Kitchen’s maiden overall podium finish came in his ninth Pro Motocross race. This was the second week in a row we had a first-time moto winner in the first moto after Michael Mosiman won his maiden Pro Motocross moto at the second round (Unfortunately for Mosiman, his second moto after his maiden moto win was cut short due to a bike mechanical and he finished 1-39 for eighth overall).

Roczen’s 5th in Colorado, 21st Total

Ken Roczen claimed his first moto win after his teammate Chase Sexton lost his balance and went down while leading on the last lap. Roczen’s 2-1 finishes gave him the overall over Eli Tomac’s 1-3 and Sexton’s 4-2. The win was Roczen’s fifth premier class overall win at the venue and his 21st career 450 Class overall win.

Roczen winning also means we have seen three different winners in the first three rounds. Could we see a fourth different winner this weekend? Give us your predictions in the comments section below.

Other Random Stats

AC222 Holeshots three in a row

Antonio Cairoli jumped out front of both 450 Class races at the third round and has now claimed the last three holeshots in the 450 Class. Cairoli finished 5-4 for fifth overall.

Craig’s Charge

Christian Craig went down in the first turn of the first 450 Class moto. But he managed to charge to a tenth-place finish! Craig finished 10-12 for 12th overall.

Jettson’s 8th—but first win-less—Overall

Jett Lawrence’s 2-2 finishes earned him the overall. The defending champion did not lead a single lap at the third round and claimed his first overall win without a single moto win. We have seen the overall won without the rider earning a single moto win before (last was RJ Hampshire at the 2021 RedBud National), but this was Jettson’s first overall win where he did not win either moto.

In all other seven of Jettson’s career 250 Class overall wins, he has won at least one moto. Also, Jettson has 10 moto wins to his name, and every day he has won a moto, he has won the overall that day. However, in Colorado, Jett did not need to win a moto in order to get the overall! He leads his older brother Hunter, who picked up his first moto win of the season in moto two, by 12 points after three rounds.

3 by 1

After a 2021 Pro Motocross season where six different riders won the first six overalls—the first time in history that there was at least five different winners to start off the championship—Lawrence claimed his third consecutive overall win to start the 2022 season. The last time the same rider won all three of the 250 Class overalls was in 2019 when Adam Cianciarulo claimed the first four overalls en route to the Florida native’s first professional title in his final season on a 250F. Will Lawrence claim the overall yet again this weekend to make it four in a row or will his brother Hunter, Justin Cooper, Levi Kitchen, Michael Mosiman, or another rider claim P1 in Pennsylvania?

Marsh Keepin’ it Twisted

In his debut ride with the Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki team, Marshal Weltin pulled off a 15-13 for 13th overall in the 450 Class for a career best. Weltin received the FMF Privateer Power Award at the second-round Hangtown Motocross Classic after finishing 16-15 for 15th overall on a GasGas MC 450F.

Other News/Injury Updates:

450 Class

Bloss Twisted His Knee

Benny Bloss twisted his knee up in the first corner of the first moto and it ended his day early. He is going to try and ride on Thursday to see if he can lineup for the fourth round this weekend.

Big Al is A-Okay

Alex Martin suffered a wild crash in the second moto but posted on Instagram he is “relatively unscathed.”

250 Class

LeBlanc Set for 12

Matthew LeBlanc confirmed he is now doing all 12 rounds of Pro Motocross, instead of racing the first three and then returning to the amateur scene for his last go at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. LeBlanc has finished 20-17-18-12-10-9 in his first six professional motos for 20th, 14th, and 8th overall, respectively.

Jalek Swoll Injury Update

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team said the following in a post-race statement:

Thrasher Update

There is not much to report on Nate Thrasher, who suffered a shoulder injury and was seen in a sling after the race after colliding with Seth Hammaker at the start of the second moto. The post-race Yamaha release said the following:

Thrasher had a tough start to his first moto, finding himself 23rd after a tip-over on the first lap. The Tennessee rider quickly got to work and made a heroic charge back to eighth. He got a good start in the second moto, but unfortunately came together with another rider and was unable to finish the race, ending the day 16th overall. Thrasher will seek evaluation from his doctors after the weekend and an update on his status will follow at a later time.

Said Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 team manager Jensen Hendler:

Vlogs

Alex Martin

Garrett Marchbanks

Kevin Moranz

Raw Trackside Moto

Check out our guy Tom Journet’s infield access videos below to watch nearly 20 minutes of raw footage from round three.

450 Class

250 Class

Quotes from Around the Paddock

450 Class

Jason Anderson | 3-6 for 4th overall

“I believe me and my KX450SR were capable of winning today but, that mistake early in Moto 2 really cost me. It was good to grab another podium in Moto 1 and shows that we’re in a spot to compete consistently at the front of the field so that’s encouraging as we head into next weekend.”

Antonio Cairoli | 5-4 for 5th overall

“I’m really happy about the race. Of course, I know that with my conditioning, all those guys in front are prepared for racing and winning the championship, and last moment only a month ago, I started to really work out to be here and it’s not enough. I felt today, I was a little bit worse off with the altitude. We have already a big improvement from the first round so I think we are in a good way and let’s move on from here and let’s see on the week and next week.”

Ryan Dungey | 7-7 for 6th overall

“Today, I was pretty happy. In the first moto, I got a decent start and the pack didn’t just break away – we were all kind of right there for the first 15-20 minutes and that was encouraging. Even at the end of the race, the gap is shrinking. Second moto, I didn’t get the greatest of starts and I was trying to come through the pack. I got up to McElrath for fifth and I just got stuck at his pace and those guys got away. Two good solid motos, I just had to dig really deep but all-in-all, a positive day.”

Justin Barcia | 6-8 for 7th overall

“It was a little better day, 6-8 for seventh overall. I was happy with the first moto, I definitely rode really well. The second moto, I struggled a little bit but all-in-all, it was definitely a big improvement. I’m looking forward to heading to the east coast with some good tracks and some good ruts.”

Shane McElrath | 12-5 for 8th overall

“Much better today and a much better week all-around. We had a couple good riding days this week – actually my best ones yet – and we made really good progress on the bike. I think I’m just growing confidence every time I’m on the bike. It took me a while to get going today, so I need to work on that, but we’re taking big steps and I’m happy.”

Joey Savatgy | 8-9 for 9th overall

“I ended up with the same overall result again this weekend but, I definitely feel better about my riding today. Overall, it was a strong day for me on the track and I’ll look to get more seat time this week so we can improve the result at Highpoint.”

Aaron Plessinger | 11-10 for 11th overall

“I didn’t have the best day. I struggled in practice but going out for the motos, I felt pretty good. I made some good passes and came back but struggled with keeping it on two wheels. Overall, I’m kind of bummed about the way I rode but we’re good and we are ready to go for High Point and hopefully we can get the bike a little bit better this week and go from there.”

Christian Craig | 10-12 for 12th overall

“It was a rough day at Thunder Valley. In the first moto, I crashed in the first turn, so I had to come from last and was able to make it back to 10th. In the second moto, I was running with the top guys and had a pretty big crash down the hill. Unfortunately, my bike was all twisted up, and I had to pull into the pits to fix it up. I was only able to get back to 12th, which was disappointing, but we’re going to take the positives and move on to High Point!”

Said Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 team manager Jeremy Coker:

“All in all, it was a good day for the team. Unfortunately, Christian had two get-offs – one in the first moto in the first turn, but he came back to 10th and rode a great race, and then in the second moto, he had a pretty big crash. He was okay, but the bike took a tumble and was pretty tweaked up. We got him back out there, and he was able to salvage a 12th-place finish for 12th overall, so that was a good comeback.”

250 Class

Justin Cooper | 3-3 for 4th overall

“The day was good overall. We had a consistent day, but the speed wasn’t there the whole time. We felt really comfortable towards the end of the moto, which is a good feeling. That’s when the track is at its worst, and we were able to feel good pushing. So, that’s something to take away from today, but we’ve really got to start challenging at the front more and be a little bit more aggressive. We’re going to take it from there, work on that, and show up next week ready to go.”

Jo Shimoda | 7-6 for 5th overall

“I came into the day feeling pretty under the weather with a cold, so I knew that would be an extra challenge on top of the heat and altitude. I fought hard to make the most of the day and I came away with fifth overall. Now I’ll get some rest and come back next week ready to fight at the front again.”

Stilez Robertson | 6-7 for 6th overall

“Today was pretty good. I went 6-7 in the motos, so it was the best day ever in outdoors for me. Six motos down and 18 to go, so let’s keep it going! I’m having fun and the team is killing it, so I’m looking forward to the rest.”

Michael Mosiman |13-4 for 7th overall

“I’ve been looking forward to this round all year, I love riding this track and I always feel comfortable here. We went to work this week and made some improvements on the bike and qualified P1, which is a personal best for me. It felt really good to have the opportunity to pick my own gate. First moto, I didn’t get the best of starts, made some quick passes and then made a mistake but I really was riding good. I started having some bike issues toward the end, which left me kind of limping it home for 13th. Second moto, I had a better start and was riding even better – I felt like I could have gone for a win but unfortunately had more bike issues. The speed is certainly there so I’m looking forward to putting all the pieces together.”

Matthew LeBlanc | 10-9 for 8th overall

“It was a good day and a big step in the right direction. We went 10-9 for eight overall today. We’re learning every time we go out there, and I’m happy with the improvements. I’m excited for the rest of the season. It was kind of my goal to prove that I should be here for all 12 rounds. I accomplished that, and now it’s time to keep this thing going. I’m looking forward to High Point next weekend.”

Said Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 team manager Jensen Hendler:

“Our rookies are also making a lot of progress. Matt LeBlanc ended up going 10-9 for eighth overall, which is awesome. We’re three races into the championship, and it just shows that his heart is in it. He’s doing everything he needs to do to be a frontrunner, and with a little bit of time, he’ll be there. We’re happy with his performance and the progress he has made and will be keeping him in the Pro Motocross Championship for the rest of the season.

Seth Hammaker | 5-15 for 9th overall

“In Moto 1, I battled up at the front for the whole race and finished fifth. In Moto 2, I started up front and was looking to compete in the top-five again but, after I crashed with another rider on the opening lap, I had to pull into the mechanic's area briefly and came out close to last. I was hoping for a better finish than 15th but, I made a tough charge to pass most of the field and minimized the damage after that crash on Lap 1.”