FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Media Inquiries:
Brandon Short - Media Manager
949-365-5750
Media@MXSPro.com
|
|
Roczen Makes
Long-Awaited Return to the Top
at
Opening Round of Lucas
Oil Pro Motocross Championship
|
|
Cianciarulo Makes Opening
Statement with Second Career 250
Class Victory
|
|
RANCHO CORDOVA,
Calif. (May 18,
2019) – The 2019 Lucas Oil
Pro Motocross Championship,
sanctioned by AMA Pro
Racing, kicked off with its
oldest event on Saturday
afternoon as the Bell
Helmets Hangtown Motocross
Classic set the tone for
what is sure to be a highly
competitive summer of racing
in the world’s most
prestigious off-road
motorcycle racing series.
While rain ultimately made
for some extremely
challenging conditions, it
resulted in an afternoon of
redemption for its two
winners. After three years
of a long and tough comeback
from injury, Team Honda
HRC’s Ken Roczen made his
long-awaited return to the
top step of the podium in
the 450 Class. In the 250
Class, Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam
Cianciarulo rebounded from
his heartbreaking end to the
recent AMA Supercross season
with a hard-fought win.
|
|
|
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro
Motocross Championship
kicked off with the Bell
Helmets Hangtown Motocross
Classic.
Photo: Jeff Kardas
|
|
The first 450 Class moto of
the afternoon began with Red
Bull KTM Factory Racing’s
Cooper Webb capturing the
MotoSport.com Holeshot over
Monster Energy/Yamaha
Factory Racing’s Justin
Barcia. As they duked it out
for the top spot it allowed
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna
Factory Racing’s Jason
Anderson and Roczen to jump
into the fray. Webb
established control of the
lead, with Anderson slotting
into second and Roczen
third. An aggressive Roczen
then found his way around
Anderson for second and set
his sights on Webb for the
lead. The German continued
to push and successfully
took over control of the
race before the conclusion
of the opening lap.
Once he had a clear track
Roczen quickly put multiple
seconds between he and Webb,
while Anderson settled into
third. Reigning 450 Class
Champion Eli Tomac had his
work cut out for himself
after starting seventh, but
the Monster Energy Kawasaki
rider successfully worked
his way forward and was soon
in the top five, right
behind Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna Factory Racing
rookie Zach Osborne. It
wasn’t long before the champ
found his way around to take
over fourth and set his
sights on the podium.
With Roczen checking out on
the field and Webb running a
strong second, the focus
shifted to Tomac’s
determined charge on
Anderson. The Husqvarna
rider was impressively
consistent and it took an
extended amount of time for
Tomac to close in enough to
mount a challenge for the
position. With about 10
minutes left in the moto
Tomac made his move. He made
the pass on Anderson, but a
counter attack put Anderson
right back in third. Tomac
appeared to have no answer,
and then the rain began to
fall. As the skies opened
up, Anderson’s pace
increased, while Tomac’s
dropped. That carried the
two riders into different
directions. Anderson started
to close his deficit to Webb
for second, while Tomac lost
a spot to Osborne and fell
to fifth.
As the clock approached 30
minutes Webb and Anderson
found themselves in a
captivating battle for the
runner-up spot. Webb was
able to fend off the
pressure for a while, but
Anderson’s persistence paid
off as they came to take the
two-lap board. As this
unfolded Osborne fell, which
allowed Tomac to reclaim
fourth.
Despite the rain, Roczen
continued his flawless ride
all the way to the finish.
He took the opening moto win
by 15 seconds over Anderson.
Webb was third, while Tomac
salvaged fourth.
|
|

|
Roczen raced to his
first win since his
championship-winning 2016
campaign.
Photo: Jeff Kardas
|
|
Much more difficult track
conditions awaited the
riders for the second moto
and as the field stormed out
the gate it was Red Bull KTM
Factory Racing’s Marvin
Musquin who emerged with the
MotoSport.com Holeshot over
Webb and Tomac. Musquin was
able to maintain his hold on
the top spot, but it was
short lived as Tomac was
determined to get to the
front, and did so. Behind
them, Roczen moved his way
into third and surged past
Musquin to take second right
behind Tomac.
The lead duo were able to
pull away from the rest of
the field almost
immediately, and Roczen’s
impressive early pace
literally allowed him to
jump over Tomac into the
lead. Behind them, Anderson
was making a charge of his
own and passed Musquin for
third. The battle up front
saw Tomac keep Roczen within
reach, with both riders
patiently working their way
through the rough and muddy
conditions. Tomac kept
Roczen honest, and as they
approached lapped riders
just before the halfway
point it worked to the
benefit of the champ. As
Roczen slowed briefly, Tomac
seized the moment to dive to
the inside the reclaim the
lead. From that point on, he
left Roczen and the rest of
the field behind.
Tomac’s path to the second
moto win wasn’t without its
moments, but he took the
checkered flag by 43 seconds
over Roczen, who ultimately
chose to protect the win and
ride all by himself in
second. A resilient Musquin
never backed down in his
pursuit of Anderson for
third, and successfully got
back around, but in the
closing laps a hard charge
from Osborne ultimately put
the rookie onto the moto
podium.
|
|

|
An impressive second
moto win in the rain vaulted
Tomac to second overall.
Photo: Jeff Kardas
|
|
Roczen’s 1-2 outing provided
him with his first win since
the final round of his
championship-winning 2016
season. Since then he has
endured through a pair of
career-threatening injuries
to each of his arms, in
which he was forced to fight
his way back from more than
10 total surgeries. It’s
been a long and difficult
road, but Roczen was able to
prevail for the 16th
win of his career.
“It’s been a very, very long
time [since I won a race].
Overall the whole day was
good,” said Roczen. “It’s
difficult at the first race
to know what to expect [from
yourself] and to know where
everyone else is. I just did
my best every time I was on
the track and it got us a
win. It was really sloppy
out there and [when
conditions are like that] it
can easily go in either
direction [bad or good], so
it feels good that we ended
up on the positive side of
it.”
For the past six seasons at
Hangtown the 450 Class win
has gone to either Roczen or
Tomac, with Saturday’s
victory being the third for
the German at the iconic
venue.
Tomac’s second-moto win
vaulted him to second
overall (4-1), while
Anderson rounded out the
overall podium in third
(2-5).
Roczen holds a slim
four-point lead over Tomac
in the 450 Class standings
heading into the second
round. Anderson sits nine
points back in third.
|
|

|
Anderson was solid in
both motos en route to third
overall.
Photo: Rich Shepherd
|
|
The opening 250 Class moto
saw Monster
Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s
Justin Cooper narrowly grab
the MotoSport.com Holeshot
over GEICO Honda’s Chase
Sexton and Cianciarulo.
Cooper successfully held on
to that advantage and
established himself as the
early leader, with
Cianciarulo slotting into
second and Sexton into
third.
Cooper rode a consistent
pace to maintain a lead over
Cianciarulo, and the two
gradually began to distance
themselves from Sexton. As
the field settled into the
30-minutes-plus-two-laps
moto, Cooper was well in
control, with Cianciarulo
holding on to an assertive
second place. As the moto
counted down to under 10
minutes to go, Cianciarulo
began to pick up the pace
and chip away at the
deficit. With about eight
minutes left the Kawasaki
rider was all over Cooper’s
rear fender, but the Yamaha
rider withstood the charge
and used lapped riders to
his advantage to extend the
lead once more. When time
ran out on the clock and the
two-lap board was shown
Cianciarulo wicked up the
pace again, but Cooper
responded to stop the threat
before it even began.
Cooper went wire-to-wire on
to take the second moto win
of his career by 1.8 seconds
over Cianciarulo, who rode
to an uneventful
second-place finish. The
battle for third came down
to the final corner, where a
moto-long charge by Monster
Energy/Star/Yamaha’s Dylan
Ferrandis, who started
sixth, culminated with a
stellar last lap in which he
stole third from Sexton as
they came to the line.
|
|

|
Cianciarulo's win in the
rain-filled second moto
carried him to the overall
victory.
Photo: Rich Shepherd
|
|
With rain falling, the
deciding moto got underway
with Monster
Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s
Colt Nichols easily racing
to the MotoSport.com
Holeshot. Cianciarulo
followed into second, but
seized the moment to take
the lead, getting
much-needed clear track in
the wet conditions. Nichols
settled into second, with
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna
Factory Racing’s Michael
Mosiman in third. Behind the
lead pack, Cooper and
Ferrandis were at the tail
end of the top 10.
A chaotic early portion of
the race saw several
different riders occupy
third, as Mosiman gave way
to Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki’s Martin
Davalos, who then lost the
spot to Sexton. As he looked
to assert himself Sexton
went down, which handed
third to
JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki
Factory Racing’s Alex
Martin. This jostling of
position also benefitted the
Yamaha duo of Ferrandis and
Cooper, who were able to
close in on the top five.
Cianciarulo easily opened up
a considerable margin over
the rest of the field, which
allowed him to manage his
way through the
ever-changing conditions. As
the moto wore on, Ferrandis
began to inch closer and
closer to Martin to
challenge him for third. The
Frenchman got alongside his
veteran counterpart, but
Martin resisted and pulled
away. This battle helped
bring the duo closer to
Nichols in second, and when
a downed rider caused
Nichols to come to a stop on
the track, both Martin and
Ferrandis got around him to
take over second and third,
respectively.
Ferrandis’ pursuit of Martin
never ceased, but it soon
resulted in misfortune that
caused him to give up a spot
to Nichols and fall into the
clutches of Cooper, who was
running fifth. Cooper would
get the better of Ferrandis
in the late stages of the
moto to drop the Frenchman
to fifth.
Although he had to ride
without goggles for the
final few laps, Cianciarulo
rode as perfect a race as
one could in such difficult
conditions to take the moto
win and the overall victory
by 16.3 seconds over Martin.
Nichols followed in third,
with Cooper and Ferrandis
rounding out the top five.
|
|

|
Cooper's win in the
first moto helped place him
in the runner-up spot in the
overall classification.
Photo: Rich Shepherd
|
|
Cianciarulo’s 2-1 effort
gave him the second overall
win of his career in his
first start since the 2017
season, following knee
surgery last summer. He
becomes the 32nd
different rider to earn a
250 Class victory at
Hangtown.
“It means a lot [to get this
win],” said Cianciarulo, who
just two weeks prior
suffered a heartbreaking
loss in his bid to win a
first pro title in AMA
Supercross. “For all the
kids out there that watch
us, we go through such peaks
and valleys. [This win] is a
testament to understanding
that the most important shot
is your next one. You’ve got
to keep fighting. It feels
great to get a win at the
opening round of the [Pro
Motocross] season and start
this summer off on a high
note.”
Cooper’s resilient second
moto landed him in the
runner-up spot (1-4) for the
second time in his career.
Nichols (5-3) and Ferrandis
(3-5) ended up in a tie for
third, but by virtue of his
better result in the final
moto Nichols earned the
tiebreaker.
Cianciarulo establishes a
four-point lead over Cooper
in the 250 Class standings
entering the second round,
while Nichols and Ferrandis
sit 11 points back.
|
|

|
Nichols began his 2019
season with a spot on the
overall podium.
Photo: Rich Shepherd
|
|
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro
Motocross Championship
continues next Saturday, May
25, with American motocross’
anticipated return to Fox
Raceway in Pala, California,
for the first time since the
2011 season. First motos can
be seen live on MAVTV at 1
p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET,
followed by live coverage of
the second motos on NBC
Sports Network at 3 p.m. PT
/ 6 p.m. ET. Additionally,
all of the action can be
live-streamed via the “Pro
Motocross Pass” on NBC
Sports Gold.
Results
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
Championship
Bell Helmets Hangtown
Motocross Classic
Prairie City OHV Park –
Rancho Cordova, Calif.
May 18, 2019
450 Class Overall
Results (Moto Finish)
-
Ken Roczen, Germany,
Honda (1-2)
-
Eli Tomac, Cortez,
Colo., Kawasaki (4-1)
-
Jason Anderson,
Edgewood, N.M.,
Husqvarna (2-5)
-
Zach Osborne, Abingdon,
Va., Husqvarna (5-3)
-
Cooper Webb, Newport,
N.C., KTM (3-6)
-
Marvin Musquin, France,
KTM (7-4)
-
Justin Barcia, Monroe,
N.Y., Yamaha (8-7)
-
Blake Baggett, Grand
Terrace, Calif., KTM
(6-10)
-
Dean Ferris, Australia,
Yamaha (11-8)
-
Justin Bogle, Cushing,
Okla., KTM (10-9)
450 Class
Championship Standings
-
Ken Roczen, Germany,
Honda – 47
-
Eli Tomac, Cortez,
Colo., Kawasaki – 43
-
Jason Anderson,
Edgewood, N.M.,
Husqvarna – 38
-
Zach Osborne, Abingdon,
Va., Husqvarna – 36
-
Cooper Webb, Newport,
N.C., KTM – 35
-
Marvin Musquin, France,
KTM – 32
-
Justin Barcia, Monroe,
N.Y., Yamaha – 27
-
Blake Baggett, Grand
Terrace, Calif., KTM –
26
-
Dean Ferris, Australia,
Yamaha – 23
-
Justin Bogle, Cushing,
Okla., KTM – 23
250 Class Overall
Results (Moto Finish)
-
Adam Cianciarulo, Port
Orange, Fla., Kawasaki
(2-1)
-
Justin Cooper, Cold
Spring Harbor, N.Y.,
Yamaha (1-4)
-
Colt Nichols, Muskogee,
Okla., Yamaha (5-3)
-
Dylan Ferrandis, France,
Yamaha (3-5)
-
Chase Sexton, La Moille,
Ill., Honda (4-6)
-
RJ Hampshire, Hudson,
Fla., Honda (6-7)
-
Michael Mosiman,
Sebastopol, Calif.,
Husqvarna (7-11)
-
Alex Martin, Millville,
Minn., Suzuki (23-2)
-
Shane McElrath, Canton,
N.C., KTM (14-8)
-
Christian Craig, El
Cajon, Calif., Honda
(13-10)
250 Class
Championship Standings
-
Adam Cianciarulo, Port
Orange, Fla., Kawasaki –
47
-
Justin Cooper, Cold
Spring Harbor, N.Y.,
Yamaha – 43
-
Colt Nichols, Muskogee,
Okla., Yamaha – 36
-
Dylan Ferrandis, France,
Yamaha – 36
-
Chase Sexton, La Moille,
Ill., Honda – 33
-
RJ Hampshire, Hudson,
Fla., Honda – 29
-
Michael Mosiman,
Sebastopol, Calif.,
Husqvarna – 24
-
Alex Martin, Millville,
Minn., Suzuki – 22
-
Shane McElrath, Canton,
N.C., KTM – 20
-
Christian Craig, El
Cajon, Calif., Honda –
19
-
Hunter Lawrence,
Australia, Honda – 19
|
|
For information about the
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
Championship, please visit
ProMotocross.com and be
sure to follow all of the
Pro Motocross social media
channels for exclusive
content and additional
information on the latest
news:
|
|
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
Championship
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
Championship, sanctioned by
AMA Pro Racing, features the
world's fastest outdoor
motocross racers, competing
aboard homologated bikes
from one of six competing
manufacturers on a
collection of the roughest,
toughest tracks on the
planet. The 12-round series
begins just outside
California’s famed Hangtown
in May, and ends at
Indiana's Ironman Raceway in
August. The summer-long
championship includes stops
at America’s premier
motocross racing facilities,
with events in California,
Colorado, Pennsylvania,
Florida, Michigan,
Massachusetts, Maryland,
Minnesota, Washington, New
York and Indiana. Racing
takes place each Saturday
afternoon, with competition
divided into two classes:
one for 250cc machines, and
one for 450cc machines. MX
Sports Pro Racing, the
industry leader in off-road
powersports event
production, manages the
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
Championship. The series is
televised on NBC, NBCSN and
MAVTV, and is streamed live
on NBC Sports Gold. The
title sponsor is Lucas Oil,
a leading producer of
premium oils, greases, and
problem solving additives,
all made in America. More
information can be found at
www.ProMotocross.com.
|
|
|
|
|