By the Numbers
The Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, the home of the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, held its first ever pro event and became the 90th different venue to host a round of AMA Pro Motocross. In only one week’s time, the Ranch will host its second pro event as the second round will compete at the Ranch on August 22.
Ironically enough, it was Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis (who grew up racing in France and Europe and never competed at the Ranch as an amateur) who earned the first ever pro overall win at the famous venue. After running (and successfully defending) his #1W plate in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Ferrandis debuted his new career number (#14) with a dominant 1-1 day to earn his seventh career 250 Class overall win. The moto sweep was Ferrandis’ fifth 1-1 finish.
Ferrandis’ 1-1 Finishes:
2020 Loretta Lynn’s National 1
2019 Ironman National
2019 Washougal National
2019 RedBud National
2018 Unadilla National
Behind Ferrandis, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire returned to racing for the first time since the Daytona Supercross in March. In April, Hampshire underwent surgery to fix a torn ACL as he expected the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to resume in the fall—but we all know how that played out. Hampshire finished 3-2 for second overall—his third career overall motocross podium, and his first since the 2018 Ironman National finale. Hampshire battled GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin, who made his return to AMA Pro Motocross for the first time since suffering a devastating back injury at the 2018 Tennessee National on June 23, 2018. Hampshire and Martin swapped positions in the motos as Hampshire’s 3-2 bested Martin’s 2-3. A seasoned vet in the class, Martin earned his 33rd overall podium.
Alex Martin (5-5 for fifth overall), who went back and forth with his brother during the second moto on Saturday, made his 126th start in the 250 Class. The next closest? His brother Jeremy, who made his 66th start on Saturday.
Two riders debuted with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team. Darian Sanayei and Mitchell Harrison, who both spent years competing overseas in the FIM Motocross World Championship, will serve as fill-in riders for the injured Austin Forkner, Jordon Smith, and Garrett Marchbanks. Sanayei had only raced one national before—the 2015 Indiana National on August 22, 2015. The 2020 Loretta Lynn’s National 1 was Sanayei’s first AMA Pro Motocross race in 1,820 days—almost five years.
Harrison competed in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship for the first time since the 2018 Budds Creek National on August 18, 2018—728 days, or almost two years prior to his debut on the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team.
The following rookies made their debuts:
Mason Gonzales | 8–12 for ninth overall
Dilan Schwartz | 19–18 for 20th overall
Stilez Robertson | 38–17 for 22nd overall
Hardy Munoz | 22–21 for 25th overall
Joshua Varize | 26–28 for 27th overall
In the 450 Class, the day belonged to Zach Osborne as he continued to write himself into the history books. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider finished second in the first moto behind his teammate Jason Anderson but grabbed the holeshot and won the second. The 2-1 unlocked his first overall win in the 450 Class. Osborne’s overall win means the 30-year-old becomes the 70th premier class overall winner in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Osborne’s first overall win came in his 13th career start in the 450 Class. Stay tuned to RacerXOnline.com over the next few days for a list on all of the premier class overall winners in AMA Pro Motocross. Osborne, once a stand-out amateur who endured a bumpy road to get where he is today, has now won a 250SX main event, a 250MX Class overall, a 450SX main event, and a 450 Class overall.
This win was also Husqvarna’s first overall win in the premier class of AMA Pro Motocross since June 15, 1975, when Kent Howerton took the 250 Class overall win at Lake Whitney, Texas. That’s 45 years or a total of 16,498 days since the last Husqvarna premier class win!
Osborne also joins a small list of active riders to earn an overall win in the premier class.
Active riders in the 450 Class with at least one overall win:
Rider | 450 Class Overall Wins |
Eli Tomac | 23 |
Ken Roczen | 18 |
Marvin Musquin | 9 |
Justin Barcia | 3 |
Blake Baggett | 2 |
Cooper Webb | 1 |
Justin Bogle | 1 |
Zach Osborne | 1 |
*Note: As of August 16, 2020
**Note: While Ken Roczen made the decision to sit out the entire 2020 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, we still include him as a “current” rider.
Although Anderson finished second and missed out on earning his first overall AMA Pro Motocross win, he did earn his third career moto win in the 450 Class—his first in over 1,148 days as his last moto win came at the 2017 Tennessee National. The 1-6 moto finishes allowed Anderson to earn his 16th overall 450 Class podium, which is currently fifth-most in the 450 Class amongst active riders behind Tomac (47), Roczen (38), Musquin (32), and Barcia (23).
Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin competed for the first time since the Ironman National last year on August 24—357 days prior to his start on Saturday. Musquin suffered a knee injury at the 2019 finale that kept him out of the entire Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship but he finished 4-5 for fifth overall in his return to racing.
Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton finished 13-3 for eighth overall in his 450 Class debut and Twisted Tea HEP Motorsports Suzuki’s Max Anstie finished 11–10 for 11th overall in their respective debuts in the 450 Class. Anstie last competed in the U.S. 10 years ago during the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship during the Washougal National.
And there are some more interesting stats from @mxresearchdept on Instagram—make sure to give them a follow if you don’t already!
Quotes From Around the Paddock:
Marvin Musquin | 4-5 for 4th overall in 450 Class
“It’s great to be back after almost a year since my last race at the Indiana National. I put in some good work and it gave me time to get ready, so I’m okay where I’m at. To be out there and to be competitive, that’s exactly what I wanted. When you’re not racing for a year like that actually, to be honest, I didn’t know where I was going to be but overall, I’m happy. I wish I would have hung on to get on the podium, but it’s my first race back and fourth overall, I’ll take it.”
Justin Barcia | 3-7 for 5th overall in 450 Class
“Loretta Lynn’s was a good weekend overall. I had some good practice times and ended up qualifying fifth. I didn’t get the greatest start in the first moto, but I had one of the greatest charges I’ve had in a long time. I charged all the way up to third but just ran out of time. In the second moto, I ended up going down two times. I just used a lot of energy in that first moto and unfortunately I wasn’t able to get back up to the front, seventh was all I could muster up. There are definitely some positives on the weekend. I’m going to go back and work on a few things and be even better at Loretta’s next weekend.”
Blake Baggett | 8-4 for 6th overall in 450 Class
“I felt good out there today. The track was rough and my starts helped me run with the front pack. My speed is there and we will make a few adjustments for next week, come back for round two ready to fight for a podium.”
Joey Savatgy | 9-11 for 9th overall in 450 Class
"Yesterday was subpar for me. It was my first race back in almost a year and it got the best of me. There are some things I need to work on but my starts were good and that’s a big piece of the puzzle. So it's now back to work this week and try it again next weekend."
Adam Cianciarulo | 6-38 for 12th overall in 450 Class
“The Loretta’s track was nothing like I remember. I had zero sense of nostalgia out there. The track was ripped way deeper and you need to ride so much harder than I ever did as an amateur here. Obviously I’m tired of crashing, but I felt really good in moto two and even grabbed the holeshot. We’ll keep working hard over the week and suit up for better results for round two at the Ranch.”
Broc Tickle | 15-13 for 13th overall in 450 Class
“Today was a positive day for myself. I haven’t raced an Outdoor National in three years now. Yeah, the goal was to be in the top 10. I didn’t manage to finish there but it was good to get our first race under our belt. We’ll be back next week. We’re in a good place and we have a direction now after racing. I’m looking forward to heading back to California this week and working with the team to make some improvements and come back next weekend to build off of today.”
Said Yamaha Racing Department Manager for YMUS Jim Roach:
“Broc spent some time getting comfortable in the first moto. We made a couple of subtle changes and the bikes were working well for the second moto. Justin overcame challenges to put in another good moto to finish fifth overall. Broc was hoping for a top 10 and was close. It was a good effort for his first Pro Motocross race in three years and he looks to finish solidly in the top 10 next week.”
Christian Craig | 14-14 for 14th overall in 450 Class
"The weekend started off pretty good when I qualified 10th. The track was super muddy in the beginning. I went into the first moto pretty confident in myself, but unfortunately I got off to a bad start and had to make my way through the pack. It was already pretty hot out there, so it took a lot of my energy to get up to where I was. Unfortunately, that was only 14th, but I went into the second moto refueled and ready to go. I had a better start and was making passes early on, but me and another rider got together and we both went down. Then when I was getting up I got hit by another rider. It was nobody’s fault, just an unfortunate mishap on both of our parts. After that I just wanted to salvage what I could, and I came back to 14th again. My goals are to be inside the top 10, so we’ll try again here next weekend.
Said Honda HRC team manager Erik Kehoe:
“Christian’s starts hurt him today. He was in the back and couldn’t get out of all the mayhem going on back there. He just needs to work on his starts and get better there. We’ll work with the guys and come back stronger next weekend.”
Fredrik Noren | 23-22 for 25th overall in 450 Class
"I'm super pumped to be back racing! I had great starts and I holeshot my first ever pro motocross start, so that was great. Unfortunately I had pretty hard crashes in both motos which made the overall result for the weekend not very good. Now we'll regroup and recharge for next weekend!"
Alex Martin | 5-5 for 5th overall in 250 Class
"It was exciting to be back at the races. I was happy with the speed we had, we just need to minimize the mistakes. Three crashes throughout the two motos kept me from a podium. But I'm happy I could still manage a top five result for myself and the team."
Jett Lawrence | 6-7 for 6th overall in 250 Class
“First practice was not too bad, but I didn’t know where the finish line was so I probably didn’t time my laps the best in that, but the second practice was better, third in that and fourth overall. First race started off terrible because I chose to run a paddle tire which didn’t work good on dry hard pack dirt, but I was able to tuck around the inside in the first turn. I just ended up over riding the track and made mistakes and then crashed so that put me back to tenth I think, I slowly made my way back to sixth. But I felt like I was going to throw up! Second race I had the right tire on but just had too much revs and spun in the gate and this time I wasn’t able to tuck around the inside in the first turn. So, I was like 25th. I was pretty happy how I rode in this one ‘cause I rode really smart and didn’t try to rush anything. I just made my way up in the top 10. Tried to make a pass for sixth on the last lap but couldn’t make it happen. Sixth overall for not getting good starts and riding bad in the first one was still pretty good.”
Cameron Mcadoo | 9-6 for 7th overall in 250 Class
“The ruts were pretty crazy and each time you went out it felt like a different track. It was a lot about managing but also wanting to push forward. It will be nice to be able to come back and try it again next week to see if we can do even better.”
Carson Mumford | 12-15 for 13th overall in 250 Class
“My weekend was crazy! I learned so much, I felt like I had so many different circumstances thrown my way for one weekend with it being muddy first practice and the track being insanely rough but I’m happy with how everything worked out. The first moto I was just outside the top five. Then by about 20 minutes I was getting pretty tired and really was kinda shocked that I was still in sixth. I should have just focused more on going forward because when the mistakes started coming I was almost crashing every corner but somehow stayed on two wheels. That just took so much energy, and I was thinking about it way too much, and I went all the way back to 12th. Rode a little different in second moto but I was further back the whole time. Ready for next weekend after everything I learned here.”
Mitchell Harrison | 23-9 for 15th overall in 250 Class
“Without that mistake, I was going to be able to put it in the top 10. It’s such a bummer, but I also look at it as a positive that I know my speed is there and I just need to minimize the mistakes. I am so thankful for the opportunity and I want to showcase how great this bike and team really is.”
Jo Shimoda | 37-11 for 16th overall in 250 Class
“Yeah I felt pretty good in the first timed qualifying but I missed the finish line, I thought it was same as amateur day. The second timed qualifying I was riding not so good and struggling on the track, qualified 15th. Race 1 I started around 15th and made some passes but couldn’t finish my race due to a bike malfunction. That put me all the way on an outside gate in moto two, which didn’t let me have good start. I was able to catch up to 11th place by the end.”
Hunter Lawrence | 40-14 for 17th overall in 250 Class
“First moto really just wrecked our day with the DNF [Note: a first turn crash resulted in a broken kill switch]. Being gate pick 40 for the second moto, I was going okay in the second moto until [Mitchell] Harrison took me out. I then just pushed too hard for what the track conditions were and crashed again. Then it was survival mode, the track was really weird and just so funny, like, you couldn’t push too hard on it and slower was almost faster! Looking to redeem myself big time this weekend.”
Injury Updates:
Kevin Moranz
Moranz took to Instagram on Sunday to showcase some of the bumps and bruises he endured in a crash during qualifying, where he tipped over and then was hit by a few riders on accident. This brought out a red flag in practice. Luckily, Moranz wasn’t seriously injured and he expects to compete again at the Ranch this weekend. Below is his Instagram post:
Darian Sanayei
Sanayei crashed in the second moto and later said on Instagram that he injured his shoulder.
“Loretta’s was a tough one, I was just off all day. In the first moto I fell around 10 mins and had to work my way up from 20th to 14th. The second moto I started off good but mistakes and slow riding pushed me back, then later in the moto crashed and popped out my shoulder 👎🏼
Will get some checks this week and hoping it isn’t too bad.”
In the team statement, Sanayei said he hopes to be back in the saddle for round two.
Cooper Webb
A team statement after the race explained that the Red Bull KTM rider was experiencing pain that dated all the way back to his big crash at the Dallas Supercross in February. Late on Tuesday night, the team announced Webb would sit out for the remainder of the series. In an Instagram post, Webb explained a practice crash “about a month ago” that resulted in two bulged disks, which turned to three herniated disks and bone contusions. Below is his full post.
Other News/Notes:
AC’s Wild Ride
While leading the second 450 Class moto, 450 Class rookie Adam Cianciarulo went down near the amateur finish line at the Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. The crash wasn’t picked up on the TV broadcast, but Cianciarulo did post a video from a fan’s perspective on Instagram. Watch the crash:
Cianciarulo’s GoPro footage was also posted on the GoPro Motorsports page on YouTube, although it’s tough to see what goes wrong for Cianciarulo. You can tell he crashed, though!