Ken Roczen has scored his seventh clean sweep of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
By Hayden Gregory
Justin Barcia got 450 racing underway with a holeshot ahead of Roczen and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac. It didn’t take long for hometown rider Roczen to find the front, taking control of the race by the end of lap one.
Tomac soon followed into second place but all eyes were on Roczen who continued to pull away from the pack. The championship leader looked unstoppable out in front repeatedly clocking off fast laps to easily win his 15th moto of the season. Tomac held on for second place while Frenchman Marvin Musquin claimed third ahead of Barcia.
In moto two, Roczen burst out of the gates scoring the holeshot ahead of KTM riders Musquin and Dean Wilson. The German rider once again got to work early, placing space between himself and all other chasing riders. Tomac would finish the first lap all the way back in ninth place.
With Roczen looking set for a clean sweep, the battle was on for minor placings. A small mishap by Musquin saw him drop back to seventh while Bloss made a charge towards the front overtaking both Wilson and Nicoletti.
Incredibly it only took a few more laps for Musquin to find his way back into second place as one by one he took down the leading riders. Tomac was also making a similar move forward reaching third place by the end of lap seven.
A dominant Roczen was in a league of his own, taking the chequered flag once again to extend his 450 championship lead.
“We had a great day today. The bike was great in these rough conditions and it was a huge help to be able to get into the lead early and ride my own race,” said Roczen. “It feels good to get another 1-1 and get back on top of the podium. We’ll go out next week looking to do the same thing.”
Musquin would beat Tomac for second in moto two and second for the round after the pair finished on equal points.
Roczen now holds a 63 point championship lead over Tomac with only two rounds left to race. Musquin remains in third place 159 points off the pace.
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (1-1)
2 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (3-2)
3 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (2-3)
4 Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM (7-4)
5 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (4-7)
6 Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (6-6)
7 Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha (5-9)
8 Dean Wilson, Scotland, KTM (11-5)
9 Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (8-8)
10 Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Suzuki (9-10)
450 Class Championship Standings
1 Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki – 484
2 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 421
3 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 325
4 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 276
5 Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna – 217
6 Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM – 183
7 Justin Brayton Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM – 173
8 Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 171
9 Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha – 168
10 Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM – 163
