By the Numbers
Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis won the first moto, his 18th career moto win. Unfortunately, the Frenchman went down in the first turn of the second moto and rounded the second turn in 40th place. Ferrandis put in a charge and eventually finished the moto in third place, giving him +37 position changes. GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin took the win in the second moto and his 2-1 bested Ferrandis’ 1-3 for the overall win. Martin’s win in the second moto was his 30th career moto win and led to his 16th career overall win, which ties him for with Guy Cooper for a tie for sixth all-time in the small bore class.
Behind them, Brandon Hartranft earned his first career 250 Class overall podium by finishing 3-4. What was Hartranft’s key to his success?
“When I got my two podiums [in supercross] this year, I straight-razored my face the night before. Last night I did that and today was a good day,” Hartranft said in the post-race press conference. My guess is this is something Brandon will likely repeat in the future!
Justin Cooper earned his first moto podium of the season when he finished second in the second moto. Cooper recorded finishes of 10-8-20-6-8-2 in the first six motos of this year, Last year, Cooper started the year with 1-4-1-4-1-2 moto scores. Cooper did provide some insight on Monday evening during a press conference where he explained the boxer’s fracture in his hand required him to be in a cast for four weeks and he only rode for a week leading into the first round. This led to a lack of testing and prep before the season. Read more about what Cooper had to say about the start to his year.
And shout-out to Cody Williams, a privateer out of Barneveld, Wisconsin, for finishing 25th overall on a Husqvarna TC 125.
In the 450 Class, privateer Ben LaMay made his 100th career start in the premier class. The Alaskan finished 17-38 for 20th overall. LaMay’s start total leads all active riders—next closest is Fredrik Noren, who made his 87th start on Saturday. Noren finished 10-13 for 11th overall.
Check out LaMay’s latest video where he rebuilt his race bike on Friday evening before Ironman.
On the other end of the scale, privateer Grant Harlan made his Pro Motocross debut on Saturday. The 19-year-old qualified 45th overall but made his way into the points-paying motos after winning the consolation race. Harlan, who made his pro debut during the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship earlier this year, finished 19-21 for 23rd overall in his debut.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac rebounded from his two mechanical failures at the second round to take his first overall win of the year. Marvin Musquin won the first moto (the 17th of his 450 career) but couldn’t replicate that pace in moto two. Tomac earned the 46th 450 Class moto win of his career—which is fourth-most all time. For more on Tomac’s all-time rankings in total moto wins, check out Clinton Fowler’s Ironman National column over on PulpMX.com.
The first six motos of the year in the 450 Class have seen five different winners. Zach Osborne is the only rider with multiple moto wins (2) and overall wins (2). Osborne is also the only rider with just one finish outside the top five. Although he finished fifth in the points standings during his rookie year last summer, Osborne was the only rider with only one moto outside of fifth place.
Privateers Henry Miller (12-14) and John Short (13-16) had impressive rides for 12th and 13th overall, respectively. Miller has four straight motos in the top 15 and earned his second 12th overall in as many weeks, and Short had a quiet but solid season debut.
Quotes From Around the Paddock:
Justin Barcia | 6-2 for 4th overall in 450 Class
“We got a bad start in the first moto but had a good charge to sixth. The second moto was another one of those not so great starts, but the charge was one for the books, for sure. I made a lot of passes on guys and had some great battles. Then the last few laps, Eli [Tomac] and I were up front and I was chasing him hard, but I just wasn’t able to quite get him. It was a really fun race though and I gave it everything I had.
“The bike worked really well today. The track was awesome. It was really rough. We had deep ruts, slick spots, wet spots… it was a little bit of everything. We needed that to see where the bike was actually at because the first two races were kind of different so you didn’t know what you had. This was a good race to show us that we’re here for the championship and we’re going for it. All in all, I’d say it was a positive day. We’re just going to keep plugging away and try to get some wins.”
Chase Sexton | 4-5 for 6th overall in 450 Class
“Today was a much better day for me. I was a lot more consistent and had two solid motos—a fourth and fifth. Overall, I’m making progress and learning a lot every race. My goal was to jump on the podium and win races by the end of the series, so we’re on the right track. Hopefully at RedBud we get up on the podium and mix it up with the top guys.”
Said Honda HRC team manager Erik Kehoe:
“Our guys’ end result today, overall, didn't reflect how well they rode. Starts weren’t as good as they could’ve been, and we had some tip-overs and mistakes. Things happen, but I think both guys rode better than the end result. That was the best I’ve seen Chase ride a 450 so far. They both learned a lot this weekend and we’ve got something to build on for next week.”
Blake Baggett | 5-7 for 7th overall in 450 Class
“I felt good out there today. My starts were there and I had the pace in both motos. We will put in the work this week, and make a few changes to the bike for a top five finish at RedBud next weekend.”
Dean Wilson | 8-8 for 8th overall in 450 Class
“The third lap of the first practice I had a big crash and went over the bars, so it was a little rough heading into the motos. You have your good days and your bad days, but we never gave up and kept pushing through it. I’m looking forward to just improving every weekend.”
Broc Tickle | 9-10- for 9th overall in 450 Class
“I’m not 100 percent happy with my results overall today but I felt like I rode my hardest. We made some changes throughout the day. In the second moto, I was able to push as hard as I could. I really made it tough on myself in both motos by starting way back, the first moto especially. The goal this week is to focus on getting some good starts at RedBud and throughout the rest of the season. I think I can put myself in a good position in dry conditions if I can do that. I’m a little bummed out because I left a lot on the table by being so far back in the first half of the race, but I’m stoked on my fitness and on the progress we’ve made with the team and the bike. I want to thank them and I also want to thank my sponsors and everybody who has been supporting me over the last three years. It’s awesome to come back and be competitive. It’s kind of a surreal feeling for me.”
Christian Craig | 11-12 for 10th overall in 450 Class
“I went into the motos really confident and ready to show what I had, but unfortunately I had a bad start again. Bad starts have kind of been my thing all season, so I need to turn that around. I was ninth until the second-to-last corner. I tipped over and ended up 11th, which wasn’t terrible, but not great. I got off to a better start in the second moto, but fell in the first turn and then tipped over again. I ended up being dead last coming around the first lap. I put my head down and charged as hard as I could after that and actually rode a lot better. I made my way up to 12th. I ended up with 11-12 results and 10th overall. It wasn’t a terrible day, but I know I belong in the top 10 consistently, so I look forward to RedBud.”
Fredrik Noren | 10-13 for 11th overall in 450 Class
"My speed was good this weekend and I’m excited to continue to work on that as we race on this summer. I had too many smaller mistakes that I need to clean up but my starts were good and the speed is there so we're looking forward to the next race at RedBud to improve."
Joey Savatgy | 40-9 14th overall in 450 Class
"It was a tough weekend for me. These first three rounds haven’t gone according to plan at all. On paper it doesn’t look like much but I am improving slowly. I just need to keep going in the right direction."
Justin Bogle | 34-15 for 19th overall in 450 Class
“Not the day I was looking for. I felt good coming in and had a great jump off the gate in moto one. It was unfortunate I went down the way I did, because I rode well in the second moto. We are making progress and looking forward to the doubleheader at RedBud next weekend.”
Jett Lawrence | 4-5 for 5th overall in 250 Class
“I just wanted to get out two consistent races with no mistakes which I did pretty good. I just had a crash in the first race trying to pass for third, but it’s definitely better than last weekend’s race so I’m pretty happy with it. Really, I just need to get my passing down cause I could not pass even if my life depended on it!”
Alex Martin | 7-6 for 6th overall in 250 Class
"We had some good speed this weekend with a fifth in qualifying. Unfortunately my starts were just not what they should’ve been and I spent all day passing other racers. I was able to salvage a sixth overall and I’m looking forward to Red Bud!"
Shane McElrath | 6-10 for 7th overall in 250 Class
“It was tough conditions out there today. I started off the day better as the fastest qualifier, but two bad starts put me in a hole from the beginning. The track was super technical and hard to pass. Some lines were very good and some were very bad. I was trying hard not to follow but line choices really hurt me as well. I learned a lot today and I’m taking every piece of momentum I can get.”
Jo Shimoda | 12-7 for 8th overall in 250 Class
“Yeah I was feeling good from time qualifying and the whole day, I was P2 and P6 in the two sessions and I was able to get a good gate for moto one. Good jump on the start but I got pinched which got me into mid pack, and four laps in I accidentally put it in neutral and fell in the corner and finished 12th. Moto two, good start, I was fourth into the second turn, but, my mistake, I stalled the bike. I started from 12th and caught up to fifth but at the end of moto got passed by two guys for seventh. Still, I’m much happier this weekend. I was frustrated really bad with last two races so approaching into this race I felt much stronger mentally.”
Mitchell Harrison | 11-8 for 9th overall in 250 Class
“I am really happy with my starts and now I just need to keep some small mistakes to a minimum to help me stay near the front. It wasn’t too memorable of a day, but I am already getting excited for two rounds at my home track at Red Bud. We’ll see if we can get it on the podium next week.”
Carson Mumford | 13-9 for 10th overall in 250 Class
“It was tough for me to learn a new track while it was muddy in the morning. I really didn’t even feel comfortable until the second moto when it got rough, then it was really fun and my type of track. My starts weren’t good but I made something of the day. Racing these longer pro races, one thing I’ve learned is that it’s really important to charge every lap with little mistakes. You can’t give up, because there will be guys that are 30-40 seconds in front of you in the beginning of the race and then by the end you’re right on them, where in amateurs the race is normally over in 15 minutes. You just have to keep charging!”
RJ Hampshire | 5-17 for 12th overall in 250 Class
“My day started off with a big crash in practice and kind of spiraled from there. I crashed mid-way through the first moto but I felt pretty good on the bike and was able to come back to fifth. I’m looking to have good starts at RedBud and stay on the bike.”
Cameron Mcadoo | 9-15 for 13th overall in 250 Class
“I felt good during the day but couldn’t make a lot of it work in my favor. My starts definitely hurt me a bit and I’ll be working to get those more dialed for Red Bud. We still have a lot of racing left and I know I have more to show. Really looking forward to two chances next weekend.”
Hunter Lawrence | 19-11 for 16th overall in 250 Class
“Yeah mate it was pretty rough. Really, I’m happy to be able to race after last weekend but bummed on the results. We’ll just keep working on the physio and getting the shoulder stronger. Looking forward to next weekend.”
Injury Updates:
Jason Anderson
In the first 450 Class moto during Saturday’s Ironman National, it was reported that Jason Anderson was “experiencing an uncomfortable pain in his arm” and had to pull out of the moto early. Anderson only completed 13 of the 17 laps in the race, and he did not compete in moto two.
According to the post-race press release from Husqvarna, Anderson has re-aggravated an injury. He said the following in the team press release:
“The day didn’t end up the best for me. I ended up having a decent practice and then went into the first moto and had a little mishap injury-wise and wasn’t able to finish out the motos.”
We believe the injury that Anderson has re-aggravated was from a surgery to fix a broken arm he suffered during a practice crash during the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. Only three rounds into the title defense of his #1 plate from 2018, Anderson suffered a practice crash during the week that ended his supercross season. In the crash, Anderson broke his left arm in two places and sustained a fractured rib, and he underwent surgery to fix his arm. The reported uncomfortable pain from Saturday’s race was apparently an issue with the plate that had been inserted during the surgery.
Align Media (our event photographers) caught a glimpse of Anderson on the side of the track with his left arm off of the bars and later snapped a picture of him with a wrap/soft cast on his left wrist.
Anderson was supposed to go in for tests on Monday morning but nothing has been made public about the results.
Max Anstie
Anstie suffered a crash during the second moto and was carted off the track by the medical crew. He later posted on Instagram, “Not the way we wanted to end the day. They thought my jaw was broken but just got the results back from the scans and I’m alright. Just feels like Connor McGregor gave me a left hook.”
There is no official word on whether he will race Friday’s RedBud 1 National but he did post a video of his bike outside of the Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki team truck at RedBud yesterday.
Other News:
Adam Cianciarulo said he went to the line in moto two and saw Alex Ray next to him on the gate. Ray had a front flat tire! Steve Matthes asked Adam about this in the post-race press conference:
Steve Matthes: Adam, when you’re lined up next to a competitor on the starting line and he has a flat front tire before the gate drops, what goes through your mind?
Cianciarulo: That was incredible. Alex Ray, he pulled into the gate after the sight lap and he looks down at his front and he’s like, “This thing is flat.” I guess he didn’t have a wheel. Him and his mechanic were just kind of looking at each other like, “We don’t know what to do.” I’m like, “You’ve got to go back to the rig. You got to fly out before you go off the start with 39 other guys going 40 miles an hour into the first turn with a front flat.” He was unfazed. He was upset about it, but the fact that he was going to leave the gate with a front flat, especially on a track like that, I tipped my cap. He’s alive, right? We can confirm that?
Yeah. He’s fine. He raced all moto with a front flat.
That’s incredible. Did he score points?
No.
That would have been unreal. That was crazy, man. [Laughs] He was not happy. He kept my focus on him before the gate dropped most of the time. I’m like, I can’t believe this guy right now.
Read the full 450 Class post-race press conference from Ironman Raceway.
These frontrunners in the 450 Class are really, really fast. Here is Cianciarulo’s GoPro footage from the second 450 moto to remind you of that.
And here is Carson Mumford’s GoPro footage from the second 250 moto: