In the 450 Class, Eli 3-1 edged out his teammate Adam Cianciarulo’s 1-3 for the overall win, giving the Colorado native his 25th career 450 Class overall win, but just his second of 2020. This was Tomac’s fourth overall podium of the season and the second time he and AC shared overall podiums on the same day this season. Jason Anderson and Osborne are the The only other teammates and/or brandmates to share an overall podium on the same day, they put their Rockstar Energy Drink Husqvarna’s on the podium at the opener.

While we have not seen many of the typical “beast-mode” rides out of Tomac during Pro Motocross this year, his past two second motos (WW Ranch and again in Thunder Valley) looked much more like the Tomac of old. Early on in the race, Tomac (who started about fifth) was putting in heater lap after heater lap. Tomac’s time on the first lap was the fastest on the track. Then Tomac’s second lap time was the fastest on the track and even faster than his first lap. Then again he repeated this on the fourth, fifth, and sixth lap—when he put in a blazing 2:08.582—as he passed Cianciarulo to take over the lead. His pace hovered around the 2:10-2:11 mark until the 16th lap when he had an issue with the clutch (a 2:16.482 on that lap) before finishing the moto around the 2:13-2:12 mark. Even with his clutch issue slowing his lap time down by about five seconds from the lap prior, his average lap time was a 2:11.644. Here are the lap times for the rest of the field, where—as you will see below—his slowest lap of the moto was faster than a majority of the field’s fastest lap. It is still crazy to watch on a day when Tomac has everything clicking.

When it comes to the title, Osborne has a 24-point lead over Cianciarulo. If Osborne wins the title on Saturday, he will become the oldest rider to win a premier class title as he would be 31 years, 12 days old. The current oldest premier class winner is Doug Henry, who won his first and only premier class title in 1998, on the day he turned 29 years old. Osborne could also be the first ever Husqvarna rider to win a premier class title.

Honda HRC fill-in Christian Craig finished fourth in the second moto, a career best in the 450 Class and Benny Bloss earned a season-best seventh. The second 450 Class moto saw ten riders record a season-best in that moto (not including race winner Tomac). Also in the second moto, JGRMZ/Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Fredrik Noren charged from 38th to 13th, earning him the Battery Tender RC Hard Charger award for his effort. Noren finished 11-13 for 11h overall. Privateer Jake Masterpool finished 13-10 for tenth overall—a new season- and career- best. Grant Harlan finished 20-11 for 15th overall. In his first five Pro Motocross races (all in the 450 Class), the #349 has recorded overall finishes of 23rd, 21st, 19, 15, 15. The 11th in the second moto was Harlan’s best race finish so far. Impressive stuff from Harlan!

Quotes from Around the Paddock:

Chase Sexton | 2-5 for 4th overall in 450 Class

“Round eight in Denver was pretty good. In the first moto I ran behind Adam [Cianciarulo] and tried to make a push for the win and ended up second, which was my best moto finish so far. I had a really good start in the second moto and finished fifth; I didn’t ride as well as I wanted but ended with fourth overall, so still top five. We’re making improvements."

Christian Craig | 7-4 for fifth overall in 450 Class

“The day started off good in Colorado. I qualified fourth, which was one of my best of the year. I felt good on the bike and on this track, so I went into the motos pretty confident. Unfortunately, I got off to a bad start, which has kind of been my story all year; I had to make some passes and got up to seventh, tagging along with [Marvin] Musquin for the whole moto pretty much. In the second moto, I got off to a better start, top-five off the line. I battled with some guys, made a couple passes and ended up fourth. It’s exactly what we’ve worked for. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to win, but to improve is what we look for every weekend. I ended up with 7-4 for fifth overall and am headed to the final round ready to go.”

Said Honda HRC team manager Erik Kehoe:

“Overall it was a good day for the team, with the cooler weather and hard-packed track conditions in Colorado. Chase and Christian showed good speed all day to realize our goal of putting both riders in the top five overall. Chase was a strong second in the first moto but tangled with another rider on the start in moto two, although he still managed a fifth-place finish for fourth overall. Christian was consistent and posted his best overall 450MX finish in this series so far.”

Max Anstie | 9-6 for 7th overall in 450 Class

“It was a solid day. We got better in each session and had a strong couple of motos. I’m pleased with how my crew managed to make the bike competitive up at altitude and especially with it being our first time there. I’m looking forward to Pala.”

Justin Bogle | 12-9 for 9th overall in 450 Class

“Today was a good day. I was in the groove all day and feeling really fast on the bike. We have been working hard and it feels good to put in two solid motos like that to earn a top ten for the weekend. I’m ready to end the season strong with another top ten ride next weekend at Pala.”

Fredrik Noren | 11-13th for 11th overall in 450 Class

"I’m more comfortable but I’m not finishing in the results where I feel like I should and can be. In the second moto I had a crazy start crash. I’m glad I didn't get hurt in it. I was able to get going and back to thirteenth place, which was good. I’m looking forward to Pala next weekend to finish the season strong!"

Justin Barcia | 5-37 for 12th overall in 450 Class

“It started out to be a great day but didn’t end well. I really was happy to be up front with the group in the first moto. The track was tough, but we were able to get a good result. The second moto was even tougher and I ended up going down and wasn’t able to keep going. I’ll work on getting back to 100 percent this week so we can end the season strong.” 

Broc Tickle | 10-39 for 18th overall in 450 Class

“I think overall, it was a positive day for myself. That big crash at Millville set me back, and I missed WW Ranch. My starts were a little better today. The first moto was better than what I have been on the start, but I would say my riding wasn’t the best. I finally found a flow about halfway through and started clicking off some decent lap times as the track deteriorated. I ended up getting 10th, which wasn’t what I’m looking for, but it was an okay finish for the circumstances. Going into the second moto, I knew the track was going to deteriorate even more, which I normally strive and thrive in. I went out there and came close to the best start I’ve had all year. I was able to be close to the top 10 on the first lap, but unfortunately, I had to pull into the mechanic’s area and sit the second moto out. So all in all, like I said it was a positive day and good to be back at the races, but it’s kind of a bummer to miss out on some more points. We’ll come back at Pala and work to get back into the top 10 in the championship.” 

Joey Savatgy | 38-DNS for 42nd overall in 450 Class

"It was another tough weekend. A practice crash put a halt to my weekend. I tried to go racing anyway but couldn’t hold on with my feet so I shut it down."

Said JGRMX/Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing team manager Jeremy Albrecht:

“Joey tweaked his ankle in practice and then again in the race and he could not finish. He sat out moto two to ice the injury and hopes to be back at Pala.”

Shane McElrath | 3-5 for 4th overall in 250 Class

“It was a pretty good day for me today overall. We were just shy of a podium, but huge improvements were made. I’m excited about the progress we are continuing to make on the bike for the rough tracks. We will be ready to give it everything at the last round!”

Hunter Lawrence | 5-4 for 5th overall in 250 Class

“For sure, it was definitely a better day today. Obviously the year kind of sucked for me, I haven’t had much races up the front like today just due to starts and stuff like that and my shoulder not being 100% there. But it was good. We had two pretty decent starts. Just feeling more and more like myself. Hopefully we can put in a good two motos at Pala and we’ll see how we go.”

Jett Lawrence | 6-6 for 6th overall in 250 Class

“Good riding this weekend but just had a bad qualifying time, and that gave me a bad gate in Moto 1. I got a good start but I was on the outside. Made my way to sixth then saved a big mistake. I lost two positions but got back to sixth but my brother Hunter was too far to catch up to. Second moto I spun in the gate so I was starting the moto from outside 20th again. It took me awhile to get my lines down but once I did I started clicking off good lap times and made my way up to sixth with a last-lap pass. So I was pretty consistent but I just need to sort my starts so I can start up front and make my life easier.”

Jo Shimoda | 7-8 for 7th overall in 250 Class

“In qualifying [session] 1 I felt loose right away and built my lap time toward the end for p11. Qualifying 2 I was running third for a while but as the track was getting packed in, on the last a couple laps guys went faster. In Moto 1 I had an okay start, around ninth, put some good laps in and made some passes, but I got passed on last lap for seventh. Moto 2, 15th place start but made some quick passes in the second turn and was running 11th . I got contact with Alex [Martin] and went back to 12th, but I was able to catch up to 8th for 7th overall.”

Mitchell Harrison | 8-9 for 8th overall in 250 Class

“The track was definitely different than what we’ve been riding on the past few weeks, but we were up for the challenge. I was so pumped to get the holeshot in the first moto. I just didn’t find a groove right away and the track was challenging. They put down water and you had to be really cautious those first few laps. Overall it was a solid day, but I want more. I want that top-five. We’ll see how it goes next week with one more chance to try.”

Jarrett Frye | 9-10 for 9th overall in the 250 Class

“It was a good weekend for me. There were a lot of positives to take away from today, including my best result so far. We are getting better each weekend. I’m looking forward to finishing out the season strong next weekend.”

Carson Mumford | 13-11 for 10th overall in 250 Class

“I felt terrible in the second moto in the altitude because I have asthma. Two bad starts, too. I’ve been feeling really tense for the first 10 minutes of the first race, not sure exactly why. Maybe just because these are new tracks for me, or racing as a pro in front of the fans, or maybe because fans I’m starting in 35th! Not sure. It shouldn’t be an issue this weekend for Pala, I’ve ridden that track since I was eight years old. I’m definitely feeling better each week. I wish the season was longer because I’m loving it and I really want to do good!”

Alex Martin | 12-12 for 11th overall in 250 Class

"I had some rough luck this weekend in Colorado. I tangled with another rider off the start in the first moto and made a couple more mistakes throughout the day. I’m looking to make a strong comeback at the last race in Pala next weekend and get back into the top three in the championship."

Dilan Schwartz | 10-15 for 12th overall in 250 Class

"Colorado was a step in the right direction. I got a good start in moto one and put together a solid moto getting tenth place. In moto two I didn’t get the greatest start but came from the back to finish fifteenth. I'm happy with the bike and the team and I'm excited to give it our all next weekend at Fox Raceway."

Nate Thrasher | 11-16 for 13th overall in 250 Class

“It was a solid day for me to get my first Pro National under my belt! I had pretty good speed all day. I just needed to clean up a few things. I definitely learned a lot. Thanks to the whole team behind me. I’m going to give it my all for the last round at Fox Raceway!”

Preston Kilroy | 15-19 for 17th overall in 250 Class

"After Loretta’s I knew Larry [Brooks, team owner] and the team had my bike dialed so I wanted to see where I stood. I set a top 20 goal for Thunder Valley and finished with a 17th overall. I'm excited to work on improving that next weekend at Pala."

Injury Updates:

Derek Drake

Drake did not start the second moto at the WW Ranch National on September 26 but the team told us he was not injured and was going to race in Colorado. He finished 20th in the first moto and then did not start the second moto for the second week in a row. Following Saturday’s race, Drake announced on Instagram he would miss the final round of the 2020 as he has been “dealing with some health issues.” Drake recorded a season- and career-best 10th overall (8-12 moto finishes) at the Spring Creek National. Through eight rounds of the championship, Drake sits 14th in the 250 Class points standings.

Drake said the following in the post:

RJ Hampshire

Hampshire had two big crashes in the first 250 moto on Saturday and after the second crash he was unable to continue the remainder of the race. He did not start the second moto and announced after the race that a hand injury will keep him out of the finale.

Cameron McAdoo

McAdoo took to Instagram to announce he suffered three broken fingers when he was caught in a crash with a rider in front of him in the first moto. He said the injury will not require surgery but it will keep him sidelined for the finale in California. McAdoo scored a season- and career-best fourth overall (4-5 moto finishes) at the Loretta Lynn’s 2 National. In his eight starts, the Iowa native earned four top-ten overall finishes. McAdoo sits eighth in the 250 Class points standings after Thunder Valley.

McAdoo adds to an injury-battered season for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. With Austin Forkner, Garrett Marchbanks (who just announced he will race with ClubMX in 2021), Jordon Smith, fill-in rider Darian Sanayei, and now McAdoo all out with injuries of their own, fill-in rider Mitchell Harrison will be the lone rider under the team tent at the Fox Raceway National on October 10.

Below is McAdoo’s full Instagram post:

Blake Baggett

Baggett was unable to start the second moto in Colorado because of an ongoing hand issue. He is going to get looked at this week but he is expected to race this weekend’s finale.

GoPro Footage:

A-Mart’s moto two highlights:

Christian Craig’s moto two highlights:

AC’s moto two highlights: