Yeah, man, High Point! High Point has been around for forty years. Remember years ago when it was rumored that the AMA was taking High Point off the schedule and there were “Save High Point” bed sheets that RC and Jeff Stanton unveiled and all that? I guess we can just chalk that up to another bad decision by the AMA folks (with what I’ve seen from twenty years on the circuit, I firmly believe the AMA could screw up a one car parade). High Point was “saved” and continues to be one of the better races on the circuit.
I’ve gone on and on about Thunder Valley and all that it offers to a spectator in terms of location, convenience, ability to see the track and the number of Starbucks nearby, and don’t get me wrong, Thunder Valley is still, in my opinion, a better overall national than High Point, but to me High Point’s charm is its track. It’s old school in terms of line selection, elevation, technique and thankfully—outside of one massive jump that’s very safe—they’ve stayed away from making ridiculous triples that other tracks seem to be attracted to like flies on poop.
And unlike Hangtown or RedBud for example, High Point has always remained true to its roots as far as soil is concerned. Yeah, like so many other tracks it has added sand to its soil, but it’s still the same basic dirt. It still gets rutty than a mothereffer and it’s motocross. Yeah, I know that covers a broad base, but let’s put it this way: High Point is motocross!
[All the above is NOT AT ALL influenced by the great Kelly Smith getting a national win there on a machine tuned to perfection by yours truly.]
Well, this is starting to look rather familiar isn’t it? Whether it’s Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart or Ryan Dungey, the footprints of a runaway series are easy to detect, and now they’re starting to emerge for Ken Roczen.
Be really fast? Check. Get good starts? Check. Be in incredible shape? Check.
Roczen had another easy (for him) weekend going 1-1 on the day and he’s now won every moto but one. And we all remember he lost that one after a mechanical while leading, right?
Kenny’s always said that motocross comes easier for him than supercross and he’s showing that to be true. He’s already got one 450MX title and this one is looking good (forty-one point lead!). I thought Eli Tomac would be a little closer to Roczen this weekend and he was, but that’s a relative term. Roczen was not stressed at any point.
The Kawasaki guys worked on starts, starts and more starts with Eli over the break, with some motor and clutch changes. His starts were much better. He was onto Roczen in the first moto before tipping over early on. In the second moto he had made up around four seconds on Roczen just past halfway with one incredible lap. Take a look here:
Lap | Roczen | Tomac |
11 | 2.02.755 | 2.02.487 |
12 | 2.02.347 | 2.00.958 |
13 | 2.03.151 | 2.02.039 |
14 | 2.02.981 | 2.03.861 |
Look at that 2:00.9!
At first I thought this chase was a matter of Roczen’s mechanic Oscar Wirdeman showing the #94 that the #3 was going faster and then Kenny picking it back up, but really it was Tomac who was unable to get back to that two minute lap. Tomac was two seconds faster on lap 12 and followed up with another great lap that got him close. Whatever it was that Tomac did or found on lap 12, he needed some more of it.
But, if you’re Dan Fahie, the Monster Energy Kawasaki team manager, you could tell Eli, “Hey, bro, you just had your best race yet, you fell while on him in the first moto; second moto you caught him a bit, your starts were WAY better and we’re closer than when we left Thunder Valley. Good job!” and you’d be right in that assessment.
But if you’re Kyle Bentley, Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/RCH Suzuki team manager, you could tell Kenny, “Hey, man, another 1-1, you opened up your points lead, you LED EVERY SINGLE LAP TODAY and even though you’re going to Honda next year, we still love you,” and you’d be right in that assessment.
What drama in the 250 class at High Point! First we had Zach Osborne qualifying fastest, nailing the hot time as the checkers flew after Joey Savatgy looked to have the fast time locked up. Then in the first moto we had Alex Martin, perhaps the biggest story of the nationals in either class, BLOWING by his brother Jeremy and taking off. He was FLYING. Like I thought the ghost of Rick Johnson in 1987 had possessed Big Al.
Then six laps later, RJ left and Alex made a mistake. His feet are flying off, he’s off the track, and Osborne takes the lead. Martin is right there stalking him until his bike suddenly develops a coolant leak and he slowly drops back until it stops with three to go. Osborne goes on to win the first American race of his career despite losing his front brake late in the race. Zach’s been so close so many times and it was nice to see him get the moto win. I’ve always been a member of Wacko Zacho Nation. Member #0001, actually.
Second moto Alex Martin somehow pulls a good start with the thirtieth gate pick and he’s right there. Osborne’s top five, Jeremy Martin is second before he tips over, points leader Joey Savatgy is leading and then Alex Martin gets to him. Then suddenly, while in possession of the overall win, JMart’s bike has an issue. And it looks like the exact same problem that Alex had! He drops back and eventually DNF’s. Osborne gets passed by an on-fire Aaron Plessinger and now Savatgy’s got the overall win except most likely Plessinger is going to get both riders, which will put Osborne back in possession of the overall.
But then Aaron cools off and can’t get by Alex and Joey. Osborne drops off and loses Plessinger so he now he’s left to hope Alex Martin can pass Savatgy so he can still get the overall. And in fact Martin is ALL OVER Joey but can’t make it stick. So in the end, Savatgy goes 4-1 for the overall and widens his points lead!
Savatgy’s won three of four rounds in case you haven’t noticed. As good as the Martin brothers have been, as good as Osborne was this weekend, as impressive as Cooper Webb has been with the wrist injury, Savatgy showed this weekend that after a flat first moto, he can indeed step it up.
I know this sounds really weird but I’m happy for Mitch Payton that he’s back! There were more than a few people in the pits enjoying the last few years of Pro Circuit struggles after they were the 800-lb green gorilla of the class for so many years. I know Payton pretty well and I know he LIVES for winning. And this losing has been wearing on him. He runs his hands through his hair more and more when things are going south—so, a lot of hand through the hair the last few years. With Savatgy winning three of four and this Forkner kid coming, things are looking brighter.
So…yeah…the Martin brothers’ bikes both blew up. You don’t have to be an ex-factory mechanic to know that’s not very good. Especially because it seemed to be the same problem in both motos (a mapping issue that caused overheating or a bad water pump seal—you pick which source is right) and both brothers are fighting for the title. Each rider lost 22 points and either would have won the overall if it hadn’t happened. What a blow for both of them.
I spoke with both Alex and Jeremy after the races and they put on a good face when the microphone was in front of them, although I’m sure things were MUCH rockier behind the scenes.
Alex: “So it’s a bummer, but that stuff happens. Someone was asking me earlier, what’d you do? I have a lot of experience with the privateer bikes locking up. [When I was on Eleven-10 Mods] Those years played a factor in how I rode the bike and trying to save it.”
Jeremy: “And then right when I got up on [Adam] Cianciarulo I felt my bike starting to go. I got them, and right after that I had to slow it down. I knew that something was wrong. The bike was starting to lock up. But I’ve been really fortunate the last two years and never really had any issues, and I had one today. So I’ve been lucky.”
So props to both of them for saying the right things afterwards (although I’m sure Jeremy’s agent wasn’t really saying the right things afterwards during a loud argument with Star Yamaha’s team manager Brad Hoffman) and handling the disappointment with class
Let’s take a look at the results shall we?
250MX Results
1 37 Joseph Savatgy Thomasville, GA Kawasaki KX 250F 4 1- Savatgy signed a one year deal in 2015. With almost winning the 250SX title and now leading the 250MX series, and maybe even winning it, he’s going to strike it rich whether he stays in 250’s or jumps up to 450’s. Nice work Joe-Dawg!
2 16 Zachary Osborne Abingdon, VA Husqvarna FC250 1 4- Wacko Zacho’s got that first AMA win under his belt (amazing he hasn’t won a 250SX main or even a moto until now, right?). He’s had an uneven start to his season but maybe this can get him into the podium mix every week where I think he should be. He’s older, he’s got a good bike, he’s got tons of race experience and he works hard. That should all equal front running results in the 250’s in my opinion. I said before the season that he’ll win a race and although our Wacko Zacho ship took on water and was leaking a bit early on, we’re back baby!
3 17 Cooper Webb Newport, NC Yamaha YZ 250F 3 5- Webb’s not a fan of High Point and it showed. He rode ok but I thought he’d be a bit better with a week off, a wrist that should be healed up a bit more and his desire to win this title. So all things considered, to be “off” and still get a third overall, I imagine he’ll take it.
4 23 Aaron Plessinger Hamilton, OH Yamaha YZ 250F 6 3- Remember a couple of weeks ago I talked about Plessinger’s ability to go so fast for a few laps you think he’s cutting the track somewhere? He did it again at High Point where he logged a couple of 2:03’s where everyone else was 2:05 or worse. He caught right up to Savatgy/AMart and if he kept that pace up he was going to get right by the two guys and take the win. He was going BALLS OUT, bro. Unfortunately he kind of lost his ju-ju when he couldn’t get AMart right away and he cooled off.
5 214 Austin Forkner Richards, MO Kawasaki KX 250F 5 8- I feel like somehow this rookie is flying under the radar. Without a few crashes he’d be right there in the points. Payton’s got to be stoked with his speed and (most of the time) steadiness.
6 42 Mitchell Oldenburg Alvord, TX KTM 250 SX-F FE 7 7- Oldenburg was on a try-out basis but with Frye’s injury, I’d look for him to stay with TLD the rest of the year. As far as teammate Justin Hill, I’d expect a milk carton to come out with his photo on it and a “Missing” caption. I don’t think he’s not going to ride for TLD the rest of the year and from what I hear, it’s not just an injury. Look for Hill to be back on Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki next year and once again, I shake my head at riders/parents/teams in this sport.
7 69 Colt Nichols Muskogee, OK Yamaha YZ 250F 13 6- Great day for Colt and it would’ve been even better had he not fallen on the last lap of the first moto that dropped him five spots. Two weeks after a not-so-good ride at Lakewood, Colt stepped it up.
8 26 Alex Martin Millville, MN Yamaha YZ 250F 30 2- As everyone who reads this column knows, I don’t like it when riders don’t push their bikes back after they break. Martin can be forgiven for not doing it this time because he was probably exhausted (just three laps left) and it was at the bottom of a big hill. AMart walking back is forgiven but don’t get any wise ideas, riders!
9 1 Jeremy Martin Millville, MN Yamaha YZ 250F 2 33- Strong rumors indicate JMart’s going to head on over to GEICO Honda next year for a couple of years with a 450SX/MX option in year two (because if he wins 250SX, he’s got to move up). I know I said that I had thought he’d stay with Yamaha, but nope. He was also thought to be headed to RCH Suzuki at one point. Anyway, I think you can stamp this and what a scoop for the GEICO guys!
10 44 Adam Cianciarulo Port Orange, FL Kawasaki KX 250F 10 11- AC hadn’t ridden much since Thunder Valley because of a shoulder injury from his crash there. So when he got the holeshot and led some laps in the second moto, he knew that it wasn’t going to last. Afterwards, in a candid interview with me about his day, he admitted that he hears the people who are down on his “can’t miss” status from a few years ago, but at the same time seems very determined to keep working and grinding. This interview was something James Lipton would be proud of.
11 31 RJ Hampshire Hudson, FL Honda CRF250R 12 10- Hampshire wasn’t stoked on his day but he was further up there before making mistakes. One of those mistakes was hitting a flagger. Again.
12 66 Arnaud Tonus Switzerland Kawasaki KX 250F 8 14- I was thinking that like Musquin and Pourcel, High Point might be a good track for a GP rider like Tonus and it sort of was with that eighth. He fell early in the second moto/or got a bad start and that was it.
13 289 Mitchell Harrison Brighton, MI Yamaha YZ 250F 11 12- Some good finishes for Harrison lately outdoors and it’s pretty clear now that Mitchell is better at motocross than supercross.
14 30 Shane McElrath Canton, NC KTM 250 SX-F FE 15 9- I don’t know exactly what’s been going on with Shane but there are only two motos out of eight that he’s scored double digit points, which isn’t good.
15 39 Jordon Smith Belmont, NC Honda CRF250R 14 13- Jordon ran fourth on the first lap before crashing in the first moto. Second moto he crashed first lap and came from last to 13th. In other words, just another day in the life of Jordon Smith.
16 49 Martin Davalos Ecuador Husqvarna FC250 9 34- My buddy Tim Ferry trains Marty and has grown quite fond of him. He also reminds me that Marty really doesn’t like me. There are some riders that don’t talk to me—like Barcia and Anderson—and dudes like those two, in my opinion, can’t handle some honest criticism about their results. Marty’s different, though. I have been very, very hard on him over the years. Very. So as I tell Ferry, I COMPLETELY understand Marty not being a fan of my stuff.
17 48 Anthony Rodriguez Venezuela Kawasaki KX 250F 16 15
18 45 Kyle Cunningham Aledo, TX Suzuki RMZ 250 17 16
19 89 Marshal Weltin Ubly, MI Yamaha YZ 250F 19 18- Weltin came back to racing after getting injured early in supercross. To score points in both motos is a good start.
20 492 Luke Clout Australia Suzuki RMZ 250 18 19- Clout’s getting better. He’s figuring it out.
450MX Results
1 94 Ken Roczen Germany Suzuki RMZ 450 1 1- For whatever reason I’ve been thinking about the MXDN and how I doubt Kenny rides for Germany with the switch to Honda coming up. That sucks for those guys.
2 21 Jason Anderson Rio Rancho, NM Husqvarna FC450 3 3- Anderson fell in the first moto while in third and that stopped his momentum a little bit so he couldn’t quite get by Musquin. Second moto he rode well and I’m sure he wasn’t happy that Tomac got around him, but he’ll take the second overall. With Dungey and Canard out, Anderson’s got to be a guy that racks up podiums every week or he’s not going to be happy. Bonus points to El Hombre for being one of the only dudes to jump the tunnel jump all day and just about every lap. I don’t think it was any faster, but it was cool.
3 25 Marvin Musquin France KTM 450 SX-F FE 2 4- Marv is excellent at High Point as he’s won twice there on 250s and now logged his best 450MX ride of the year. Afterwards Marv told me his rookie year in 450MX is feeling a little like his 450SX season. If that’s true, look for Musquin to start heating up.
4 3 Eli Tomac Cortez, CO Kawasaki KX 450F 5 2- When Eli got up from his quick crash in the first moto, he had three riders in front of him and I honestly expected him to pass them and get back into second. Strangely he just stayed there in fifth. His great second moto ride made his riding after the first moto fall all the more mystifying.
5 51 Justin Barcia Madison, FL Yamaha YZ 450F 7 5- Bam Bam got the holeshot in the second moto and I continue to be surprised at how quickly he gets shuffled back. After all, this is a dude that won races last summer. It was also impressive in the second moto when he picked it up around halfway after being caught by Justin Bogle and Cole Seely. That’s not easy to do. It was his best overall of the year and maybe he’s just warming up before he steps it up.
6 377 Christophe Pourcel Dade City, FL Husqvarna FC450 4 9
7 19 Justin Bogle Cushing, OK Honda CRF450R 6 7- Another good day for Bogle, who I’m sure isn’t pumped that it’s looks like Josh Grant will get the second spot at Kawasaki that he was going for next year. All he can control is putting in top ten rides each and every week.
8 14 Cole Seely Newbury Park, CA Honda CRF450R 9 6- Seely’s been very close to putting things together with a great day, but instead he’s got to settle for good days. This week he crashed late in the first moto when he was fourth.
9 20 Broc Tickle Holly, MI Suzuki RMZ 450 8 10- The rumors about Tickle’s RCH team are all over the map. They’re switching manufactures; they are folding; they are signing Savatgy; they lost Jimmy John’s; Hart and RC are over it; they’re going after James Stewart.... Yes, I’m serious. That’s all out there.
10 28 Weston Peick Menifee, CA Yamaha YZ 450F 13 8- Coming off missing two races and a quick Hawaii trip, Peick was top ten in the first moto until he had a pretty good get-off. I’m surprised he got back up and did as well as 13th. Second moto he was strong throughout. Peick also told me that he’s absolutely over all of us dork fantasy MX players (including his buddies that text him) telling him they “picked” him.
11 34 Phillip Nicoletti Cohocton, NY Yamaha YZ 450F 11 11- Filthy thought the High Point track was perhaps the best he’s seen it. He was wearing an on-board camera for NBC, which I thought might have some excellent potential because Phil is a guy that last year hit an AMA official and a photographer. Unfortunately for us fans, but fortunately for Phil, he kept it on two wheels this week.
12 29 Andrew Short Colorado Springs, CO KTM 450 SX-F FE 12 14- I spent 45 minutes in the BTO rig talking to Shorty, Bloss and team owner Forrest Butler before the motos and Shorty was dispensing sage advice to Bloss on what to say, who to talk to as far as a ride next year. Shorty’s retiring at the end of the year and I asked him about managing a team and he said that’s the worst job in moto, which is probably true.
13 43 Fredrik Noren Sweden Honda CRF450R 18 12- With Canard out on a week by week basis (he crashed hard last week and now has a back injury) might we see Fast Freddie in the factory truck? Stay tuned.
14 10 Justin Brayton Fort Dodge, IA KTM 450 SX-F FE 17 13- I spoke with Brayton in the morning about my podcast with his buddy Jimmie Johnson. I meant to ask him what in the hell was up with his not-so-stellar 25th place qualifying time, but decided I didn’t want to depress him so I moved on.
15 96 Noah Mcconahy Spokane, WA Husqvarna FC450 16 15- Noah’s gone 16-20-16-15 his last four motos, which is impressive. Wonder if he relies on Moser Heating up there in Spokane for his floor heat needs?
16 32 Matthew Bisceglia Tualatin, OR Suzuki RMZ 450 10 36- Bisceglia was back with Yosh Suzuki and did well again. I think a tenth in a moto (with limited time on a 450 and a pretty deep field) is pretty strong. That was three straight tenths for Matt and he was running eleventh in the second moto two laps in until he crashed and wadded up his bike.
17 68 Cole Martinez Rimrock, AZ Yamaha YZ 450F 14 19- Tommy Hahn’s out for the season with injury and Martinez is his replacement on the CycleTrader.com/Rock River team. He acquitted himself pretty well out there with two solid finishes.
18 63 Jesse Wentland Elk River, MN Honda CRF450R 15 20- Wentland was, until he got hurt, maybe the privateer story of last summer’s nationals. This year he got injured in SX, got going slowly in the nationals and at High Point he had his best two motos of the season.
19 167 Benny Bloss Oak Grove, MO KTM 450 SX-F FE 40 16- Right before the 30-second board went up Bloss was on the back of his bike being ridden back to the truck. That was weird. Second moto he did pretty well despite a crash. I spoke with him afterwards and he said that he got a migraine and started having vision issues down on the line so he pulled out.
20 11 Kyle Chisholm Valrico, FL Honda CRF450R 20 17- Hey! Look who’s back! Well, Chiz has been at all the rounds this year but after a serious shoulder injury in SX, he’s only finally rounding back into form. This weekend was the first one where he’s scored any points and I would imagine Kyle will just get better from here on out.
Thanks for reading this week, email me at matthes@racerxonline.com if you want to chat about High Point or anything else. Next week I’m in Italy for the Mantova MXGP and will be filing a full Observations about that race where I will inevitably bring up how great it is to have wash bays in the pits.