Throughout the month of December, Racer X Online editors and contributors will be handing out one award each day for an outstanding performance or effort or product related to the global motocross industry in 2018. Each winner will receive this award, which we’re calling a Roger, just like the Academy Awards have their Oscars. It’s in honor of Roger DeCoster, a great ambassador for the sport of motocross for more than 50 years. Today’s topic is Racer X Motocross Race of the Year.
Let’s end our awarding of Racer X, um, awards, with the most classic category of all. How about an award for a good old-fashioned motocross battle? Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s drink in the drama of a perfect day at the races. A beautiful, historic track, passionate fans, and superstar riders pushing to their limits to get a race win they all want very badly.
That was the second 450 moto at Washougal this year. It was perfect. Justin Bogle continued his ridiculous run of starts with his sixth holeshot of the season, but was quickly overhauled by a determined Ken Roczen. Kenny had just won his first moto of the season—and first moto since returning from injury—two races earlier at RedBud. He was looking for that final step, getting a second moto win and the overall. Bogle was left to battle with his Autotrader.com/Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Justin Hill, and then came Marvin Musquin and Blake Baggett. Further back sat first-moto winner Eli Tomac, who set about making quick passes until he ran into Justin Barcia. Meanwhile, Musquin displaced Baggett and the JGR boys to take second.
Musquin, who desperately needed to moto win to make up points on Tomac, tried to track down Roczen. Tomac moved to third but then fell down, forcing him to have to re-pass Barcia. He did that, but Musquin and Roczen had built up a slight gap. Eli, though, made a habit of incredibly late-race charges this year, and he bore down, caught Musquin, and looked for an opening. They went at it hard, Musquin stopping Eli’s first two pass attempts. Finally, Tomac made a pass stick, and with it he had already clinched the weekend’s overall win with 1-2 scores. But he was going fast enough—and had enough time—to go after Roczen for the moto win.
Thus began another classic Roczen/Tomac battle, with Tomac manhandling his Monster Energy Kawasaki, and Roczen using all of his race craft and smarts to keep the lead on his Honda. Tomac took several swings at it with three laps to go (and with Musquin still close behind in third) but Roczen held him off. Finally, with the two-laps to go board out, Tomac blitzed Washougal’s famous supercross-style whoops to make the pass on Roczen. Two corners later, Tomac absolutely and completely destroyed a berm, unleashing crazy corner speed as he tried to sprint away.
Roczen kept it close though, and still had Tomac in sight down to the last turn and the last lap. Tomac prevailed, though, in an amazing comeback, and a great battle with some of his toughest competitors.
It was a classic motocross battle for 30 minutes and 2 laps. We give it the Roger for Motocross Race of the Year.
MORE 2018 RACER X AWARDS
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Racer X Awards: Non-Racer Instagram of the Year December 28 - 4:25pm
Racer X Awards: Rider Media of the Year December 27 - 4:25pm
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Racer X Awards: Commercial of the Year December 23 - 4:25pm
Racer X Awards: SX/MX Ambassador of the Year December 22 - 10:30am
Racer X Awards: Non-National Event of the Year December 21 - 3:40pm
Racer X Awards: Press Conference of the Year December 20 - 1:30pm
Racer X Awards: Replacement Rider of the Year December 19 - 5:00pm
Racer X Awards: Crossover Rider of the Year December 18 - 5:00pm
Racer X Awards: Fans of the Year December 17 - 4:15pm
Racer X Awards: Vet Rider of the Year December 16 - 6:10pm
Racer X Awards: Pass(es) of the Year December 15 - 11:20am
Racer X Awards: Women’s Rider of the Year December 14 - 4:00pm
Racer X Awards: Holeshot of the Year December 13 - 3:40pm
Racer X Awards: Mechanic of the Year December 12 - 6:00pm
Racer X Awards: Off-Roader of the Year December 11 - 2:30pm
Racer X Awards: Party of the Year December 10 - 3:30pm
Racer X Awards: Comeback Rider of the Year December 9 - 12:10pm
Racer X Awards: Minicylist of the Year December 8 - 9:00am
Racer X Awards: Trophy of the Year December 7 - 2:30pm
Racer X Awards: Cover of the Year December 6 - 1:25pm
Racer X Awards: Video of the Year December 5 - 1:00pm
Racer X Awards: New Rule of the Year December 4 - 3:40pm
Racer X Awards: Supercross Race of the Year December 3 - 1:45pm
Racer X Awards: Broadcast of the Year December 2 - 12:50pm
Racer X Awards: Team of the Year December 1 - 12:05pm