MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - This season, MX Sports Pro Racing and Alli Sports, a division of the NBC Sports Group, will once again acknowledge riders for their spectacular efforts at each round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Through partnerships with series sponsors, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is pleased to welcome back the Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program and the MotoSport.com Holeshot Awards, in addition to the popular Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award.
The Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program is designed to present a unique challenge for the 2014 season. The Oakley Bomb program will provide a different twist by recognizing the rider who sets the fastest lap of practice in both the 250 and 450 Classes. Each rider will receive special Oakley Bomb trophy, specially designed by the brand.
As the season wears on, the total number of Oakley Bomb awards a rider receives will be tallied into a final season total. The competitor with the most awards at season's end will be presented with an Elite Oakley Time Bomb II Swiss Automatic Watch.
The 12-round Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicked off last Saturday, May 24, in San Bernardino, California with the Red Bull Glen Helen National. En route to capturing the first victory of the season in the 450 Class, Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey laid down the fastest lap of timed practice with a time of 2:13.644. Dungey's fast lap earned the Minnesota native his first Oakley Bomb Award of this season.
Christophe Pourcel earned the 250 Class Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Award at Glen Helen
Photo: Matt Rice / Alli Sports
Frenchmen Christophe Pourcel made his return to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship aboard a Valli Motorsports/Yamaha in the 250 Class, where he laid down the fastest lap in the 250 Class to earn his first-ever Oakley Bomb Award with a fast lap of 2:15.518.
The MotoSport.com Holeshot Award is brand new to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross this season and it awards $500 to the rider who gets the holeshot of each moto - in both the 450 Class and 250 Class - at every round of the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Unlike previous years, the MotoSport.com Holeshot Award is not tracked through points over the course of the season, but a total of $2,000 will be up for grabs at each event between the two classes, thanks to MotoSport.com.
Josh Grant captured the $500 MotoSport.com Holeshot Award, as well as the
RC Hard Charger Award at the season opener.
Photo: Simon Cudby / Racer X
Toyota/JGRMX/Yamaha's Josh Grant earned the $500 MotoSport.com Holeshot Award in Moto 1 of the 450 Class, where he went on to capture the very first victory of the season at Glen Helen. In Moto 2, it was Red Bull KTM's Ken Roczen who secured the holehsot, taking home an extra $500 courtesy of MotoSport.com.
When it comes to the $500 MotoSport.com Holeshot Awards in the 250 Class, it was a GEICO Honda sweep as Zach Bell captured the holeshot in Moto 1, followed by his teammate Justin Bogle, who captured the Moto 2 holeshot. Each rider was awarded $500 from MotoSport.com for their achievement.
The RC Hard Charger Award is entering its sixth season in 2014. Named after Ricky Carmichael, the most winning motocross rider of all time, the award recognizes the one competitor at each of the 12 rounds of the championship who overtakes the highest number of his fellow racers in any of the four championship motos between the 250 and 450 Classes.
The award is a testament to "The Greatest of All Time" or "The GOAT" and his never-give-up attitude over the span of a career that warranted 10 Lucas Oil Motocross titles and 102 wins - two feats that will likely never be duplicated. All recipients of the RC Hard Charger Award are given a custom-designed trophy.
After a popular and exciting win in the first 450 Class moto in front of his hometown crowd, Toyota/JGRMX/Yamaha rider Josh Grant did not get off to a good start in the second moto. He crashed on the first lap and had to ride into the mechanics' area briefly for an adjustment before re-entering the race. At that point, Grant was in 37th place. Thirty minutes later, the 10-year veteran of professional racing reached 15th place in the order, passing 22 riders along the way.
As a result of his efforts to recover from his early misfortune, Grant ended up fifth overall on the day with his 1-15 moto scores. He also earns this week's Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award as the competitor who passed the most riders over the course of a moto at the Red Bull Glen Helen National.
Honorable mention goes to GEICO Honda's Justin Bogle, who went from 29th place to ninth-place in the second 250 Class moto, passing twenty riders along the way.
Round 2 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads to Sacramento, California for the GoPro Hangtown Motocross Classic on Saturday, May 31.
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