Motocross

Osborne goes back-to-back as Jeremy Martin takes 250 class win at Loretta Lynn‰Ûªs 2

Posted:

Sunday, August 23rd, 2020

2:29 PM

Osborne goes back-to-back as Jeremy Martin takes 250 class win at Loretta Lynn‰Ûªs 2

Mother Nature had a big impact on Round 2 at Loretta Lynn's Ranch. Photo: Align Media

Rainy conditions defined the second of back-to-back visits to Loretta Lynn‰Ûªs Ranch to open the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Loretta Lynn‰Ûªs 2 National.

Riders were presented with incredibly challenging track conditions, and as a result the action from the second round of the season was unpredictable across both classes. In the end it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing‰Ûªs Zach Osborne who prevailed with his second straight 450 Class victory, while GEICO Honda‰Ûªs Jeremy Martin made his long awaited return to the top step of the podium in the 250 Class.

The 450 Class was greeted with a muddy track and sunny skies for its first moto. As the field stormed out the start gate it was Justin Barcia who captured the MotoSport.com Holeshot and sprinted out to a comfortable lead early on. Behind him, JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki‰Ûªs Fredrik Noren settled into second, with Broc Tickle in third.

Barcia, one of the most savvy riders in the mud, continued to pull away from the field, soon establishing an insurmountable margin of more than 20 seconds within a matter of a few laps. Behind him the battle for position jockeyed between several riders. Noren crashed and lost several positions, leaving Tickle to battle Eli Tomac and the Team Honda HRC duo of Chase Sexton and Christian Craig. A determined Tomac was able to sustain his forward progress and eventually made the pass on Tickle for second. Several laps later Tickle lost his hold of third to Craig.

Zach Osborne prevailed with his second straight 450 Class victory. Photo: Align Media

As Barcia continued to ride in a class of his own out front, things behind them got interesting in the closing moments of the moto. Craig encountered misfortune and dropped out of podium contention, which appeared to all but ensure a runner-up finish for Tomac. However, the reigning series champion‰Ûªs bike lost pace in the closing laps and caused him to lose several positions before eventually coming to a stop on the final lap. Barcia took the win by 48 seconds over his teammate Tickle, who brought home a second-place finish, while Adam Cianciarulo made a late charge to finish third. Noren followed in fourth, while Osborne rounded out the top five. Tomac ended up with a ninth-place finish.

The best track and weather conditions of the day highlighted the final 450 Class moto. When the gate dropped it was the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki of Max Anstie who charged to the MotoSport.com Holeshot ahead of Marvin Musquin. The Frenchman was able to get by the Brit for the lead, but Anstie responded to reclaim the top spot. Behind them, Tomac made contact with his teammate, Cianciarulo, and went down in the first turn, which forced him to start at the rear of the field. In his search for the overall win, Barcia began the moto in sixth, but later crashed and dropped deep in the running order.

Adam Cianciarulo earned his first career 450 Class podium finish. Photo: Align Media

The lead duo was able to build a gap over the rest of the field, with Anstie enjoying a multi-second advantage on Musquin. Cianciarulo gave chase from third, and positioned himself with an opportunity to claim the overall in doing so. As the race wore on, the intrigue of the moto ramped up as Osborne started to make a move to the front. The point leader was able to close in on Cianciarulo for third and make an aggressive pass for the position. From there, Osborne continued his charge and tracked down Musquin for second. After making the pass on the KTM rider, Osborne had Anstie within sight and dropped the hammer in pursuit of the lead. Anstie responded initially, but when a lapped rider crashed in front of him and briefly halted his momentum it opened the door for Osborne to get by and seize control of the moto.

As things changed dramatically at the front of the field, the same could be said for both Barcia and Tomac as well. Both riders encountered misfortune and were ultimately unable to finish the moto, ending their days on a sour note.

Despite some occasional smoke coming from the exhaust pipe of his Husqvarna, Osborne never wavered and was able to hold off a charge from Musquin on the final lap to take the moto win by 2.2 seconds to cap off one of the wildest days of his career. Anstie capitalized on his stellar start to bring home a first career moto podium in third.

Osborne‰Ûªs win moved him to the top of the overall classification (5-1) for his second straight victory. Cianciarulo earned his first career 450 Class podium finish in second (3-5), while Musquin‰Ûªs late push helped him round out the overall podium in third (8-2). After winning the first moto Barcia finished seventh overall (1-32), while Tomac carded the worst finish of his career in 16th (9-24).

Marvin Musquin rounded out the 450 Class podium in third. Photo: Align Media

‰ÛÏMan, what a day. To be the points leader and miss a practice like we did earlier in the day, it‰Ûªs just crazy,‰Û

Jeremy Martin emerged with his first 250 Class win since the 2018 season. Photo: Align Media

A storm cell brought a surge of rain to the track just prior to the start of the first 250 Class moto, so riders took off at the drop of the gate unsure of what conditions they‰Ûªd be facing. As the field rounded through the first two corners it was Shane McElrath who emerged with the MotoSport.com Holeshot just ahead of JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki‰Ûªs Alex Martin. The Suzuki rider was able to make the pass for the lead, but he hit a soft spot on the track shortly thereafter and went down. That allowed McElrath to reassume the lead, with RJ Hampshire in second and Cameron McAdoo in third.

After a near crash McElrath stalled his Yamaha while leading, which allowed McAdoo to take over the top spot with Hampshire in tow. Jeremy Martin then moved up to third, while fastest qualifier Dylan Ferrandis, the class point leader, slotted into fourth. Out front, Hampshire was able to take advantage of a wide line by McAdoo to move into the lead. Behind them, Ferrandis and Martin battled for third, with Ferrandis taking the spot.

The Frenchman continued his charge forward and was able to track down McAdoo to make the pass for second. He then set his sights on Hampshire for the lead, with the Husqvarna rider hindered after being forced to remove his goggles. As the race wore on, the track became more challenging and it ultimately forced Ferrandis to tip over. Soon after, the point leader got rid of his goggles and came into the pits for a new pair. With the clean goggles Ferrandis was able to put on a charge to catch Hampshire, and got within a few bike lengths of the lead with just two laps to go. However, Hampshire dug deep and withstood the challenge to take his first moto win of the season over Ferrandis by nearly 10 seconds. Martin followed in third, with McAdoo fourth and GEICO Honda rookie Carson Mumford in fifth.

Light rainfall greeted the 250 Class field for Moto 2 as well and when the gate dropped it was once again McElrath and Alex Martin racing to the MotoSport.com Holeshot, with McElrath sweeping the day‰Ûªs accolades. Unfortunately for McElrath, his time out front was short lived as he bobbled in a corner and handed the lead to Martin, with his brother Jeremy following in second as McElrath dropped to third.

With such difficult track conditions the field quickly spread out, which allowed Alex Martin to establish a comfortable lead over his brother. From there the attention shifted towards the battle for the overall classification, as Ferrandis was mired outside the top 10 and Hampshire outside the top 20 to begin the moto. While the Martin brothers strengthened their hold of the top two positions on the track, McAdoo made the move around McElrath for third. Further back, both Ferrandis and Hampshire were putting on a charge through the running order, with both riders eventually finding their way into the top 10 after the halfway point of the moto.

Dylan Ferrandis maintained his hold of the point lead with a runner-up finish. Photo: Align Media

While Alex Martin appeared to have the moto fully in hand, smoke and steam began to come out of Jeremy‰Ûªs Honda, which forced the former champion into conservation mode. The same could be said for Ferrandis and Hampshire, who each experienced similar issues with their own motorcycles. Ferrandis was able to battle all the way up to fourth in the waning laps, while Hampshire got up to seventh before his bike stopped running.

Alex Martin stayed out of trouble and carried on to capture his first moto win for Joe Gibbs Racing by more than a minute, while Jeremy made it a Martin Brothers 1-2 in second. McElrath edged out Ferrandis for third.

The late drama weighed heavily on the battle for the overall win, with Jeremy Martin‰Ûªs runner-up finish enough to put him atop the overall classification (3-2), a mere two points ahead of Ferrandis (2-4). Alex Martin‰Ûªs moto win vaulted him to third overall (7-1), while opening moto winner Hampshire ended up sixth overall (1-18).

‰ÛÏHonestly, the track was gnarly. It rained again on the start line and I thought, ‰Û÷Oh boy here we go.‰Ûª Fortunately, it held off and I got a good start,‰Û

Alex Martin's Moto 2 win vaulted him to third overall. Photo: Align Media

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship - MotoSport.com Loretta Lynn‰Ûªs 2 National
Loretta Lynn‰Ûªs Ranch - Hurricane Mills, Tennessee - August 22, 2020

450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-1)
2 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (3-5)
3 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (8-2)
4 Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (2-9)
5 Max Anstie, England, Suzuki (15-3)
6 Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (10-6)
7 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (1-32)
8 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (14-8)
9 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (27-4)
10 Justin Rodbell, Prince Frederick, Md., Kawasaki (12-12)

450 Class Championship Standings
1 Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna - 88 Points
2 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM - 69 Points
3 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha - 59 Points
4 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna - 58 Points
5 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki - 51 Points
6 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM - 51 Points
7 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki - 48 Points
8 Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha - 48 Points
9 Max Anstie, England, Suzuki - 47 Points
10 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda - 44 Points

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (3-2)
2 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (2-4)
3 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki (7-1)
4 Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki (4-5)
5 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Yamaha (8-3)
6 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (1-18)
6 Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Kawasaki (6-10)
8 Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna (12-7)
9 Lance Kobusch, New Florence, Mo., KTM (16-8)
10 Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., Honda (5-20)

250 Class Championship Standings
1 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha - 90 Points
2 Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda - 84 Points
3 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki - 71 Points
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna - 70 Points
5 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Yamaha - 69 Points
6 Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki - 61 Points
7 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 40 Points
8 Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Kawasaki - 38 Points
9 Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., Honda - 32 Points
10 Mason Gonzales, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Yamaha - 32 Points