2019 Florida Motocross | Race Report
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2019 FLORIDA MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE
A well sculpted, long sand track. Countless ruts, bumps, and holes. Sweltering heat and inescapable humidity. After a 22-year absence, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship returned to the Sunshine State for the 2019 Florida Motocross, an event that was the full definition of both words. Four rounds of racing in mild weather and on rather firm tracks gave us an idea of what to expect of the competition, as a handful of riders had established their ranks within the running order, and the fifth round of the summer series did a number on those matters. Those that managed to get through the long motos and not wither from the heat were greatly rewarded, while others saw their spot in the point standings go to someone else.
2019 FLORIDA MOTOCROSS | 250 CLASS REPORT & RESULTS
It was only a matter of time until Justin Cooper claimed an overall win. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider repeatedly proved that he has what it takes to lead the 250 class, and had done so a number of times, but two consistent motos hadn’t occurred on the same day. That all changed at the fifth round of the season, as Cooper ran second at the start of the moto to rookie Derek Drake and moved into the spot when the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider had a slam in a set of rollers. Cooper’s ride wasn’t flawless, because he was reeled in and overtaken for the lead by GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton in the middle moto, but the second-place result put him in a good position for the second gate drop of the day. The second moto started out much the same, as Cooper found his place at the front of the pack early, led some laps, and slid back to second after late-race pass by teammate Dylan Ferrandis. Compared to others, Cooper was the most consistent of the field on the day and 2-2 scores gave him the first overall win of his career. It was clear how spent Cooper was on the podium and he nearly collapsed while in the middle of a post-race interview. The win was critical for Cooper’s career and allowed him to close in on the championship leader. More on that below…
Late-race pushes have become a standard tactic for Dylan Ferrandis this year. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha had struggled with starts in the first third of the season and despite his quick pace, it was sometimes too little and too late to change the outcome of the overall in his favor. Another so-so start put Ferrandis 15th at the holeshot stripe in Moto One, but he maintained a blistering pace for the full duration and climbed to a crucial fourth place rank at the checkered flag. Finally in Moto Two, we saw what Ferrandis could do if he was in the top-five from the moment the gate dropped, when he followed teammate Cooper to the top-spots, hounded his teammate for more than 20-minutes, and made his move for the lead with seven minutes and two laps left in the race. The 4-1 scores put Ferrandis second overall on the day and the points scored kept him in range of the championship leaders.
With four overall wins on the season and a hometown hype around him, everything seemed set for Adam Cianciarulo to continue his run in the 250 class. But things didn’t turn out exactly how he would have hoped or expected, something he later chalked up to an “off day.” The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider labored in deep in the top-1o through the opening laps of the first moto and struggled to make passes at the rapid pace required to stay with the leaders. His pursuit of Jesse Masterpool was a long onee and soon after he got around the rookie, Cianciarulo was caught and passed by Ferrandis for no progress. The second moto was better in that Cianciarulo had a much better start, got up to third place early, and held on to the position despite pressure from GEICO Honda’s Hunter Lawrence in the closing stages. 5-3 rides put Cianciarulo on the podium with third overall on the day and he maintained control of the championship lead, but he did give up eight points to Cooper in the standings.
Michael Mosiman’s day was a flipped image of Cianciarulo’s, results-wise. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider worked his way up to third early in Moto One and ran much of the moto alone, which allowed him to seem less taxed in the initial moments post-race. Moto Two saw Mosiman reached the first turn in third place but the intensity of the early laps slid him back to fifth place; although they tied for points on the day, Cianciarulo’s better second moto score bumped Mosiman from the podium.
Chase Sexton’s win in 250 Moto One was a breakout result for the GEICO Honda rider and it showed that he can wear down and get by even the most resilient riders in the running order. Unfortunately, the push to the lead in the heat took a toll on Sexton and he was completely spent when it was time for the day’s second race; he pulled out of the race just moments into the moto. 1-39 finishes put Sexton ninth overall on the day.
2019 FLORIDA MOTOCROSS | 450 CLASS REPORT & RESULTS
Opening lap crashes and bad starts had hampered Marvin Musquin’s motos through the first four rounds of the season, an unfortunate streak the Red Bull KTM rider was determined to break in Florida. He did just that and then some over the course of the afternoon at Jacksonville. The first lap of 450 Moto One saw him take third from Zach Osborne with a forceful pass on the opening lap, a move on Cooper Webb eight-minutes in, and then an all-out attack on Ken Roczen at the halfway point. This led to a very intense moment and when the duo got to the technical rollers, Musquin was bounced off the pegs of his KTM and flew through the air with his feet off the bike, and somehow managed to get back in control and made a pass moments later. From there, he went unchallenged to the checkered flag. The second moto didn’t start out as well for Musquin, as he was pushed back by other riders in the pack and due to bad line choices, but he regrouped and worked back to run as high as second place, then admittedly felt the impact of the fatigue and lost one spot. 1-3 rides were by far the most consistent of the day and with that, Musquin was awarded his first overall win of the season.
Eli Tomac’s motos were a mix and that sort of up down-up day has become somewhat expected of the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider. Ranked 18th in the running order on the opening lap, Tomac made quick work of the competition and was within the top-ten by the halfway point. The time lost in the first part of the race proved to be critical, though, and Tomac’s fast laps in the late laps didn’t help him reel in any more riders and he finished seventh in the moto. Concerns of heat or pressure seemed to mount ahead of Moto Two, but Tomac took control of the race the moment the gate hit the dirt and he led every lap of the day’s last moto. A handful of riders ran in second place at various moments of the race, but none were able to close in or make a real attempt at the lead. 7-1 finishes put Tomac second overall on the day, and with Roczen’s second moto issue (more on that below), the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider took complete control of the series standings.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates Zach Osborne and Jason Anderson have been in close proximity to each other throughout the season, something that continued in Florida. Anderson had the upper hand in Moto One with a third-place finish to Osborne’s fifth, but the tables turned in the middle of Moto Two, when Anderson seemed to slow down due to the heat and Osborne found a second-wind. All attention turned to Osborne in the final laps, when he logged the fastest laps of everyone in the field and chipped away at Tomac’s lead; he took Tomac’s four-second lead down to two seconds on the last lap but was unable to take the spot away. All said, Osborne and Anderson tied each other with 38-points on the day, with Osborne’s second moto ride being what gave him the last spot on the podium.
Moto One was the highlight to Cooper Webb’s day, when the Red Bull KTM rider got the holeshot, led the opening lap, and put in a wild battle for position with Ken Roczen that saw the two exchange lines and daring passes. Webb eventually finished the first moto in fourth, stayed clear of chaos in the second race for a fifth-place finish, and ended the day in fourth overall.
This was an important round of the summer for Ken Roczen, as many expressed concerns of the Team Honda HRC rider’s energy levels after a long bout with illness. None of that seemed to be a problem in Moto One, because Roczen pushed his way into the lead after the aforementioned battle with Webb, set the pace for much of the race, then settled into a second-place result. The second moto saw Roczen run fifth in the opening laps until a get-off midway through rattled his flow and shuffled him back to tenth place. All said, Roczen’s 2-10 scores put him sixth overall on the day and he lost six points to Tomac in the series standings.
While some struggled with the heat and challenging track conditions, a number of independent racers showed their strength and stamina in Florida. Fredrik Noren, Lorenzo Locurcio, Ben Lamay, Tyler Bowers, Justin Weeks, Henry Miller, John Short, and Heath Harrison all scored points in at least one of the motos and some were slotted between factory-supported riders and teams in the final results.
