2019 RedBud Motocross | Race Report
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2019 Red Bud Motocross | Race Report
Presented by Fasthouse
The Independence Day holiday weekend can only mean one thing to motocross fans around the globe: RedBud Motocross! Regarded by many of the best motocrossers in the sport as their favorite race of the year, the Red Bud Track and Trail course features premium dirt, elevation changes, a spacious layout, and the infamous LaRocco’s Leap jump that strikes fear into the hearts of everyone for the first time. The 450s led the way this weekend and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac rebounded after losing the previous two Nationals to championship rival Marvin Musquin, earning his third 450 National win of the year aboard his Brian Kranz-tuned Kawasaki KX450. In the 250 class, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis turned in a flawless day, qualifying quickest and then sweeping both motos aboard his Alex Campbell-tuned Yamaha YZ250F.
450 Class
Fast qualifier Cooper Webb led the away at the start of the first moto of the day, but Justin Bogle forced his way pass with an authoritative pass in turn to and took over the lead. Eli Tomac gated third and looked aggressive from the start. Tomac’s championship rival Marvin Musquin crashed on the first lap and was momentarily trapped beneath his Red Bull KTM. He rejoined the race at the back of the pack, but he worked to a respectable seventh by the checkered flag. Tomac found his way past Webb for good after a couple of attacks at the 10-minute mark, and he used the same outside line to pass Bogle for the lead on the next circuit. Once out front, Tomac set sail and went on uncontested for the moto one win. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson gated just outside the top five but gained momentum and speed as the race wore on. Anderson pressured Webb heavily for the third spot, but the position was handed to him when Webb stalled his bike. Bogle was next in Anderson’s sights, and the former Supercross champion found his way past before the finish. Webb also tracked down Bogle, as the early race leader slowed slightly in the closing laps. At the finish, it was Tomac well ahead of Anderson, with Webb, Bogle, and his Rocky Mountain MC/ATV KTM teammate Blake Baggett in fifth.
When the gate dropped at the start of moto two, Baggett ripped the holeshot and led his teammate Bogle through the first few corners. After throwing up inside his helmet and finishing a distant sixth in race one, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen looked much better at the start of the second race and displaced the two KTM riders within the first two laps to take over the lead. Musquin was the next rider to make his way past the early leading duo, and set out after Roczen and his Honda. Tomac, meanwhile, was mired at the start and completed the first lap near 10th. The moto one winner, however, gained strength as the moto wore on and methodically worked his way up towards the front.
Just past the halfway point, Musquin used the inside option of a two-lined corner to pass Roczen for the lead, and with that, he went on unchallenged. Tomac was next to reel in Roczen after battling for several laps with Anderson, and he made his pass on the German race just after the two-lap board came out. With that, the top positions were set as Musquin came home the victor, comfortably ahead of Tomac, Roczen, and Anderson. Tomac’s 1-2 scores secured the overall win, ahead of Anderson’s 2/3 and Mucquin’s 7/1.
Alex Martin snared the holeshot at the start of the opening 250-class moto aboard his JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z250, but he was displaced almost immediately by Adam Cianciarulo, who passed him with an aggressive block in the third corner. Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis – the day’s fastest qualifier – was on the move from the get-go however, and made his way past both early leaders and into the lead. Martin found his way back past AC for second but on the second lap Cianciarulo flew off the left side of the track as he crossed the finish line, ripped down the grass section on the side of the track, and re-entered the track without losing or gaining a position. After the moto however, the AMA penalized Cianciarulo two positions for failing to slow after he left the track. Around the same time early in the moto, Justin Cooper tipped over in an off-camber corner and lost several positions. Local racer Joey Crown ran as high as fourth in the moto and stayed well inside the top 10 for over half of the moto, but his bike gave up the ghost and left him pushing off the track at the 20-minute mark.
While Ferrandis led the moto uncontested, his teammate Colt Nichols worked through the field and at the 20-minute mark began to pressure Cianciarulo for third. All hell broke loose in the final 10 minutes of the race. Nichols and AC made contact in a corner and the Yamaha rider flew off the track momentarily, and this allowed GEICO Honda’s RJ Hampshire to pass them both. Hampshire had methodically sliced his way through the field after a poor start, and passing all the way up to third was quite an accomplishment. Hampshire then set his sights on Martin in second, whose Suzuki was steaming badly due to a loose radiator hose. Martin slowed his pace and allowed Hampshire to take over second just after the two-lap card came out. Three corners from the finish line, Martin’s bike came coasting to a stop, leaving him stranded after a brilliant moto. This allowed Cianciarulo to move past and into third, ahead of Cooper and his rookie teammate Ty Masterpool. As mentioned before, AC was docked two positions which moved Cooper and Masterpool into third and fourth, respectively. Up front, Ferrandis scored an easy victory over Hampshire as he was never challenged after taking over the lead.
Martin stormed back with a vengeance in the second moto, snaring his second holeshot of the day and leading with way with Nichols, Shane McElrath and Ferrandis trading paint close behind. A couple bike lengths further back came Cianciarulo, who was riding calmly and smooth, in spite of his first moto penalty that surely must’ve weighed heavily on his mind. Martin led the way for nearly half the moto, but Ferrandis would not be denied. After passing his teammate Nichols for second, the Frenchman ran down the leader and jumped past him in some rutted braking bumps on a tricky downhill to take the lead. And with that, Ferrandis would never be headed and he completed his perfect day of being fastest qualifier and sweeping both motos. Cianciarulo also found his way past Martin in the second half of the moto and wrapped up second overall with 5-2 scores, while Cooper recovered from a terrible start to cross the finish line sixth behind Nichols and GEICO Honda’s Hunter Lawrence. Cooper’s 3-6 tally earned him the final spot on the podium, but he lost control of second in the championship point standings to Ferrandis and now trails AC by 26. Ferrandis is one point ahead and 25 behind the Kawasaki rider.
