The big sand rhythm lane is making a difference here—it’s hard for any rider to get through their clean every lap, so it’s creating a big variance in times lap to lap. That’s cool. A couple of the 450 riders also started experimenting with the quad over the table in the long rhythm.

 We saw a new contender emerge in this 450 practice when Justin Hill logged a fast lap to go to the top of the board. Hill, the 2017 250SX West Champion, is in his first-ever 450SX race. He was not only fast in this session, but very smooth. He even jumped the quad over the table, and then Eli Tomac did it, also, and managed to better Hill’s time. Hill’s time held up for second, though. Now we know that Hill has the speed, can he keep it going for 20 minutes plus 1 in a main event?

Second Timed Practice

Dylan Ferrandis was really good in practice last week. He was even better this week—not only did have the top time in both sessions but he looked incredibly smooth and in control. He was especially effective in the sand, which has so far been a big separator on the track. At one point Austin Forkner jumped to the top of the board but Ferrandis got him back.

In the 450s, Justin Hill proved to be no fluke, he led the session again most of the way. Eli Tomac finally recorded a big one when he uncorked the quad in center of the rhythm lane and tripled through the sand. He made those big leaps look pretty easy, actually, and that lap put him on top of the board for good. On the very last lap, Blake Baggett became the first rider to go quad—quad in the big rhythm. It wasn’t easy to do and even on that lap only landed Blake as eighth fastest—if he could do the leap more smoothly he might have something there, but he’ll have to experiment with it in the night show.

Cooper Webb has been sneaky fast the past two races and was even better here. He snuck into the second place spot in this session and could be a contender for his first podium of the season tonight.

250 Heats

In heat one, Colt Nichols got the holeshot but Zach Osborne sliced underneath in the first bowl turn to take the lead, then Nichols got him back in the sand. Osborne was trying everything to get him back and finally did before the finish of lap two. Austin Forkner was on a roll from mid pack and got to third. Forkner got a huge drive through the whoops and passed Nichols, but couldn’t stop in the corner and hit the tuff blocks, allowing Nichols to get him back. Jimmy Decotis and Jeremy Martin had bad starts but worked their way up to the top five.

In heat two, RJ Hampshire got the holeshot over his teammate Cameron McAdoo, then Martin Davalos came through. Davalos spent most of the race creeping up on Hampshire and then passed hi in the rhythm lane when Hampshire boobled, but then Hampshire dug deep in the sand to get him back. Native Floridian showing some of those Croome-groomed sand skills. Well, he did, but then two laps later, when Hampshire appeared to have the race under control, he went off the track in the sand and Davalos took the lead. Dylan Ferrandis got close to Hampshire near the end, but Hampshire held on for second.

450 Heats

What a heat race for Blake Baggett. First, he pulled one of the biggest holeshots of all time, leading the pack into turn one by two whole bike lengths. Then, he unleashed the huge leap—a combo no one else has done all day—with a triple quad quad. But then he couldn’t make the corner and found himself flying over a berm and into the Steve Matthes Memorial Safety Net on the side of the track!

While Baggett was stuck in the net Marvin Musquin slid by to take the lead. But Marvin had company from first-time 450SX entrant Justin Hill. Hill stalked Marvin and then unleashed the triple-quad-quad like Baggett, but even managed to get the bike stopped in time to get inside of Marvin in the corner! Marvin held Hill at bay, but not for long, as Hill passed him near the finish line jump a lap later. Hill then pulled away to win the heat, straight up over Musquin. Sounds like we have a legit “450 suits my style” guy right here.

 The other story in this heat race was Chad Reed trying to qualify and break the all-time main event starts record. Reed crashed early in the sand and found himself way back. He climbed to tenth, and needed to get Ben Lamay for ninth to make the main. But Dean Wilson was further back, and he passed Reed to get tenth, then also passed Lamay for ninth. Reed got Lamay also, but that was only enough for tenth. He’s LCQ bound.

In heat two, Jason Anderson got the holeshot ahead of Eli Tomac. A few laps in, Cole Seely came up short on a jump and endoed, he went down hard. The race had to be red flagged—hoping for the best for Seely, who was put on a back board. It looked like he landed on his side and took the impact with his leg. We’ll try to get an update on his condition when we can get it.

The rare staggered restart was used to get the race going again, with Anderson ahead of Tomac. Eli showed him a wheel several times, but Anderson fended him off to take the win. They were nearly side-by-side all the way down to the checkers, this was a good one. Behind them Malcolm Stewart was making moves, passing Broc Tickle and Justin Brayton to take over third. Malcolm finally got the test with JGR this week in North Carolina. He had been on week-to-week contracts with the team until Justin Bogle went down with an arm injury, so now that he’s in for the long haul he’s been making some strides.

250 LCQ

Ramyller Alves grabbed the holeshot with Chris Blose—enjoying an off weekend from Amsoil Arenacross—in second. Then Alves crashed in the whoops while leading. Classic LCQ heartbreak. It got crazier. Challen Tennant, John Short and Brandon Hartranft had a hellacious battle for the final transfer spot, three riders fighting for two spots. Hartranft had it until he fell all by himself in the last turn of the race, and then Short and Tennant came barreling through, hitting each other and Hartranft in the last turn. Short bounced off the track and found himself mud bogging his way through the tuff blocks trying to crawl to the finish line before Hartranft, and he made it, beating him by .5 seconds for the final transfer.

450 LCQ

Chad Reed needed to make it happen in this LCQ to break the all-time start record. He grabbed the holeshot and pulled away from Matt Bisceglia to make it happen. With that, Reed will have the all-time start record once he takes off in tonight’s main event. Ben Lamay went through Bisceglia and then Brandon Scharer held off Cedric Soubeyras to take the final transfer.

250 Main Event

RJ Hampshire grabbed his second holeshot in two races in this one, and Zach Osborne tried to get inside. Then Austin Forkner, no fan of Osborne, blitzed the sand to get past Osborne and then went around Hampshire to get the lead. Hampshire tried to get him back, then they slowed each other up, allowing Osborne and Ferrandis to catch up. This led to a great four-rider battle for the lead. Hampshire bobbled and then Ferrandis got around. Ferrandis spent the first half of the main then stalking Osborne for second. Osborne did not have the big rhythm down well enough, and Ferrandis used it to get next to him and make the pass for second. He then went after Forkner, closing steadily and applying pressure. Neither Forkner nor Ferrandis had ever won a 250SX Main Event, so there was big pressure on them both to get it done. On the last lap Ferrandis got to Forkner’s wheel and tried to get inside, they bumped by Forkner got back away. Under fire all the way down to the finish, Forkner held on to win his first career 250SX race. Ferrandis was second. They both pulled away from Osborne, who was third.

Hampshire was fourth, he was in a battle with Martin Davalos and Jordon Smith most of the way. Davalos and Smith passed each other a few times but Davalos came out on top for fifth.

450 Main Event

Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac battled for the holeshot at the start of the main event, and Webb emerged with it on lap one. Then Webb bobbled on lap two in the big rhythm and Tomac took the lead. Then came Musquin, Hill and Peick. The bug rhythm was not working for Webb who was passed by Musquin through it on the next lap. Then Hill made  the move on Webb for third.

This race was heating up! Musquin sent it through the rhythm, got next to Tomac, and took the lead, then Hill passed Tomac for second! Hill continued his charge and the crowd was loving it—the underdog upstart in his first 450SX main event going for the win. Hill got side-by-side with Musquin in the sand and tried to cut down underneath him in a berm—but he hit Musquin’s rear tire and went down. Cue a collective groan from the stadium.

 Halfway through the race Tomac began to pick up the pace and close on Musquin. He had a different combo through the big rhythm and used it to get next to him, they battled back and forth a bunch but Tomac finally made it happen. From there he was able to pull away and notch his fourth win of the year in just eight races. He’s also, somehow, still a whopping 65 points down in the series. Musquin finished second and points leader Jason Anderson was consistent again to take third. Anderson got Webb halfway through the race to take that spot, Webb was fourth ahead of Broc Tickle. Hill picked himself up and got past his teammates Malcolm Stewart and Weston Peick to take sixth. Peick later crashed in the sand and went back to 11^th. Dean Wilson got a bad start but worked up to seventh, Stewart was eighth. Blake Baggett went down with his teammate Benny Bloss in the sand on the first lap. He got up in 21^st and worked his way to ninth. Bloss, meanwhile, looked injured and did not get back on the bike. Justin Brayton rounded out the top ten.