Direct updates from round three of the season in Colorado.
Follow the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship with direct updates from round three of the season at Thunder Valley through Racefeed.
Image: Octopi Media.
450MX qualifying:
Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton fired the first salvo of the day by claiming 450MX qualifying honours over hometown hero Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing). The current points’ leader put in a lap-time of 2m14.509s, which was almost a second quicker than Tomac’s 2m15.397, as the Thunder Valley track bedded in. Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen posted the third-fastest time, ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson and nine-time World Champion Tony Cairoli (Red Bull KTM). Joe Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Benny Bloss (BBMX) both put in impressive laps to finish fifth and sixth respectively. Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing), Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) and Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) rounded out the top 10 gate-pick positions.
250MX qualifying:
TLD Red Bull GasGas’s Michael Mosiman claimed pole position ahead of points’ leader Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) in the 250MX class qualifying. Mosiman’s quickest lap of 2m16.916s was three-tenths of the second quicker than Lawrence’s 2m17.267s, setting the scene for what promises to be a great day of racing. Hunter Lawrence made it a Team Honda HRC 2-3 with a third-fastest qualifying time, ahead of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker and Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing rider Justin Cooper. Cooper’s team-mate, Nate Thrasher, finished the qualifying session in sixth. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna pairing Stilez Robertson and Jalek Swoll clocked the seventh- and eighth-quickest times, while Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) and Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing) completed the top 10.
450MX moto one:
The opening 450MX moto saw Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Eli Tomac claim an emphatic come-from-behind win. Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM) secured the holeshot, but Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen quickly jumped to the lead and began pulling away, while Tomac found himself in sixth. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson made early moves on Cairoli, then Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) to work his way into second, but Roczen had established a five-second buffer. As the race progressed, Tomac continued to get stronger, pouring the pressure on Barcia for third, then hunting down Anderson. To the delight of the Colorado fans, Tomac caught and dispatched of Roczen with five laps remaining, then built a comfortable lead that he maintained until the checkered flag. Anderson finished third ahead of Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) and Cairoli. Barcia crossed the line in sixth, with Ryan Dungey (Red Bull KTM) seventh, Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) eighth and Garrett Marchbanks (Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha). Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Christian Craig recovered from a first-turn crash to finish 10th.
250MX moto one:
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing rookie Levi Kitchen broke through for his first-ever Pro Motocross victory with a wire-to-wire win in the opening 250MX race. Kitchen grabbed the holeshot and never looked back as he sailed to a nine-second victory over a Team Honda HRC’s series leader Jett Lawrence, who tried to put in a charge early before settling for P2. Kitchen’s Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team-mate, Justin Cooper, finished the race on the podium. Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence overcame an average start (he was ninth on the first lap) to cross the line in fourth, ahead of Seth Hammaker (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and a fast-starting Stilez Robertson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna). Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) finished seventh, as Nate Thrasher and Nicholas Romano ensured Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing finished with four riders in the top 10. P10 was claimed by Matthew Leblanc (Yamaha). Fastest-qualifier Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) finished 13th after two crashes during the race.
450MX moto two:
Ken Roczen claimed a stunning win in the second race when his team-mate, Chase Sexton, crashed out of the lead on the final lap. In a carbon copy of the opening moto, Cairoli again scored the holeshot, but surrendered the lead to Roczen two corners later. As Roczen began building a lead, Sexton worked his way past Cairoli, then put in some hard laps to catch and pass Roczen. Eli Tomac worked his way into third and became embroiled in an intense, multi-lap battle for second with Roczen as the clock wound down, but after the two came together and shunted Tomac off his line, the Yamaha rider settled in, content that a 1-3 result would be enough for the overall. However, on the final lap, Sexton dropped his bike in a rut and allowed Roczen to sail past for a hard-fought win and the overall. Sexton and Tomac finished on the podium, with Cairoli fourth and Shane McElrath (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) putting in a good performance for fifth. P6-10 were filled by Jason Anderson, Ryan Dungey, Justin Barcia, Joey Savatgy and Aaron Plessinger.
250MX moto two:
Hunter Lawrence showed exactly what he can do with a good start after a comfortable five-second win over his little brother, Jett Lawrence in the second 250MX race. The elder Lawrence scored the holeshot and was never challenged as he clicked off fast, consecutive laps to take his first Pro Motocross victory of 2022. Jett was able to make a quick pass on Cooper early in the race to secure his third overall of the season with a consistent 2-2 result from the two motos. Cooper would finish the race in third; despite surrendering that position to Mosiman for a number of laps, the Yamaha rider was able to remount an attack and ensure he finished on the round podium. First-moto winner, Levi Kitchen, recovered to finish fifth after getting caught in a big early crash that took down Nate Thrasher and Seth Hammaker. Shimoda, Robertson, Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM), Matt Leblanc and privateer Derek Kelley (KTM) completed the top 10.
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