2022 RedBud Motocross | Race Report & Results

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The 2022 RedBud Motocross kicked off what some riders consider to be the most important part of this year’s Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, as the series will go to four of the best tracks in the country during a month-long run through the peak of the summer. The four motos in Michigan showed how quickly things can change in a title chase, as good starts, strong laps, late charges, and mechanical difficulties determined the podium at round five.

450 Moto One

As the first moto left the gate, Eli Tomac was off to the early lead after snagging the holeshot. Joey Savatgy and Justin Barcia followed, with Max Anstie trailing. Jason Anderson went down in the first turn with Martin and McElrath. As the leaders crossed the finish line at RedBud to complete their first lap, Eli had already began opening up his lead, while Ken Roczen passed into the third place position. Chase Sexton was now working on Barcia for fourth place, but Justin upped his pace and held off attacks from the Honda HRC rider. Several laps later, Chase Sexton was finally able to make the pass on Barcia. 

Sexton then reeled in Ken Roczen and began challenging his teammate for third place. Justin Barcia went down a few laps after getting passed by Sexton and dropped. Ken managed to fend off Sexton’s first charge at a podium position and remain in third. Ryan Dungey was now on Max Anstie’s rear wheel and pressuring for sixth place. Dungey reeled in Max each lap, but then missed the leap while Max jumped it and lost time. 

Chase Sexton was back on Ken Roczen and the battle for third place was back on. Sexton made the pass on his teammate after going inside to take the line away before the leap. While battling with Dungey, Max Anstie was unfortunately forced to cruise into the pits with a mechanical failure. Back up front, Eli Tomac continued to lead Joey Savatgy and now held a 9-second lead on the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider. 

As the clock ticked closer to zero, Chase Sexton closed in on Savatgy and attempted to make a pass for second place. Chase dove inside before the leap but wasn’t able to take the line away from Joey and stop him from jumping the leap. Sexton reset and closed back in on Joey to make another attempt at a pass and this time it stuck, as Chase railed the outside before the rollers and blitzed into second place. 

Meanwhile, Jason Anderson had climbed up to seventh place after going down in the first turn. With two laps to go, Eli Tomac had a close one and nearly went down after the rear end came around on him while exiting a corner. However, Eli saved it and cruised the final two laps to his impressive first moto win. Chase Sexton crossed the finish line just ahead of Joey Savatgy to complete the moto one podium. 

450 Moto Two

The second 450MX moto was off and Justin Barcia was off to the early lead after sneaking to the inside of Eli Tomac to grab the holeshot. Ken Roczen trailed Eli Tomac as they entered the third corner, but then made the pass for second before the following corner. Ken and Eli swapped positions a few more times on the opening lap but were ultimately separated when Ken made the pass on Barcia for the lead after a great run through the rollers. On the second lap, Eli cut under Barcia and scrubbed past him over the Monster Energy table to then rocket through the rollers and into second place.

Just behind the top-3; Jason Anderson dove inside of Ryan Dungey, but Ryan jumped past Jason over the leap to hold onto fourth place. Jason and Ryan continue to duel over fourth, allowing Justin Barcia to break back away for the time being. Jason then see’s an open door and makes the pass on Dungey for fourth place. Chase Sexton followed and made a pass on Dungey just a few moments later.

Jason Anderson laid it over in a corner and collected Chase Sexton, allowing Dungey to get back by Sexton and dropping Anderson outside of the top-5. Back up front, Eli Tomac was closing in on Ken Roczen ever so slightly and the battle for the lead was brewing. Just a lap after getting Roczen in his sight, Eli looked inside before the leap, but Roczen managed to still jump the leap and hold onto the lead. Sexton made the pass on Dungey again just before the finish line and immediately went after Barcia to take over third place in just a couple corners later. 

Just after Sexton secured third place, Eli Tomac made the pass on Ken after finding an open door and took over the race lead. A few laps later, Sexton had reeled in Roczen and made a pass momentarily but Roczen held the preferred line and retook the position. Moments later, Sexton railed the outside before the rollers and blitzed past Roczen and into second place. 

With 7-minutes on the clock, Chase Sexton secured second place and was closing in on Eli Tomac. However, Eli Tomac must have got word because he upped the pace and added a second to his lead on Sexton in just one lap. Just behind, Ken Roczen began to drop, as both Justin Barcia and Ryan Dungey made the pass on the early race leader. 

Jason Anderson then made the pass on Ken Roczen, only to have Christian Craig to follow; dropping Roczen to seventh place. With one lap to go, Jason Anderson was all over Ryan Dungey and pressuring for fourth place. Jason hammered past Ryan after scrubbing to an outside line and took the position on the final lap. Eli Tomac crosses the finish line first to claim the second moto win and dominate in RedBud. 

250 Moto One

The first 250MX moto was off and Hunter Lawrence was off to the early lead with Ryder DiFrancesco just behind. However, Ryder went down in the second corner, allowing Jo Shimoda to secure second place on the opening lap. Though, Jo immediately went after Hunter for the lead and showed a wheel multiple times on the first lap. By the end of the first lap, Jett Lawrence moved into third place and made it a three rider battle for the lead. 

On the second lap, Jett Lawrence took an inside line through the rollers and pulled past Jo Shimoda to take over second place. Jett switched his focus onto his brother and the race lead, but Jo trailed behind closely. Jett again pulled alongside through the rollers, this time after using the outside line, but Hunter closed him off to hold onto the lead. 

As the top-3 continued to battle over the lead, Stilez Robertson lurked in fourth and wasn’t far off of Shimoda. After a few attempts, Jett Lawrence dove inside to finally make the pass on Hunter and secure the race lead in moto one. A few laps later, Jett Lawrence’s bike began to smoke and his pace started to drop, as Hunter and Jo closed back in. 

With 11-minutes left on the clock, Jett’s bike was done. Jett was clearly frustrated as he walked his bike off the track and said goodbye to the points-lead. Hunter Lawrence was now leading the moto, but Jo Shimoda was still there and pressuring for the lead. Hunter Lawrence stalled momentarily after the rollers, allowing Jo to pull alongside. Shimoda looked to have the pass completed after the leap, but Hunter fended him off for the time being and held onto the lead. 

Jo Shimoda scrubbed alongside Hunter over the finish line and looked to have the pass again, but Hunter was late to the breaks in the following corner and took both of them far outside to hold onto the lead. A few sections later, Jo Shimoda railed an outside rut and rocketed past Hunter to finally take the race lead. Pierce Brown was out of the moto, as he was seen taking a ride in the back of the medic rig.

Deeper in the pack, privateer Ty Masterpool made the pass on Justin Cooper for seventh place with three laps to go. Back up front, Jo Shimoda opened up his lead to a seven-second gap on Hunter Lawrence. Once the checkered flag came out, Jo Shimoda crossed the finish line with a 16-second lead and grabbed his first-ever moto win. Hunter Lawrence finished in second place and Stilez Robertson crossed the finish line in third place, just ahead of Rj Hampshire. 

250 Moto Two

As the field left the gate for the second 250MX moto, Ryder DiFrancesco was off to the early lead but Seth Hammaker shuffled himself into the lead after the second corner. However, Seth then lost traction up the face of a double and got ejected off his bike, leaving Ty Masterpool in the race lead. Hunter Lawrence passed into second place, as Seth Hammaker remounted in last place. On the opening lap, Rj Hampshire, Jo Shimoda, and Justin Cooper went down.

Stilez Robertson trailed behind DiFrancesco in fourth place, with Carson Mumford in tail, but Stilez managed to make a pass on the rookie and take over third place. Up front, Masterpool continued to lead Hunter Lawrence with two laps down, but Hunter finally made the pass for the lead on the privateer. A few spots behind, Jett Lawrence was beginning to enter the picture, as he made the pass on Mumford for fifth place. 

Robertson made a few mistakes and dropped from third place to fifth place in the matter of two corners. Jett benefited from Stilez’s mistake and then also made the pass on DiFrancesco for third place. A lap later, Jett was challenging Masterpool for second place and made it happen after some good line selection. Both Michael Mosiman and Pierce Brown went down, dropping them. Meanwhile, Jo Shimoda continued his charge through the field and made a pass on Maximus Vohland to secure an overall podium. 

Back towards the front, Ryder DiFrancesco was pressuring Ty Masterpool for third place, but Stilez Robertson was also in pursuit of his fellow Bakersfield, CA native. Stilez Robertson made the pass on Ryder stick before going after Masterpool for third. Robertson slid out while attempting a pass and dropped from fourth place to ninth. Just ahead, Jett Lawrence had reeled in his brother and the battle for the lead was on. 

Jett made the pass on his brother after drifting inside through a corner and closing the door to take over the race lead. As Jett built on his race lead, Jo Shimoda continued to charge through the pack and the moto one winner was now past Thrasher and into sixth place. Ryder DiFrancesco dropped a few positions, as both Levi Kitchen and Jo Shimoda made passes on the rookie. 

With four minutes on the clock, Levi Kitchen made the pass on Ty Masterpool just before the finish line and took over third place. Jo Shimoda also passed the privateer a few sections later and then set his sights on Kitchen and third place. Just as he caught Levi, Jo jumped past and into third place to secure the overall victory at RedBud with a 1-3 score. 

Jett Lawrence cruised his 17-second lead to the finish line to take the second moto win ahead of Hunter Lawrence. And, after going down on the first lap, Jo Shimoda crossed the finish line in third place to take his first overall win.