The 450 championship will be won based on 2nd moto results. In the last 3 years, Eli Tomac has won the championship by dominating his competition in the 2nd motos. He’s won 20 of the 36 2nd motos. Marvin Musquin is the next closest with 8. He’s led 195 of the 567 laps 2nd moto laps. Marvin Musquin is the next closest with 159 and Ken Roczen a distant 88. What’s most impressive is that he’s had only one 2nd moto in 3 years where he’s lost positions! Eli Tomac has won with fitness and mental toughness in the 2nd motos.
That’s what’s so impressive about Zach Osborne’s 2-1 day at Loretta Lynn’s. Zach just beat Eli Tomac in the 2nd moto and most importantly he did so in the latter stages of the moto. Zach was able to hold his pace in the 2nd half of the 2nd moto and withstand the pressure of a 3x champion. Zach just demonstrated he has the fitness and mental strength to battle with Eli Tomac. While this is only Zach’s first career overall 450 pro motocross win, it comes on the heels of his first career 450 supercross win and the inherent increase in confidence bodes well for us fans looking for some great racing!
To underscore the importance of 2nd motos, look at Jason Anderson’s day. He came out and won the first moto wire-to-wire, but it was his 2nd moto that kept him from getting his first ever Pro Motocross overall win when he fell off the pace due to arm pump. Tough not to be a fan of Jason and Team Fried, especially with his candor on the podium. Unfortunately, it’s going to be an uphill challenge to get that first overall win without strong 2nd moto performances.
In the 250’s, Dylan Ferrandis served notice that he’s the man to beat for the 2020 championship and then stood atop the podium and said he’s thinking about a perfect season. With near perfect days like today, it’s understandable for that thought to cross ones mind, but that may not be the statement he wants his competitors to hear. Jeremy Martin, RJ Hampshire, and Shane McElrath all showed competitive speed and are likely to take exception, not to mention it’s only Round 1. Statement or not, Dylan won convincingly and it’s going to be a long season for the rest of the pack.
Also of note in the 250 class, 16 of the Top 20 in the 250 results were on factory equipment. The 4 riders not on factory equipment were Mason Gonzales (9th), Nick Gaines (11th), Jordan Bailey (19th), and Dillian Schwartz (20th). Of particular note is Mason Gonzales who made his rookie debut and with an average 1st lap position of 14th and 8-12 moto scores, he demonstrated he’s ready for the big time. Great to see young talent stepping up to the challenge immediately.
Enjoy the race stats below and as always, drop me a line on Twitter or Instagram @3lapsdown with any questions or simply to bench race.
450 RACE STATS
- While Jason Anderson (Rockstar Husky) added his 4th moto win of his career, he still remains the only premier class supercross champion (1 of 23) without a Pro Motocross overall win.
- Zach Osborne (Rockstar Husky) got his 2nd career 450 moto win, but Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) sits tied for 4th with Rick Johnson at 45.
- Max Anstie (HEP Suzuki) took the Top Privateer honors with an 11th overall. He took home 21 points on the day while 17% of PulpMX Fantasy managers pulled in 58 pts (5th best in the 450’s).
- Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) lost positions in both motos today and finished with a -2 Race +/-.
- Conversely, Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha) gained positions in both motos after a horrible avg lap one position of 18th. He netted +26 Position Changes on the day anchored by an impressive charge from 14th to 3rd in the first moto.
- Is Chase Sexton (HRC Honda) going to be the Adam Cianciarulo of Pro Motocross? In his rookie debut, he grabbed the fastest qualifier honors just like his good friend and competitor did in supercross.
- How about the JGR Yoshimura Suzuki riders of Joey Savatgy and Freddie Noren sitting 2nd and 3rd for 1st lap position in the first moto!?
- 250 RACE STATS
Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha took 2 holeshots (Justin Cooper and Shane McElrath) and 2 wins (Dylan Ferrnadis). They also led 34 of 36 laps. The one blemish is both Cooper and McElrath lost positions in both motos. Nonetheless, this entire team is a podium contender every week. - Collectively, the GEICO Honda team averaged an 11th place first lap position (excl Hunter Lawrence’s first moto), the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM team averaged 16th, and the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha team averaged 3rd. There’s no chance of competing when you start in such a deep hole.
- Nick Gaines (3D Racing Yamaha) takes Top Privateer honors this week with two 13th place finishes for an 11th overall. Before you point out that Mason Gonzales was the real Top Privateer, know that I’m going to do a Rookie Spotlight soon!
· Jett Lawrence (GEICO Honda) qualified 4th and went 6-7 on the day. While not a podium threat at Round 1, what was impressive is coming from 23rd to 7th in the 2nd moto. #donuts
