450MX Champion rode away from the field with ease and claimed the overall with 2-1 scores. Ferrandis swapped with him, going 1-2 and extending his lead over Roczen in the championship hunt. Webb nabbed the final podium spot with 4-3 finishes.
Ferrandis now lead Roczen by 50 points (two full motos) and could clinch the title next week at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
Tomac is a solid third, while Sexton is all alone in fourth place.
Webb broke out of a tie with his teammate Marvin Musquin and is also all alone in fifth.
Musquin was one of two riders who did not race this weekend after testing positive for Covid-19. (Max Anstie was the other.)
Justin Barcia is still out recuperating from a concussion, and Christian Craig also did not suit up after his crash last week.
Aaron Plessinger finished sixth in the first moto but pulled out of the second moto.
250 Moto 1
Points leader Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) grabbed the early lead in moto one. He led hungry competitors Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM), Jett Lawrence, and Jeremy Martin (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) through the first lap. Two battles emerged early in the race as both championship contenders Cooper and Lawrence duked it out for the lead, while Vohland, Martin, and Shimoda (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) tussled for the final podium position. Lawrence took control of the race at the eight-minute mark and immediately set the pace with laps that were three seconds faster than the next rider on track.
Meanwhile, Martin made his way around both Vohland and Cooper and began to track down the younger Lawrence. Martin did not seem to abide by any team tactics as he looked hungry for a moto win.
Near the halfway mark, Martin began matching Lawrence’s lap times and was clearly closing on the leader. A few laps later he narrowed the gap to under one second and used every line on the track to try and make a pass.
Lawrence, however, held his composure and the position.
Cooper did not have the first moto he was hoping for. Shimoda and Michael Mosiman (TLD GasGas) both made their way around the red-plate holder for third and fourth, respectively, as Cooper dropped off the pace.
Martin suddenly hit the deck hard late in the race, breaking his already ailing wrist in the process. This gave Lawrence a nearly 20-second lead on Shimoda. The rest of the pack also moved up a spot, with Ty Masterpool (AEO GasGas) and Austin Forker (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) battling for fifth place.
At the line, its Lawrence, Shimoda (career-best), and Mosiman rounding out the podium. Cooper collected a fourth place, while Forkner picked up a top five.
250 Moto 2
Reeling from a career-best finish in moto one, it was Shimoda who nabbed the early lead in moto two with Lawrence, Masterpool, and Cooper following in hot pursuit. Cooper made the move around Masterpool and hoped to close on Lawrence, but Lawrence felt the pressure and worked his way up the back of Shimoda. The Kawasaki rider led lap one with Lawrence in tow, both gapping Cooper by 2.5 seconds. The two raced neck and neck for the first nine minutes of the race with Lawrence ultimately getting the upper hand.
RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Husqvarna) put on quite a charge in moto two. He quickly made his way into a top-five position and continued a strong pace for the entirety of the race.
Cooper looked off all day and was fading, once again, in the second moto.
A charging Hampshire moved his way up to the back of Cooper and made the pass for the final podium spot.
With Lawrence checking out, all eyes remained on the battle for second. Shimoda held the spot, but Hampshire continued to press. The Husqvarna rider got the pass secured with only two minutes left on the clock.
Forkner rode another strong second moto, holding down the fifth spot after making a bold pass on Masterpool.
Lawrence locked in another win, taking the overall with 1-1 moto scores, a first-career sweep for the 18-year-old Aussie.
Hampshire claimed second, but 13-2 finishes were only good enough for sixth overall.
Shimoda’s 2-3 earned him second overall, his best finish to date.
Cooper handed the points lead over as his 4-4 scores gave him fourth overall on the day.
Lawrence now leads the champions by 11 points over Cooper with two rounds to go.
Hunter Lawrence is a distant third, 12 points ahead of Martin, who is most likely out for the season.
Hampshire is next in line in fifth, 19 points behind third-place Hunter Lawrence. CN
2021 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Round 10
guaranteed Rate Ironman National Motocross
Ironman Raceway
Crawfordsville, Indiana
RESULTS (August 28, 2021)
450MX Overall (Top 10)
1. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
2-1 |
2. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
1-2 |
3 |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
4-3 |
4. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
3-5 |
5. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
5-4 |
6. |
Coty Schock |
(Hon) |
8-6 |
7. |
Joey Savatgy |
(KTM) |
7-8 |
8. |
Justin Bogle |
(KTM) |
10-7 |
9. |
Brandon Hartrandft |
(Suz) |
9-9 |
10. |
Kyle Chisholm |
(Yam) |
11-10 |
450MX POINT STANDINGS (After 10 of 12 rounds)
1. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
439/5 wins |
2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
389/2 wins |
3 |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
368/1 win |
4. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
342/1 win |
5. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
278 |
6. |
Marvin Musquin |
(KTM) |
240 |
7. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
239/1 win |
8. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(Yam) |
232 |
9. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
224 |
10. |
Joey Savatgy |
(KTM) |
216 |
250MX Overall (Top 10)
1. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
1-1 |
2. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
2-3 |
3. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
4-4 |
4. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
3-6 |
5. |
Austin Forkner |
(Kaw) |
5-5 |
6. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
13-2 |
7. |
Ty Masterpool |
(Yam) |
6-7 |
8. |
Carson Mumford |
(Hon) |
8-8 |
9. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
12-9 |
10. |
Dilan Schwartz |
(Suz) |
9-13 |
250MX POINT STANDINGs (After 10 of 12 rounds)
1. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
414/3 wins |
2. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
403/1 win |
3. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
319/1 win |
4. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Yam) |
307/3 wins |
5. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
300/1win |
6. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
262 |
7. |
Austin Forkner |
(Kaw) |
218 |
8. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
195/1 win |
9. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
189 |
10. |
Max Vohland |
(KTM) |
182 |
2021 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Schedule
Rnd 1 |
May 29, 2021 |
Fox Raceway National |
Pala, CA |
Rnd 2 |
June 5, 2021 |
Thunder Valley National |
Lakewood, CO |
Rnd 3 |
June 19, 2021 |
High Point National |
Mt. Morris, PA |
Rnd 4 |
July 3, 2021 |
RedBud National |
Buchanan, MI |
Rnd 5 |
July 10, 2021 |
Southwick National |
Southwick, MA |
Rnd 6 |
July 17, 2021 |
Spring Creek National |
Millville, MN |
Rnd 7 |
July 24, 2021 |
Washougal National |
Washougal, WA |
Rnd 8 |
Aug 14, 2021 |
Unadilla National |
New Berlin, NY |
Rnd 9 |
Aug 21, 2021 |
Budds Creek National |
Mechanicsville, MD |
Rnd 10 |
August 28, 2021 |
Ironman National |
Crawfordsville, IN |
Rnd 11 |
Sept 4, 2021 |
Pala National |
Pala, CA |
Rnd 12 |
Sept 11, 2021 |
Hangtown National |
Sacramento, CA |
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