2019 Fox Raceway Motocross | Race Report

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2019 FOX RACEWAY MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

After a seven-year absence, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship returned to Southern California’s Fox Raceway in Pala. Wet weather the weekend prior in Northern California left many with more questions than answers, many of which were answered during a sunny day in San Diego County. Although there have been just four motos per class run thus far, a handful of riders have already established their place in the series and it’ll be interesting to see how much this changes over the next three months.

Fox Raceway is often praised for soft, sandy soil but recent renovations that connected two pieces of the property brought sections of concrete-like hardpack into the mix. This was a major departure from the deep loam that is common of the American series and riders that figured out the very different conditions finished at the front of the field.

2019 FOX RACEWAY MOTOCROSS | 250 CLASS RACE REPORT & RESULTS

After his important win at Hangtown, all eyes were on Adam Cianciarulo. It was easy to spot the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider on the track, thanks to the red plates on his bike that reminded everyone he was the series point leader and the fact that he was up front in both motos. A third-place finish in 250 Moto One was solid, and Cianciarulo put in the fastest single lap during that race, but he was just far enough behind that he never dueled for the lead (this could likely be due to a risky gate pick that put him far outside, but near dry dirt, that did not pay off) . That changed in 250 Moto Two, when Cianciarulo went from third place on lap one to first place on lap three. He was tailed for much of the moto by Hunter Lawrence, as the GEICO Honda rookie put in a hard charge for the lead, but Cianciarulo hung on to the moto win and the day’s overall. With this, he extended his lead in the championship standings.

It was clear during the first laps of the morning qualifying practice that Justin Cooper was going to be a front-runner. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider logged the fastest lap of anyone in those sessions, 250 or 450, and was considerably quicker than the competition. The second-year pro proved that he had more than just one lap in him, as he controlled 250 Moto One from the first turn all the way to the finish line. Cooper was challenged much more in 250 Moto Two, as he outlasted Chase Sexton’s charge and claimed a fourth-place finish in the day’s deciding moto (it’s worth noting that Cooper’s 2:08.895 was the fastest lap of the second moto). This was key for Cooper and with it, he finished the day second overall.

Dylan Ferrandis’ day was greatly impacted by an issue in the opening laps of 250 Moto One. A battle with Cianciarulo for ninth place on lap two resulted in accidental contact, which slid the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider down to 21^st place on lap three. The recently crowned 250 West Coast SX champion clawed back to finish the race in seventh place. Ferrandis fared better in 250 Moto Two, as he stayed clear of carnage in the opening laps and finished just ahead of teammate Cooper in third place. The 7-3 scores on the day put Ferrandis third overall on the day.

Consistency was Chase Sexton’s strength at round two. The GEICO Honda rider showed multiple times in both motos that he had the pace to run at the front of the pack, but tip-overs and other issues put him fifth place in both races. Still, the 32-points scored (16-points per moto) placed him fourth overall on the day. Colt Nichols had a similar day, in that he was among the lead crew at times but slid back a bit in 250 Moto Two. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider’s 4-7 motos tied him in points on the day with Sexton, but the second moto finish favored Sexton.

As for the aforementioned Hunter Lawrence, his day was a mix of highs and lows. The GEICO Honda rider was caught up in a crash during 250 Moto One that damaged his motorcycle and forced him to the sidelines. Out, but not hurt, Lawrence recovered in 250 Moto Two and pressured Cianciarulo for the top spot through most of the race. The rookie held his own against the championship leader and had a few pass attempts, but none stuck, and he settled for second place in the moto. The wildly different 37-2 finishes put him ninth overall.

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2019 FOX RACEWAY MOTOCROSS | 450 CLASS RACE REPORT & RESULTS

After a somewhat mixed day at the opening round, Eli Tomac told us that he had a case of first race nerves and that it wouldn’t be an issue going forward. The two-time and defending 450 MX champion backed up the claim and swept the day’s motos in a convincing manner. When the field flew through turn one during 450 Moto One, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider further back in the top-ten than he probably would have liked (he was ranked seventh on the opening lap), but he settled into a groove midway through the moto, worked up to third place, and then passed Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen for second and first, respectively, in the last three laps of the race. The second moto was sort of the same but slightly different; that time Tomac started the race in second place and stalked leader Musquin through the first eight of 16 laps, then made a pass at the halfway point, and rode to an 11-second margin of victory. With 50 points on the day, Tomac took over the championship lead and will run the red plates at his “home round” in Thunder Valley.

A hard crash during Hangtown’s qualifying sessions prevented Marvin Musquin from performing at his best, but the Red Bull KTM rider recovered in time for round two. Musquin was the first to pressure Ken Roczen for the lead in 450 Moto One but his attempts to pass with wide, sweeping lines allowed Roczen to stay ahead and Tomac to slip by; he finished the moto in third place. A stellar start in 450 Moto Two put Musquin in the lead on the opening lap and as was stated above, he held off Tomac for half of the moto until a pass pushed him back to second place. Musquin would ultimately tie Roczen with 42-points on the day, and his better finish in race two put him second overall on the day.

Ken Roczen’s overall win at Hangtown was a career-defining moment for the Team Honda HRC rider, but seven days later, the only thing sign of celebration was the mandatory red plates on his motorcycle. He was the top qualifier in the 450 class, then backed it up with a solid start and opening lap overtake for the lead position in 450 Moto One. For much of the race Roczen was free from pressure or competition, but in the closing stages, he felt pressure from Musquin and Tomac; he held off Musquin’s push but allowed Tomac to go into the lead in the final laps. His start in the second race was not as good, as he was ranked sixth when he passed over the scoring loop for the first time, but passes on Blake Baggett and Jason Anderson put him into third place. Roczen now trails Tomac by four point in the series standings.

Zach Osborne has established himself as a top-five contender for the summer. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider diced with the multi-time champions during both motos at round two and his fastest lap times were just a tick off of the others. Osborne traded moto finishes with teammate Jason Anderson, another rider ready prove that he’s a capable outdoor competitor, and their 4-5/5-4 moto finishes put them fourth and fifth overall on the day (Osborne fourth, Anderson fifth). It’s highly likely these two will take a moto win at some point in the summer.

Privateer Fredrik Noren was a standout throughout the day. Through both motos the Swedish rider held a place within the top-ten and bested some factory-backed riders for 9-9 scores and ninth overall.