Main Image: Mitch Kendra

Welcome to the Racer X Race Day Feed, coming to you from the Unadilla National. From practice reports to the blow-by-blow from today's motos, you’ll find it all right here on the Racer X Race Day Feed. Updates are posted in chronological order, so be sure to scroll down for the latest info. For even more updates be sure to follow us on Twitter, @Racerxonline. 

Morning Report

It seems like forever ago that Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac dropped the hammer at the Washougal National, showing that his nickname “ET3” stood for “extraterrestrial.” But it was only two weeks ago. While Tomac has slowly started to build up a lead over the last several rounds (since the second moto at Florida when Ken Roczen struggled and Tomac took sole possession of the points lead), he told our Jason Weigandt in the Best Post-Race Show Ever from Washougal that his main goal was to get maximum points, so that he has a 50-point lead over the competition. He currently has a 50-point lead over Marvin Musquin and you can bet your buttpatch that he’ll try like hell this weekend to go for the 50-point 1-1 sweep today to maintain, if not increase, his lead so that come round 11 (which is the next round, already?!) at Budds Creek Motocross Park he can clinch his third-consecutive Lucas Oil 450 Class Pro Motocross Championship title without having to deal with surviving through the last round of the championship like he has in the past.

Staying on the topic of Tomac, with the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Team USA announcement coming this afternoon, Kawasaki announced on Thursday that the team would not be participating in the event. Neither the team nor the riders (Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo) will compete in the event, which will be held in Assen, Netherlands, on September 28 and 29. Steve Matthes and Davey Coombs dug into the topic in yesterday’s Racerhead, which you can read here, and Matthes said, “Both green guys are the current points leaders, so once again, Team USA will not be sending its theoretical best team to the MXoN,” which definitely makes you ponder all of the “what could have been” scenarios. Nonetheless, Team USA will send riders to compete with the best of the world—they just won’t be on green bikes. 

So here we are at the tenth round of the 2019 championship at the historic, iconic, Unadilla MX. Davey Coombs wrote about the history behind Unadilla MX, which has been synonymous with motocross in America, in the September issue of Racer X Illustrated. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the track, which DC gets into in his piece that tracks the roots of this place through international events like Trans-AMA and Inter-Am races through USGPs, a Motocross of Nations, and today’s spot on the AMA National Motocross roster. If you missed it, no worries, you can read Coombs’ piece here. 

Cade Clason is also making his return to the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Clason, who was told at the end of June that his FIM suspension had expired, last competed in a Pro Motocross national on August 27, 2016, at the Ironman National when he finished 14-18 on board his KTM 450 SX-F. Clason has been competing in the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Motocross Championship in Canada, where he currently sits fifth in points with one round of the motocross tour remaining.

In the 250 Class, Cianciarulo has a solid 28-point lead over Dylan Ferrandis and like his soon-to-be-teammate Tomac, as Cianciarulo signed to join the #3 on the 450 roster for 2020, he would probably like to get as much of a lead over the competition today and tomorrow. Will he gain points and widen the points gap between himself and Ferrandis or will the #34 build off of his 1-1 day at Washougal when he took out eight points from his rival? Ferrandis swept here last year so we know he has experience going fast here.

Another rider returning to the series is Marshal Weltin, who has also been competing in the Canadian championship, returned to the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship for the first time since August 27, 2016, as well. Weltin, who currently sits fifth in the 250 Class of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Motocross Championship, finished 39th overall at the 2016 Ironman National. Weltin was on top of the 250 Class B group in qualifying.

Also in the 250 Class, several riders will be making their pro debuts today, including Jett Lawrence, Jo Shimoda, Carson Mumford, and Jalek Swoll. We were able to get a glimpse at the Honda riders yesterday during press day—you’ll want to keep an eye out for them today because, wow, did they look good. It will be interesting to add them and Swoll into the mix in an already talented field of riders.

250 Class Qualifying

Adam Cianciarulo topped the first 250 Class qualifying session of the day, just edging out Dylan Ferrandis and Chase Sexton as the top three snuck into the 2:18 mark. In the second session, Carson Mumford was sitting second—impressive for the rookie. Several riders laid down faster laps and Mumford finished the session tenth fastest.  Cianciarulo, who is from and trains in Florida, finished the day as the top qualifier and said the track is easy to make mistakes on by overriding it. Behind Cianciarulo was Justin Cooper, Sexton, RJ Hampshire, and Mitchell Oldenburg. Ferrandis qualified seventh, one spot behind Shane McElrath, and Martin Davalos, who is returning to the championship for the first time since the Southwick National, when he finished 33rd overall with 22-40 (DNF) moto finishes. Davalos elected to get arm pump surgery on his forearms to try to help with the numbness he had been suffering. Rookies Mumford qualified 11th, Jett Lawrence 14th, Jo Shimoda 21st, and Jalek Swoll 29th.

450 Class Qualifying

Ken Roczen was today’s fastest qualifier in the 450 Class. Roczen was the only rider to drop under the 2:13 mark, dropping a blistering 2:11.482. In the second session he was just cruising around, throwing whips off the Sky Shot jump for the fans and not pushing at all. Today might be a day we see the #94 unleash a can of whooping of his own: the weather is pretty ideal at the moment, about 65 degrees and sunny—although rain is expected this afternoon—and this track is rutty and technical, which fits his style. Cooper Webb was the closest rider to Roczen, dropping a 2:14.628. Webb is another rider we might see take advantage of the technicality of the Unadilla MX dirt and shape up. Jason Anderson’s 2:14.702 was good enough to get the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider a combined third. In this session, he went down coming out of the turn after the finish line after it looked like he got cross-rutted. He took a second to get up and then was visually frustrated about something and was displaying gestures pointing to the track and speaking with the track crew. Tomac’s 2:15.839 put the points leader with the sixth gate pick in the first moto. There’s a lot of privateer guys in the 11-20 spots that dropped impressive lap times, including Dustin Winter (11th), Kyle Cunningham (15th), Henry Miller (16th), and so on. Aaron Plessinger looked fast yesterday during the press day ride session qualified 14th and Cade Clason qualified 30th.

Team USA Announcement

The American Motorcyclist Association has announced Team USA for the 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, to be held at Assen, Holland on September 28 and 29. 

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna teammates Zach Osborne and Jason Anderson will make their second appearances for the team, and will both compete on 450s. Anderson raced the 2016 event and famously won the second moto, only to get landed on by a rider while rolling the finish line jump, and was unable to race the final moto.

Osborne raced the event in England in 2018, and finished second overall to Hunter Lawrence in the MX2 class riding a 250. 

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha's Justin Cooper will handle MX2 duties for the team, in what will be the MXoN debut for the third-year pro. “It’s an honor to represent my country, let’s go get it," said Cooper.

Anderson will race the MXGP class.

"We’re going to go over a little early and try to get prepared for this race, and for me," Anderson said. "I’m always down to do this race and rip it up out there.

Osborne will race the Open Class.

“This is at the top of my list," said Osborne. “I hope to go over there and tear it up and bring home the cup. I think we have three guys who really want to be there and are enthusiastic about the event, and that’s half the battle. We’re going to go over and try to dial in our bikes and try to get used to that European sand.”

“The task is serious,” said team manager Roger De Coster. “We’re racing in European sand, a real sand box. But these guys are going to put in 100 percent effort. We're going to go over and put in a lot of testing, it's going to be very tough but we hope to be competitive.”

Current 450 and 250 Class points leaders in Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo were candidates for the team, but Kawasaki made the decision to hold both riders from the event.

Said a Kawasaki press release this week:

You can read more on the Kawasaki situation here. 

Other teams have become official for the event, including annual contenders such as France and Belgium. Click here for some of the latest team announcements.

The Assen track is one of the most unique in all of motocross, built within a road racing facility, but featuring the deep sand that Holland is most known for. It will be a significant challenge for the Team USA riders to adapt to the conditions. Team USA last won the Motocross of Nations in 2011, when the team was represented by Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, and Blake Baggett.

250 Class Moto One

Justin Cooper grabbed the holeshot and lead Adam Cianciarulo, privateer Jerry Robin, and Dylan Ferrandis the first four laps until going down in the whoop section. Cianciarulo took over the lead and Ferrandis gave him a battle but Cianciarulo just had more than Ferrandis. They each made mistakes here and there, yo-yoing back and forth—although AC maintained the lead through the rest of the race. Ferrandis seemed to be hanging back waiting to put on a charge but it was too little and too late.

“Track was difficult…it took me a while to find the best line,” Ferrandis said.

Cianciarulo earned his seventh moto win of the championship. He aggressively ripped off his tear off as he crossed the finish line.

“I just tried my best. I knew Dylan would be behind me…It’s a good moto, I needed that one,” Cianciarulo said.

Chase Sexton finished third—his first moto podium since he won the first moto at the Florida National.

“I spun off the start and kind of got buried so I just had to put my head down and charge,” Sexton said.

Carson Mumford finished highest of the rookies, finishing the moto in 16th. Jett Lawrence finished 21st, and Jalek Swoll finished 22nd. Jo Shimoda looked to have gone down because he came back through the pits before the moto had finished and he was missing the visor off of his helmet.

The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM team’s struggles continued as both Sean Cantrell and Cameron McAdoo didn’t finish the race. Actually, Cantrell didn’t even finish a lap, as his KTM 250 SX-F shut down in the section following the landing of the Sky Shot. He was visibly frustrated with his bike giving out only 3/4 a lap into the first moto of the day. McAdoo finished seven laps before he was in the bikes getting his clutch adjusted and he must have gone down hard because he was unable to continue the moto. On the bright side, Shane McElrath finished eighth.

450 Class Moto One

Eli Tomac and Justin Bogle came through the holeshot line side-by-side but it was officially given to Tomac. Zach Osborne, Ken Roczen, and privateer Coty Schock were right behind ET and Bogle. Roczen then got a two-for-one deal when he purchased a pass on Osborne and got a pass on Bogle at the same time. He wasn’t wasting any time as he went right at Tomac and managed to get around him to take the lead. About ten minutes into the moto he had put a five-second gap on Tomac. Marvin Musquin got around Tomac as well but it didn’t look like Tomac was putting up a fight. It’s not that he couldn’t, it’s that he didn’t want to. He’s got that 50-point lead and while Musquin is his closest competitor in the championship, he doesn’t need to beat Musquin as he can play it safe.

Halfway through the moto, Roczen had built up a 12.5 second lead over Musquin. Justin Barcia caught up and passed Osborne to take over fifth, even after there was a five second gap between him and Osborne. He then passed Tomac after a few sketchy moments while trying to get around the #3.

With about five minutes left, Osborne finally made his way around Tomac. His teammate Anderson followed through as well. Then Tomac’s own teammate passed him, as Joey Savatgy went by Tomac. While at first it seemed Tomac was fine with losing a few points in order to not override the tricky track, but Tomac’s seventh-place finish ties his worst moto finish of the season (his other seventh was in the first moto at the Florida National when a bad start limited what the Monster Energy Kawaski rider could do).

Plessinger into the pits with what looks like a bike problem. He continues to face adversity in his rookie season in the premier class. He returned to racing at the Southwick National, after suffering a broken heel at the Daytona Supercross, but has had a tough go ever since. He struggled to find a fast pace at first and then at the Washougal National he didn’t start the first moto after his bike had clutch problems, giving him the 40th gate pick for the second moto. After going to the pits, he returned to the track and finished 31st.

By the time he got the checkered flag, Roczen went on to win the moto, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Musquin to win his first moto victory since the second moto at High Point. He said afterwards that he only rode twice since the Washougal National and that it’s helped him so far today.

Musquin made up several points on Tomac in the championship and saw Tomac’s discomfort on the track. He said he tried to push and catch Roczen but the #94 was too far ahead.

“You’ve gotta be careful, it’s really easy to make mistakes….I tried to give it a charge and catch up to Kenny but he was riding so well,” Musquin said.

Barcia earned his first moto podium of the 2019 championship.

“It’s been a nightmare so far but this felt awesome,” he said afterwards on the podium.

250 Class Moto Two

Ferrandis grabbed the holeshot but was quickly challenged by Cooper and Cianciarulo. Cianciarulo bumped Cooper right out of the way in the turn before the whoops. Sexton, who was in the top five through the first turn, made his way around Cooper into third. McElrath sat in fifth and Colt Nichols, who finished in fifth in the first moto, saw in sixth. We’ve seen this tough track claim several riders already today and we saw more in this moto as both Brandon Hartranft and Michael Mosiman each suffered hard crashes of their own.

Ferrandis and Cianciarulo battled again in this moto but in reversed roles, as Ferrandis led the #92 the entire time. Ferrandis started to build up a two-second lead over Cianciarulo and Sexton came into the picture as he caught up to Cianciarulo. Sexton really looked good both motos.

Ferrandis won the second moto giving him 2-1 moto finishes with 47 points—and the overall over Ciancairulo’s 1-2. While there was no change in the points between the two, a momentum swing can be even bigger than an actual points swing. Ferrandis, who said he gave it his all in the first moto, said the team made a few slight changes to the bike that resulted in a better feel.

“I took a holeshot so that was also a big help,” Ferrandis joked on the podium afterwards.

When he finished second overall at RedBud, Cianciarulo said he was frustrated he didn’t win.

On the podium after the second moto today, “It comes down to doing my best and not letting the outside factors impact me.”

Sexton, who finished 3-3 for third overall, got solid starts but lost too much ground on Ferrandis and Cianciarulo early on in both motos. He still maintained a strong pace throughout the day. This was Sexton’s first overall podium since the High Point National, when he finished 4-2 for third overall. While Sexton was catching Cianciarulo, he was unable to get close enough for a pass, or to even attempt one.

“I gotta admit, I was a little tired but they were just riding so good,” Sexton said.

Martin Davalos finished 18–12 for 14th overall in his return to the championship.

Lawrence finished the second moto in an impressive eighth-place, giving him 21-8 moto finishes for 13th overall in his debut. Mumford, who bettered his teammate in the first moto with a 16th, finished 20th in the second moto for 20th overall. Shimoda, who DNF’d the first moto was in the pits early in this moto as well. It looked like he was banged up when he went down as he was holding his shoulder. Swoll finished 22nd overall with 22-19 moto finishes. McAdoo, Jacob Hayes, and Joey Crown did not start the second moto.

450 Class Moto two

Cooper Webb isn’t lining up for this second moto as he’s out with a knee injury. We will provide more information on Webb when it becomes available.

Musquin took the holeshot and gapped the rest of the pack quickly. The Frenchman has had great rides here in the past—he’s won the last two 450 Class overalls and finished second overall in 2016. Osborne got out of the gate well. He battled with Barcia, Tomac, and Savatgy early on. Barcia made his way around Savatgy for third but went down in a turn only a few turns later. He lost a lot of spots and got going again in 15th—pretty much ruining his chances at an overall podium.

Roczen got Savatgy for third and then caught up to Osborne rather quickly. He made quick work of Osborne. Early on in the moto it looked like Musquin might run away with the moto win and the overall then (2-1 scores would beat out Roczen’s 1-2) but that wasn’t the case. When Musquin went wide and off the track by the mechanics, Roczen took over the lead and he didn’t look back. Musquin put up a fight at first but Roczen’s speed boosted him to a 22.436-second gap by the time he finished. Man was Kenny on another level today! He didn’t quite go as fast in the motos as he did in his ridiculously fast time in qualifying—as the track got rougher and rougher come the motos—but he was still the fastest in the motos. He was clicking on all cylinders. He said after the motos that he hasn’t changed much with the bike set up and since Washougal he only rode two days. The weather conditions, the technical track, and the off weekend coming into the day all worked out for Roczen, who earned his first 1-1 sweep for the first time since he capped of his 2016 Lucas Oil 450 Class Pro Motocross Championship title on August 27, 2016.

Tomac, who was clearly not comfortable in the first moto, was able to salvage a third in the second moto, giving him fourth overall. He passed his teammate and then he played cat and mouse with Osborne as the two battled for third place. Osborne must’ve taken some tips from his teammate (Anderson) because he did a great job of riding wide and keeping Tomac behind him. Tomac finally got around the #16 but there wasn’t much he could do. He still wasn’t pushing as hard as we’ve seen him push before but with over half the moto done, he seemed like he had taken too much to get up to his spot to push more. Musquin had a significant gap on him and the two-time defending champ salvaged what he could.

Osborne rode steady to steady 4-4 moto finishes for third overall, his fifth overall podium of the championship. Anderson finished 5-5 for fifth overall on the day and Barcia managed sixth overall after fighting up to a tenth-place finish (3-10 moto finishes). Clason finished 22-24 for 25th overall.