Motocross

Musquin captures first 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season victory in Florida

Posted:

Sunday, June 23rd, 2019

1:03 PM

Marvin Musquin took home his first win of the 2019 season. Photo: Rich Shepherd

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship made its anticipated return to the state of Florida for the first time in 22 years on Saturday, as WW Ranch Motocross Park made its debut as the newest venue to host a round of the world‰Ûªs most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing series.

The US Assure Florida National presented the most challenging conditions of the season, as a difficult sand track and hot, humid temperatures combined to push riders to the limit. At the end of a pair of grueling motos, Frenchman Marvin Musquin claimed his first overall victory of the season in the 450 Class, while Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing‰Ûªs Justin Cooper emerged to take the first professional win of his career in the 250 Class.

The opening 450 Class moto saw Cooper Webb surge to his class-leading third MotoSport.com Holeshot over Team Honda HRC‰Ûªs Ken Roczen. The spirited foes went at it over the course of the opening lap, with Roczen attempting several passes that were ultimately defended by Webb. Webb was able to keep the championship co-leader behind and complete the opening lap with the lead, but Roczen continued to attack and soon seized control of the moto. As this captivating battle unfolded, fellow championship co-leader Eli Tomac was mired in 18th and had to make a series of tough passes in the opening laps just to break into the top 10.

Once in the lead, Roczen was able to assert himself at the front of the field while Webb began to lose ground to his teammate, Musquin. The Frenchman sensed the opportunity to pass Webb for second and wasted little time in taking advantage of the first opportunity he got to drop his teammate to third. From there, Musquin set his sights on Roczen. Soon enough the former MXGP rivals were duking it out for the lead. Musquin searched for every possible line in his quest to find a way around Roczen, but the German consistently countered those moves. Musquin‰Ûªs relentless pressure on Roczen almost led to a crash from the Frenchman, but he saved it and never let up, eventually making the pass stick shortly after the halfway point of the moto.

Marvin Musquin narrowly avoided a big crash in his pursuit of Ken Roczen (94) in Moto 1, but recovered and went on to take the win. Photo: Jeff Kardas

The clear track allowed Musquin to storm out to a comfortable lead over the field, while Roczen settled into second. With about 10 minutes left in the moto the battle for third heated up between Webb and Jason Anderson. The race‰Ûªs top qualifier appeared to be quicker than Webb, but he was unable to make the pass happen as Webb responded by picking up his pace. Anderson didn‰Ûªt give up, however, and regrouped for a couple laps to prepare for one final push, quickly closing back in on Webb‰Ûªs rear fender before making an impressive pass for the position. Anderson‰Ûªs late surge pressed on, and with two laps to go he found himself mere bike lengths behind Roczen. However, the German stepped up in response to the pressure.

Musquin was dominant en route to his first moto win since the 10th round at Unadilla last August, crossing the line 7.7 seconds ahead of Roczen, with Anderson right behind in third. Webb soldiered home in fourth, while rookie Zach Osborne was fifth. Tomac never made his presence felt in the moto, but battled through the field to finish seventh.

Eli Tomac bounced back from a tough Moto 1 to take an impressive Moto 2 win. Photo: Rich Shepherd

No doubt disappointed in his first moto effort, Tomac seized the moment to start Moto 2 and took his first MotoSport.com Holeshot of the season ahead of Osborne. Anderson slotted in behind his teammate in third, while the KTM‰Ûªs of Musquin and Webb, along with Roczen, gave pursuit. With a clear track ahead of him Tomac sprinted in the opening stages in an effort to build a margin that he could manage as the moto continued. Anderson applied pressure on Osborne and made an impressive pass to take over second. Osborne attempted to fight back, but to no avail.

Tomac needed just over a lap to storm out to nearly a five-second lead, which left everyone else to battle for the remaining spots on the podium. Anderson gave chase from second, while Osborne was left to deal with Musquin for third. The rookie held off his training partner for a while, but the Frenchman utilized alternate lines to make the pass and move into third.

The field stabilized through the middle portion of the moto, with multiple seconds between each rider in the top five. However, the big-picture battle in the championship changed after Roczen went down while running fifth. Roczen and Tomac entered the race tied atop the point standings, but Roczen began the second moto with the upper hand. Roczen remounted in seventh, but continued to lose positions. As this unfolded, Anderson‰Ûªs pace dropped dramatically and he dropped from second to fourth, moving Musquin up to second and Osborne up to third.

Zach Osborne earned his second overall podium result of the season. Photo: Rich Shepherd

Musquin managed to get Tomac in his sights late in the moto, but the reigning series champion responded. As the moto wore on, Musquin‰Ûªs pace dropped. He lost touch with Tomac and then lost considerable ground to Osborne in third. With just three laps to go, Osborne made the pass on Musquin to take over second.

Tomac managed a perfect moto to take his fifth checkered flag of the season, 4.1 seconds ahead of Osborne. Musquin held on for third.

Musquin‰Ûªs 1-3 scores carried him to the eighth overall win of his career and ends a six-race winless streak. Despite his slow start to the afternoon, Tomac‰Ûªs win in the final moto vaulted him to the runner-up spot in the overall classification (7-1), while Osborne‰Ûªs late pass on Musquin landed him third (5-2).

‰ÛÏI tried [to catch Tomac]. I knew I had the overall, but winning both motos is the best,‰Û

Justin Cooper prevailed for the first professional victory of his career. Photo: Rich Shepherd

The first 250 Class moto of the afternoon got underway with Derek Drake capturing the first MotoSport.com Holeshot of his career over the Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing duo of JustinCooper and Ty Masterpool. Championship leader, Adam Cianciarulo, found himself buried deep in the top 10 aboard his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki. Out front, Drake took full advantage of his first opportunity to lead a professional race and he established a multi-second lead over the field. Cooper and Masterpool settled into second and third, while Cianciarulo went to work from an eighth-place start.

With the lead well in hand through the first five minutes of the moto, Drake gave it away when he crashed hard through one of the track‰Ûªs section of rollers. That allowed Cooper to inherit the lead, while GEICO Honda‰Ûªs Chase Sexton charged his way up to second and Michael Mosiman into third. A patient Cianciarulo rode just outside the top five for several laps behind Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing‰Ûªs Mitchell Oldenburg, but he eventually found his way around to move into the top five.

A determined Sexton was able to close to within a second of Cooper and began searching for different lines in an effort to mount a challenge on the top spot. Cooper did well to keep Sexton at bay, and the lead hovered around a second throughout the middle portion of the race. Sexton‰Ûªs patience eventually paid off and with just under 10 minutes left in the moto, when he made the pass on Cooper and quickly put some distance between them. It wasn‰Ûªt long before Sexton enjoyed a multi-second advantage on the field.

Sexton rode strong through the remainder of the moto and prevailed with his first career moto win. Cooper followed in the runner-up spot, 8.2 seconds back, with Mosiman rounding out the top three. Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha‰Ûªs Dylan Ferrandis put in a strong come-from-behind effort to pass Cianciarulo late for fourth, while the winner of the first four rounds of the season settled for fifth.

The start of the second 250 Class moto saw a slew of Monster Energy/Star/Yamahas storm to the front, with Oldenburg emerging with the MotoSport.com Holeshot. However, his time in the lead was short lived as both Cooper and Ferrandis charged into the top two spots. Mosiman soon slotted into third, with Cianciarulo in fourth. In the early stages of the moto Sexton pulled off into the mechanics area and eventually retired from the race, ending his hopes of a first career win.

Cooper and Ferrandis ran a stellar pace out front, which allowed them to pull away from Cianciarulo, who made the pass on Mosiman to take over third. Ferrandis kept his teammate honest and stayed close, but Cooper maintained his hold on the top spot and started to inch away as the moto wore on. Together, they opened up a double-digit advantage over Cianciarulo.

Dylan Ferrandis made it a 1-2 effort for the Star Yamaha squad. Photo: Rich Shephard

Cooper appeared to have the moto win in hand, but Ferrandis stored his energy for a late push and with less than 10 minutes left in the moto the Frenchman pulled the trigger. He closed in on Cooper and made the pass with ease with just over seven minutes to go. From there, Ferrandis carried on to his first moto win of the season, crossing the line 9.3 seconds ahead of his teammate, while Cianciarulo finished in a distant third.

Cooper‰Ûªs consistent 2-2 results were enough to give him the first professional win of his career, edging out Ferrandis (4-1) by a single point. Cianciarulo saw his four-race win streak come to an end in third (5-3).

‰ÛÏI won because I got out front, and that felt good. That Moto 2 was the longest moto of my life. I‰Ûªm just so spent right now,‰Û

Championship leader Adam Cianciarulo had to dig deep in each moto to land on the overall podium. Photo: Jeff Kardas

Results Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
US Assure Florida National - WW Ranch Motocross Park ‰ÛÒ Jacksonville, Fla.

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (1-3)
2 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (7-1)
3 Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-2)
4 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (3-4)
5 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (4-5)
6 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (2-10)
7 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (6-6)
8 Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha (10-7)
9 Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (9-8)
10 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (8-9)

450 Class Championship Standings
1 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 215 points
2 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda ‰ÛÒ 209 points
3 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM ‰ÛÒ 184 points
4 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna ‰ÛÒ 182 points
5 Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna ‰ÛÒ 182 points
6 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM ‰ÛÒ 166 points
7 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha ‰ÛÒ 129 points
8 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM ‰ÛÒ 117 points
9 Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha ‰ÛÒ 114 points
10 Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM ‰ÛÒ 99 points

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (2-2)
2 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (4-1)
3 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-3)
4 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (3-5)
5 Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (8-4)
6 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki (7-6)
7 Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (9-7)
8 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (6-11)
9 Jacob Hayes, Greensboro, N.C., Yamaha (13-8)
10 Jordan Bailey, Orlando, Fla., Husqvarna (10-12)

250 Class Championship Standings
1 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 222 points
2 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha ‰ÛÒ 204 points
3 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha ‰ÛÒ 187 points
4 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda ‰ÛÒ 159 points
5 Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha ‰ÛÒ 152 points
6 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna ‰ÛÒ 148 points
7 Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda ‰ÛÒ 142 points
8 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda ‰ÛÒ 129 points
9 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki ‰ÛÒ 116 points
10 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM ‰ÛÒ 79 points