Despite Challenges, Eli Tomac Extends His Pro Motocross Lead
Despite Challenges, Eli Tomac Extends His Pro Motocross Lead
Eli Tomac had a less than ideal day at Spring Creek in Millville, MN but still managed to increase his lead.
By Race Chapman
Eli Tomac showed up last weekend at Spring Creek in Millville, Minnesota, with a 19-point lead over Blake Baggett. After decimating the competition at Southwick, Massachusetts; Red Bud in Buchanan, Michigan; and the second moto of Muddy Creek in Blountville, Tennessee, it looked as if he had finally hit his stride. In Minnesota, Tomac had a less-than-ideal day but managed to extend his lead.
Marvin Musquin was a bit of a wild card, as he had a severe get-off while running in second place in the sand of Southwick. Having just come back from an injured knee, it was unclear whether he would be at full health.
Baggett had a question mark over his head as well, with a thumb injury that was suffered just before Southwick. It didn't seem likely that he could recapture the magic he had at Thunder Valley in Golden, Colorado, and High Point in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.
The day started off great for Marvin Musquin, the top qualifier, a welcome sign for the Frenchman. Musquin opened up the first moto with a holeshot and never looked back, cruising to his first victory since the first moto of Glen Helen in San Bernadino, California, almost two months ago.
Tomac had a mediocre start, floundering around in ninth before working his way up to the runner-up position, which is where he would finish. Dean Wilson had an excellent moto to finish third, showing the latent speed that everyone has been expecting of the former 250 class champion.
Baggett, however, was surely disappointed by his sixth-place finish, especially having started two spots ahead of series rival Tomac. He didn't seem to be charging at his normal pace, although it was unclear if that was related to the hand injury or something else.
By the second moto, the track provided torturous conditions for the racers. The ruts were deep and the hills were veritable minefields of braking bumps and rough edges.
The No. 19 bike of Justin Bogle was out front early, with moto 1 winner Musquin trailing close behind. Musquin was patient for the start of the race and then decided to make a risky and aggressive pass through the infamous Millville whoops. He would then cruise to a relatively comfortable and easy victory, ending up first for the moto and the day.
Things were not quite so picturesque for Tomac, however, as he had another mediocre start and then exacerbated the problem with a crash on the first lap. Fortunately he wasn't injured and quickly remounted, but not before losing a few positions. He had tweaked his bars and levers, and while trying to bang them back into position fell again a short time later. He rode hard to come back from the disastrous start, and was able to finish a respectable fifth that gave him a third overall.
Baggett came out of the gate with a much greater intensity, following in Musquin's tire tracks to a second-place finish, for fourth overall. Dean Wilson had one of the best rides of his 450 career, finishing third in both motos, for second place on the day.
Jason Anderson was strangely absent from most of the day, after qualifying 12th in the morning. He lined up for the gate in the first moto but hardly made it to the first corner before deciding to retire. He had sustained some injuries during a bicycle crash while training during the week.
Despite the somewhat poor showing, Tomac actually expanded his lead over Baggett by one point, making it 329 to 309. Musquin gained 12 points on Tomac and 13 on Baggett. But too many disastrous motos have him only showing 269 points for the season so far.
Musquin is 40 points behind Baggett and 60 behind Tomac, which seems like a lot, but is really still well within striking range. Just a couple DNFs by Tomac and Baggett, and the crafty Frenchman will be right back in the chase. With eight rounds left in the series, there are still plenty of points left up for grabs.
In the 250 class, it has been the season of Zach Osbourne. For a rider who has had incredible talent combined with a lion's share of bad luck, it seems somewhat karmic that he was leading the series by 45 points. Although, his "take no prisoners" aggressive riding style does call some of that karma into question.
Joey Savatgy, whose year up to this point might be described as "miserable," got off to a great start in both motos. In moto 1, he quickly worked his way up to first after the start and held steady for the remainder. Alex Martin was a relatively close second but couldn't keep pace with the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider.
Zach Osbourne had a bad start in moto 1 and was uncharacteristically unable to slice through the competition. Then, as he was slowly working through the field, a radiator hose blew off his Husqvarna and left him with no coolant. In an incredible testament to the build quality of his machine, he was actually able to nurse the bike for over 10 minutes to the finish. He would finish a disappointing eighth. Considering the circumstances it was a great salvage job.
In moto 2, Savatgy again moved into first right away, and Osbourne again had a mediocre start. This time, Osbourne was able to move more rapidly up to the front to challenge Savatgy. Joey tried his best to cover up the passing opportunities, but it seemed inevitable that Osbourne would get by. And get by he did, cruising away from Savatgy and up to a moto 2 victory for third overall.
Savatgy's second-place finish in moto 2 was good enough for first overall, which undoubtedly felt great considering the poor showing he has had up to this point in the series. Martin wasn't quite as good in moto 2, finishing only fourth, but was able to walk home with a second place trophy overall.
At the end of the day, Martin gained only two points on series leader Zach Osbourne, who leads Martin 339 to 296. Joey Savatgy was able to gain nine points on Osbourne and seven on Martin but is still 63 and 20 points behind them, respectively.
On Saturday, the teams will be fighting it out at Washougal, Washington, one of the more enviable track locations on the circuit. With the steep, flowing hills, wide track and high speed, multi-lined layout, Washougal always makes for some excellent racing. It is anyone's guess as to who will step on the top of the podium.
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Eli Tomac showed up last weekend at Spring Creek in Millville, Minnesota, with a 19-point lead over Blake Baggett. After decimating the competition at Southwick, Massachusetts; Red Bud in Buchanan, Michigan; and the second moto of Muddy Creek in Blountville, Tennessee, it looked as if he had finally hit his stride. In Minnesota, Tomac had a less-than-ideal day but managed to extend his lead.
Marvin Musquin was a bit of a wild card, as he had a severe get-off while running in second place in the sand of Southwick. Having just come back from an injured knee, it was unclear whether he would be at full health.
Baggett had a question mark over his head as well, with a thumb injury that was suffered just before Southwick. It didn't seem likely that he could recapture the magic he had at Thunder Valley in Golden, Colorado, and High Point in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.
The day started off great for Marvin Musquin, the top qualifier, a welcome sign for the Frenchman. Musquin opened up the first moto with a holeshot and never looked back, cruising to his first victory since the first moto of Glen Helen in San Bernadino, California, almost two months ago.
Tomac had a mediocre start, floundering around in ninth before working his way up to the runner-up position, which is where he would finish. Dean Wilson had an excellent moto to finish third, showing the latent speed that everyone has been expecting of the former 250 class champion.
Baggett, however, was surely disappointed by his sixth-place finish, especially having started two spots ahead of series rival Tomac. He didn't seem to be charging at his normal pace, although it was unclear if that was related to the hand injury or something else.
By the second moto, the track provided torturous conditions for the racers. The ruts were deep and the hills were veritable minefields of braking bumps and rough edges.
The No. 19 bike of Justin Bogle was out front early, with moto 1 winner Musquin trailing close behind. Musquin was patient for the start of the race and then decided to make a risky and aggressive pass through the infamous Millville whoops. He would then cruise to a relatively comfortable and easy victory, ending up first for the moto and the day.
Things were not quite so picturesque for Tomac, however, as he had another mediocre start and then exacerbated the problem with a crash on the first lap. Fortunately he wasn't injured and quickly remounted, but not before losing a few positions. He had tweaked his bars and levers, and while trying to bang them back into position fell again a short time later. He rode hard to come back from the disastrous start, and was able to finish a respectable fifth that gave him a third overall.
Baggett came out of the gate with a much greater intensity, following in Musquin's tire tracks to a second-place finish, for fourth overall. Dean Wilson had one of the best rides of his 450 career, finishing third in both motos, for second place on the day.
Jason Anderson was strangely absent from most of the day, after qualifying 12th in the morning. He lined up for the gate in the first moto but hardly made it to the first corner before deciding to retire. He had sustained some injuries during a bicycle crash while training during the week.
Despite the somewhat poor showing, Tomac actually expanded his lead over Baggett by one point, making it 329 to 309. Musquin gained 12 points on Tomac and 13 on Baggett. But too many disastrous motos have him only showing 269 points for the season so far.
Musquin is 40 points behind Baggett and 60 behind Tomac, which seems like a lot, but is really still well within striking range. Just a couple DNFs by Tomac and Baggett, and the crafty Frenchman will be right back in the chase. With eight rounds left in the series, there are still plenty of points left up for grabs.
In the 250 class, it has been the season of Zach Osbourne. For a rider who has had incredible talent combined with a lion's share of bad luck, it seems somewhat karmic that he was leading the series by 45 points. Although, his "take no prisoners" aggressive riding style does call some of that karma into question.
Joey Savatgy, whose year up to this point might be described as "miserable," got off to a great start in both motos. In moto 1, he quickly worked his way up to first after the start and held steady for the remainder. Alex Martin was a relatively close second but couldn't keep pace with the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider.
Zach Osbourne had a bad start in moto 1 and was uncharacteristically unable to slice through the competition. Then, as he was slowly working through the field, a radiator hose blew off his Husqvarna and left him with no coolant. In an incredible testament to the build quality of his machine, he was actually able to nurse the bike for over 10 minutes to the finish. He would finish a disappointing eighth. Considering the circumstances it was a great salvage job.
In moto 2, Savatgy again moved into first right away, and Osbourne again had a mediocre start. This time, Osbourne was able to move more rapidly up to the front to challenge Savatgy. Joey tried his best to cover up the passing opportunities, but it seemed inevitable that Osbourne would get by. And get by he did, cruising away from Savatgy and up to a moto 2 victory for third overall.
Savatgy's second-place finish in moto 2 was good enough for first overall, which undoubtedly felt great considering the poor showing he has had up to this point in the series. Martin wasn't quite as good in moto 2, finishing only fourth, but was able to walk home with a second place trophy overall.
At the end of the day, Martin gained only two points on series leader Zach Osbourne, who leads Martin 339 to 296. Joey Savatgy was able to gain nine points on Osbourne and seven on Martin but is still 63 and 20 points behind them, respectively.
On Saturday, the teams will be fighting it out at Washougal, Washington, one of the more enviable track locations on the circuit. With the steep, flowing hills, wide track and high speed, multi-lined layout, Washougal always makes for some excellent racing. It is anyone's guess as to who will step on the top of the podium.
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