2021 Thunder Valley Motocross | Race Report & Photo Gallery

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2021 THUNDER VALLEY MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

It didn’t take long for the point standings to spread out in the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. The four motos on the mountainside track at the 2021 Thunder Valley Motocross were action-packed and featured multiple leaders, battles for positions, hard crashes or issues for title hopefuls, and statement performances by the winners. Although there are still twenty motos left in the summer series, the championship leaders in the 250 Class and 450 Class already have double-digit advantages over the competition.

250 Moto One

As the first race of the day left the gate, Jeremy Martin was off to the early lead with Jett Lawrence alongside. Justin Cooper sat just behind the two red-plates, as Jett tried to stay close to Jeremy Martin ahead. Ty Masterpool was up front early, but Michael Mosiman made the pass on the second lap and took over fourth place. As the riders neared their third lap, the red flag came out for Jerry Robin who was down hard on lap one.

Restart

Jeremy Martin was again out front off of the start, but Justin Cooper cut under Martin as they exited the first turn and took over the lead. Joshua Varize then made the pass on Jeremy Martin momentarily, but Martin was able to take back over second place just a few sections later. RJ Hampshire then made his way into third place, and both the Lawrence brothers followed closely behind as Jett took over fourth place and Hunter snagged fifth. Up front, Justin Cooper continued to lead Jeremy Martin by just over a second. Jett Lawrence began to reel in RJ Hampshire and challenge for third place, however, RJ upped the pace and built a slight lead back up. Jeremy Martin then closed the gap between Cooper and himself, as he challenged for the lead. Jeremy cut to the inside of Cooper and then pulled past his teammate as they jumped up the hill to take over the lead. As Jeremy Martin began to pull away from the rest of the field, RJ Hampshire closed in on Justin Cooper. Meanwhile, Stilez Robertson pulled into the pits momentarily, before heading back to the truck and calling it a moto. Jo Shimoda was on a charge, as he passed into seventh place with 7 minutes left on the clock after suffering a bad start and having to battle his way through the pack. While running in sixth, Michael Mosiman pulled into the pits before re-entering the race track outside of the top-15. With two laps to go, both GasGas teammates Pierce Brown and Michael Mosiman pulled out of the moto. As the checkered flag waved, Jeremy Martin took the first moto win at Thunder Valley. 

250 Moto Two

The second 250 moto of the day was off and Justin Cooper was off to the early lead with Jett and Hunter Lawrence just behind. Meanwhile, Jeremy Martin was off to a bad start following his win in the first moto. RJ Hampshire sat just behind Hunter Lawrence in the number four spot. Jeremy Martin came across the finish line 17th on the first lap. RJ Hampshire then went down hard coming down the hill and remounted in 36th. While Forkner and Jo Shimoda dueled it out for seventh place, Jett Lawrence began to pressure Justin Cooper for the lead. Jeremy Martin was down hard and slow to get back to his bike after crashing while battling his way through the pack. Jeremy managed to remount but had to nurse it into the pits for some bike adjustments before rejoining the race track. Jett Lawrence dove inside of Justin Cooper and took the lead after trailing the Star Racing rider for a handful of laps. After attempting to finish the moto following his crash, Jeremy Martin rode back to the truck, ending his day. Jo shimoda made the pass on teammate Austin Forkner and then passed into fifth place, while Forkner remained in eighth. Jett Lawrence continued to lead Justin Cooper, with a three second lead now, while Hunter Lawrence remained in third but over 20-seconds behind. Jo Shimoda continued to make moves, as he passed Frye for fourth. Frye then got shuffled back to eighth, as Mosiman, Swoll, and Nichols made the pass. Colt Nichols then made the pass on Swoll for sixth place, while Mosiman began to pressure Shimoda for fourth. It took Michael Mosiman nearly half of a lap, but he was ultimately able to complete the pass on Shimoda. However, just a lap later, Jo Shimoda passed Mosiman back and was able to put a few seconds between himself and Micheal. Garrett Marchbanks made the pass on Austin Forkner, just before Forkner seemed to be dealing with some issues. On the final lap, Micheal Mosiman dropped outside of the top-10. Jett Lawrence took the checkered flag first and snagged the second moto win, but Justin Cooper finished up second and snagged the overall victory with a 2-2 result. 

450 Moto One

The first 450 moto of the day was off and Cooper Webb was off to the early lead but Adam Cianciarulo beat him to the hole shot line. Dylan Ferrandis and Ken Roczen then made the pass on Webb. Ken Roczen dove to the inside of Dylan down the hill and made the pass just before jumping past Cianciarulo and into the lead. Zach Osborne then made the pass on Cooper Webb for fourth place. Chase Sexton was making moves early, as he passed Tomac for sixth and then immediately began pressuring Webb, who was all over Osborne. Sexton showed Webb a wheel as they bolted past the mechanics area but would have to wait a few more sections before completing the pass on Webb for fifth. Eli Tomac then began to pressuring Webb, but as the duo swapped lines and battled, Aaron Plessinger closed in on them and was trailing just behind. Half a lap later, Eli scrubbed past Webb as they jumped down the hill. Aaron Plessinger then made the pass on Webb a section later, shuffling Webb back to eighth. Meanwhile, Justin Rodbell was in the pits with some bike issues. Christain Craig then made the pass on Cooper Webb. Up front, Ken Roczen continued to lead, but Adam Cianciarulo was challenging. Adam Cianciarulo made room for a pass after the rollers, as he took Ken wide and border-line off the track to take over the lead in Moto One. Chase Sexton made the pass on Osborne for fourth, just before Aaron Plessinger made the pass on Eli Tomac for sixth. With less than ten minutes left on the clock, Ken Roczen had reeled back in Adam Cianciarulo, just as Dylan Ferrandis closed in on the pair. Ferrandis cut inside going past the mechanics area and took second place away from Roczen. Back in the pack a-bit, Zach Osborne dropped back to 12th place, while Justin Barcia passed into seventh. Dylan Ferrandis dove inside and took Cianciarulo wide exiting a corner to take over the lead with 5 minutes on the clock. Cianciarulo responded just a few turns later, as he then took Dylan wide but Ferrandis shut him down and held onto the lead. Ken Roczen then made the pass on Cianciarulo for second place. As the first 450 moto neared its end, Ken Roczen reeled in Ferrandis and was challenging for the lead. Ken dove inside of Ferrandis in an attempt to block Dylan before the finish, causing Dylan to straighten out and jump off-track. Ken Roczen then took the lead, while Dylan rejoined the course a few seconds behind. Dylan Ferrandis put in a charge on the last two laps, but was unable to make up the time he had lost on Ken. Ken Roczen crossed the checkered flag first and took the first moto win at Thunder Valley. 

450 Moto Two

The final race of the day was off and Cooper Webb was off to the early lead with Marvin Musquin just behind. Ken Roczen made some good passes in the first few turns, as he moved into second place. Roczen then jumped to the outside of Webb and railed up the hill to complete the pass for the lead. Justin Barcia passed into third, but Adam Cianciarulo moved into fifth and then immediately made the pass on Barcia for fourth. However, Cianciarulo tipped over just before completing the first lap, dropping him back to seventh. Dylan Ferrandis was in ninth place at the end of the first lap, just behind Eli Tomac. Cooper Webb got shuffled back to seventh place and was now dealing with Eli Tomac. While, Adam Cianciarulo passed Savatgy for fourth place. Zach Osborne was in the mechanics area early-on, before calling it a day. Marvin Musquin made the pass on Savatgy for fifth. Up front, Ken Roczen continued to lead but now with an 8-second lead on Justin Barcia in second. Joey Savatgy tucked the front end and went down while running in sixth. Aaron Plessinger sat in third but was pressuring Barcia for second. While Plessinger continued to pressure Barcia for second, Dylan Ferrandis passed his way into fifth place and Chase Sexton moved into seventh. Ferrandis then reeled in Cianciarulo and made the pass for fourth after taking the long way around the outside of Adam. Justin Barcia managed to break away from Plessinger after spending nearly 10-minutes fending him off. A few laps later, Dylan Ferrandis had reeled in his teammate Aaron Plessinger and made the pass for third after jumping to the inside down the hill. With less than a minute left on the clock, Dylan Ferrandis had chased down Justin Barcia and now had him in his sights. With two laps to go, Dylan railed an inside rut and jumped into second place as he pulled Barcia up the hill. Meanwhile, Chase Sexton made the pass on Adam Cianciarulo for fifth. When the checkered flag waved, Ken Roczen took the win in moto two and dominated at Thunder Valley.