Millville, Minnesota, is next up on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross schedule. Located about an hour to the southeast of Minneapolis, Spring Creek Motocross Park is planted right smack in the middle of nowhere. If you didn’t know where to look, your chances of finding one of America’s best tracks would be virtually nil. Its remoteness adds to the allure, though. There is nothing for miles in any direction besides screaming motocross fans and focused motocross racers. It’s one of the races that many different people circle on their calendar for many different reasons.
For the fans, Millville oozes motocross. Its combination of down-home Americana and wild weekend fun are what the outdoor nationals are all about. With Minneapolis missing from recent supercross seasons, Millville represents the only local opportunity to see the nation’s best riders. More importantly, though, Minnesota has become a hot bed for motocross up and comers, with both of the reigning national champions hailing from the land of 10,000 lakes. Ryan Dungey has been welcomed with open arms every time he returned home but his neck injury will of course keep him out of this year’s event. That attention will instead be turned to the hometown boys of Jeremy and Alex Martin.
Growing up on the property itself, no one has turned more laps on this course than these two and surely no one will want to win more than they. Fans will be nearing frenzy as they prepare to avenge their loss to Cooper Webb a year ago. All three of those Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha riders will have victory on their minds when the gate drops, setting the stage for a huge showdown.
For the riders, this track is one of the best. Its mixture of sand and clay offers a bit of everything. Traction is always in abundance at Millville and I always felt it was one of the tracks where I actually had fun riding it. The elevation has become even more prevalent in recent years, upping the ante for grandeur of the course. It’s staple obstacle, the sand whoops, will be a point of emphasis as huge amounts of time can be made or lost there. All of the work to make up a second or two on the rest of the track can be washed away before even half of the sand whoops are finished. It truly is the make or break section on this track. Suspension and chassis technicians will basically set up camp in that section, analyzing each and every run through by their rider.
Finding the perfect balance in setup is a tough compromise. The motorcycle can be changed to handle the sand whoops incredibly well but that setup won’t work well anywhere else. For instance, stiffening the forks and lowering the rear shock sag is a basic concept for the whoops. When that move is made, though, it reduces the ability to turn on the rest of the track as the bike becomes unbalanced and nearly impossible to transfer weight to the front wheel. While riding a chopper may be fun in Sturgis and may be the easiest way to blitz sand whoops, it isn’t ideal for turning in good lap times overall. Balancing the bike while also allowing for optimal whoop speed will be a big topic of conversation this Saturday morning.
The 450 class won’t have any hometown flare with the absence of Ryan Dungey but there is still an interesting storyline. Eli Tomac finally showed the potential that Monster Energy Kawasaki invested in, flying his way to a 1-1 finish last weekend in Massachusetts. He still chases Ken Roczen by 47 points, though, as Roczen has owned this series otherwise. Kenny surely didn’t appreciated last weekend’s turn of events and will be determined to set the record straight.
So, what we have waiting is a major league battle of wills. Eli finally broke the ice and will be looking to force his will upon Kenny for the second week in a row. Kenny, on the other hand, will want to ensure that Eli’s win was a one-hit wonder. Both are entering with the worst of intentions, making for the best of situations.
Who’s Hot:
Eli Tomac did it! After so many frustrating races for he and his team, he finally bested Ken Roczen at The Wick. He is still down a gaggle of points to Kenny but that had to be a relief to post a win on the board.
Super Coop is on a roll, folks. That’s three wins in a row for the fiery kid from North Carolina. He is not scared to speak his mind and he loves to needle his rivals when he gets his chance. This weekend is a great chance at his teammate’s home track.
Justin Barcia got his first podium of the season and while I am cautious with the “hot” label, he deserves some credit for improving as the season has moved along. I still think he has more to give but he is trending in the right direction.
Austin Forkner was back on form at Southwick, posting very fast lap times and even challenging points leader Webb early in the second moto. If you think he is legit now, wait till SX.
Benny Bloss turned in a career best with a seventh overall. He moved forward in both motos and showed zero intimidation as he passed big name after big name. Impressive stuff from a rider needing to turn heads for 2017.
Who’s Not:
Adam Cianciarulo had a rough weekend in Massachusetts. He has shown flashes of brilliance seemingly every weekend but that podium level day has eluded him thus far. He has it in him and is only a matter of time before he puts it together.
Yoshimura Suzuki has worse luck than… well every joke I wanted to insert would get me into trouble so let’s just say they have bad luck and move on, mmmk? Blake Baggett is now out for the season and Matt Bisceglia will miss the next two rounds after crashes at The Wick. The good news is Bubba is back! At least I think it’s good news. We will see Saturday. Please be good news. Those guys need something positive.
Phil Nicoletti has had a rough and tumble few weeks filled with crashes and bike issues. He is riding well, so that’s good, but the end result has been tough to come by. Phil is a great rider, which I think gets overlooked at times between Matthes’ jokes and his teammates’ results, but he is legit fast.
Bold Predictions
Jason Anderson and Steve Matthes agree to be the headliners of UFC 201.
Cooper Webb splits moto wins with Jeremy Martin.
Justin Bogle stays home to heal up and comes back at Washougal fully versed in the French language.
Ken Roczen comes back with a vengeance to win the overall.
Trey Canard sets the fastest lap in qualifying.
Donny Schmit looks down on the weekend, smiling at how awesome his hometown race has become.
My Picks
250
Cooper Webb
Jeremy Martin
Alex Martin
450
Ken Roczen
Eli Tomac
Justin Barcia