Ryan Nitzen | July 2, 2022
It’s time to kick off one of the most iconic races in American motocross! Round five of the Pro Motocross Championship is live from RedBud MX on Fourth of July weekend. We’re back after a weekend off and the energy is high as the racing concludes for the day. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see some up-close shots of the awesome Fourth of July themed bikes. Can we get a Red Buuuuud!
450MX Moto 1
Eli Tomac absolutely dominated moto one here at RedBud. The Yamaha rider has been on a roll today and qualified first earlier this morning. He grabbed the holeshot in the first moto and led every lap of the race. Tomac took his first overall of the year at round four in High Point and is looking to be the first repeat winner of the season.
Eli Tomac was on another level in moto one.Photos: Brown Dog Wilson
Chase Sexton fought hard to take second in moto one. He started right around fifth and spent most of the moto battling with riders like Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen, and Joey Savatgy. After finally securing the second spot late in the moto he held tough and cruised it in to finish the race. A second is just as good as a win in the first motos and we expect Sexton to be fast later today.
Chase Sexton battled hard to finish second in moto one.
Joey Savatgy grabbed his first 450MX podium in moto one. The Kawasaki fill-in rider put in a great lap during qualifying and carried that momentum into the real gate drops. He started second and hung tight for the majority of the race before giving the spot up to Sexton in the latter stages of the race. Still a great ride from the 17 as this is his first-ever podium in the premier class.
Joey Savatgy rode a great race and grabbed a podium.
450MX Moto 2
Justin Barcia’s inside gate picks paid off with a holeshot in moto two. He just edged Roczen and Tomac for the lead on the opening lap with the rest of the field in hot pursuit. Roczen quickly moved to second on the opening lap and then shot to the lead by passing Barcia in the sand rollers. Tomac made the same move on Barcia one lap later as Roczen looked to get away.
Tomac swept the day with 1-1 finishes.
Behind them a huge battle began with Barcia, Dungey, Anderson, and Sexton all duking it out for third through sixth. They all exchange passes before Anderson fell in the first turn and took Sexton down with him. This allowed Dungey to re-pass both riders and move back to fourth. Sexton quickly remounted and managed to pass Dungey and Barcia back in just a few laps.
Sexton grabbed second with a 2-2.
Tomac reeled in Roczen just after the half-way mark. He did what he does and dropped the rest of the pack in a strong mid-race effort. Tomac then rode off with the lead to take a dominant 1-1 day. He is now the first repeat winner of the ’22 season.
Sexton charged back after his issues early on and caught up to the back of Roczen before passing him through the sand rollers. This pass put Sexton into second and secured second overall with 2-2 finishes. A great ride for the 23 after two very tasking motos.
Great ride for Justin Barcia who went 8-3 for third.
Barcia fought hard to stay in podium contention. He held on for third and despite a tough first moto, he still salvaged third overall with 8-3 scores.
Things started coming undone for Roczen late in the race. He stared to fade in the final few laps and dropped all the way down to seventh. 4-7 earned him fifth overall.
450 Podium
Overall Results
| 1. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
1-1 |
| 2. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
2-2 |
| 3. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
8-3 |
| 4. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
7-4 |
| 5. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
4-7 |
| 6. |
Joey Savatgy |
(Kaw) |
3-9 |
| 7. |
Ryan Dungey |
(KTM) |
6-5 |
| 8. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
5-6 |
| 9. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
9-8 |
| 10. |
Marshall Weltin |
(Suz) |
10-12 |
250MX Moto 1
The first 250 moto was about as good as it gets. Hunter and Jett Lawrence started up front with Jo Shimoda just behind them in third. The two brothers began battling almost immediately and exchanged passes back and forth for the first half of the race. They went tooth and nail in nearly every section until Jett’s bike began to smoke. It finally let go with 11 minutes remaining and the points leader was forced to retire from the race.
Hunter, Jett, and Jo lead the way in 250 moto one. That’s Ryder D going down in the background.
With Jett out, Hunter re-took the lead as Shimoda followed suit in second. Shimoda showed no interest in letting up and finally made the pass for the lead just before the famous Monza turn. In the final few laps he managed to open his lead over Lawrence and secured the moto win. Hunter Lawrence came home second after a long moto of battling with his brother and Shimoda.
Shimoda showed the Red Bud fans some love after moto one.
Stilez Robertson rode a great race to finish third. He ran up front in the early parts of the moto but dropped off the pace a bit as the race wore on. Still a great ride from the Husqvarna rider as he held on for a podum and was the only American on the box in the first 250 race.
Stilez Robertson held on for third in moto one.
250MX Moto 2
Another wild race in 250 moto two as the rookie, Ryder Difrancesco grabbed the early lead with team mate Seth Hammaker. Hammaker threw it away after the step-dwon ski jump as he was tossed off the bike and remounted in the back of the pack. This bumped Ty Masterpool up to the top spot with Hunter Lawrence in tow. Lawrence made a ton of moves on the opening lap while his brother started well outside the top 15. Masterpool, with no logos on his bike, led the opening lap over Lawrence, Difrancesco, and Robertson.
Ryder D grabbed the second 250 holeshot.
Disaster struck for many of the contenders on lap one as a huge pile up collected Shimoda, Justin Cooper, and RJ Hampshire. None seemed injured but were forced to make their way from deep in the field.
Shimoda fell early but was on a charge in moto two.
Hunter Lawrence got around Masterpool and looked to get away with a moto win. Jett however was on a mission and passed up into second before setting his sights on the older Lawrence. Jett rebounded from his moto one mishap and grabbed the lead at the half-way mark before marching away with the victory. His 35-1 scores were only good enough for ninth overall, his first overall loss of the season. Jett also gives up the points lead to Hunter who now holds the red plate, seven up on Jett.
Jett rebounded with a win after a mechanical in moto one.
Once Jett set sail, Hunter looked to play it safe in second. This was a good tactic considering the chaos behind him but it bit him late in the moto as Shimoda continued his charge forward. Hunter’s 2-2 earned him second overall, taking over the points lead in the process.
Hunter Lawrence takes over the points lead.
The second moto was all about Jo Shimoda. The Kawasaki rider fell on the opening lap but proceeded to drop the hammer for the duration of the race. Late in the clock he passed Levi Kitchen for third, effectively giving him the overall victory. Shimoda’s 1-3 beat Lawrence’s 2-2 and earned him his first overall outdoor victory.
Stilez Robertson put in a great ride to finish fifth in moto two. He battled for most of the race before solidifying himself just inside the top five. 3-5 scores gave him the final spot on the podium.
250 Podium
| 1. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
1-3 |
| 2. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
2-2 |
| 3. |
Stilez Robertson |
(Hus) |
3-5 |
| 4. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
4-6 |
| 5. |
Levi Kitchen |
(Yam) |
9-4 |
| 6. |
Ty Masterpool |
(KTM) |
8-8 |
| 7. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
7-9 |
| 8. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
6-10 |
| 9. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
35-1 |
| 10. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
10-7 |
QUALIFYING
450MX
The morning conditions held up nicely as riders took to the track for the qualifying sessions. As the track roughed up, braking bumps and ruts played a factor and the times from session one remained the fastest of the morning. Eli Tomac clocked the fastest time with a 2:02.78, beating Jason Anderson’s 2:03.50. Joey Savatgy logged third fastest behind team mate Anderson.
Eli Tomac grabbed the top spot in qualifying. Photo: Brown Dog Wilson
Joey Savatgy clocked the third fastest time behind Tomac and Anderson.
QUALIFYING
450MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
2:02.784 |
| 2. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
2:03.505 |
| 3. |
Joey Savatgy |
(Kaw) |
2:03.698 |
| 4. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
2:03.718 |
| 5. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
2:03.913 |
| 6. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
2:05.269 |
| 7. |
Ryan Dungey |
(KTM) |
2:05.393 |
| 8. |
Max Anstie |
(Hon) |
2:05.550 |
| 9. |
Alex Martin |
(Yam) |
2:06.066 |
| 10. |
Shane McElrath |
(Hus) |
2:06.812 |
250MX
The 250 class is as hot as ever with a whole host of riders trading spots on the top of the leaderboard. Ryder Difrancesco makes his professional debut today under the Pro Circuit Kawasaki tent, but it was his team mate Jo Shimoda who grabbed the pole position as the fastest qualifier. Shimoda narrowly beat Hunter Lawrence’s time by just 0.01 seconds. Jett Lawrence’s time from session one held up for third.
Jo Shimoda snagged the top spot in 250 qualifying.
Hunter Lawrence’s time held up as second fastest.
Jett Lawrence was fast and came in third.
250MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
2:03.742 |
| 2. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
2:03.753 |
| 3. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
2:04.206 |
| 4. |
Nick Romano |
(Yam) |
2:04.942 |
| 5. |
Levi Kitchen |
(Yam) |
2:05.147 |
| 6. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
2:05.237 |
| 7. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
2:05.796 |
| 8. |
Stilez Robertson |
(Hus) |
2:06.107 |
| 9. |
Seth Hammaker |
(Kaw) |
2:06.226 |
| 10. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
2:06.240 |
Pics In The Pits
The Kawasaki team has a cool American flag theme on the back half of the bike.
Cool to see the Kawasaki crew doing something different than the normal green.
White plastics underneath the DCOR Visuals graphics.
One more for those pipe decals.
Ken Roczen’s Honda CRF 450R. Aside from the graphics, check out the bigger tank for extra fuel capacity.
Nate Thrasher’s Star Racing Yamaha.
Ryder Difrancesco makes his professional debut today. Yeah, he looks good.
Chase Sexton’s Honda is sporting a retro MXDN kit. 1-800-Sexton
The Club MX Yamaha team was looking patriotic. This is Garrett Marchbanks’s bike.
Jett Lawrence’s ride.
Richard Taylor’s Yamaha YZ450F has some cool graphics. His title sponsor is definitely a bit “racey” if you will.
Max Anstie is making his debut with the Fire Power Honda team. Note the big tank, Pirelli tires, and HGS exhaust.
Anstie looked fast in practice on his new Honda.
The HEP Suzuki Team got into the theme with help from Thor and SKDA. We’re digging that helmet!
Another look at Marshall Weltin’s Thor lid
Weltin’s HEP Suzuki.
The BarX Suzukis looked good today.
Carson Mumford is rocking this cool Nico Izzi inspired lid. Tagger Designs did his magic on this Fly Formula.
Hunter Lawrence with new threads from Alpinestars.
Jason Anderson also wearing new Alpinestars gear.
Michael Mosman and the Troy Lee GasGas Team are looking patriotic.
Front look at the TLD gear.
Fox has their riders in a new colorway. Here’s Ryan Dungey.
Look closely and you’ll see Dunge and the KTM team running subtle American flags.
Jeremy Hand running the classic Peak Honda theme.
Jeff Stanton and Chad Reed were both coaches for Friday’s Moto Combine and came out Saturday for a parade lap.
Chad made sure to jump the Leap.
Classic Stanton.
The Pro Circuit Kawasaki team also did a patriotic theme, a bit different than the 450 squad.
Jo Shimoda putting down a heater lap.
Benny Bloss on his BBMX KTM.
Derek Kelley’s AEO Powersports KTM had a unique firework theme.
Josh Varize had a backup / support deal with Husqvarna during Supercross. He’s now with the AEO KTM squad.
With Varize on the team, that means Ty Masterpool is off. He made it clear he’s on the privateer grind with the no graphics look.
Cool numbering on Alex Martin’s gear.
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