Direct updates from the 11th round of the season at Pala.
Follow the 11th round of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship with direct updates from Fox Raceway via Racefeed.
250 qualifying:
Justin Cooper kicked off the day by putting his Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha at the top of the timesheets as the only rider in the 2m06s range with a 2m06.989s lap. Championship points leader Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) was second just over three tenths back with a 2m07.296s lap, as Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) rounded out the top three. Fourth went to Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) as Ty Masterpool (AEO Powersports GasGas) was fifth. Sixth went to Austin Forkner (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) putting him just ahead of 250MX rookie Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) who was the first rider in the 2m08s range. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) was eight place, while Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) and Derek Drake (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) rounded out the top 10.
450 qualifying:
The top qualifier of the day in the 450MX class was Dylan Ferrandis, notching his best lap in the closing moments of the session. His 2m04.861s lap put him ahead of title rival Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) who was the only rider in the 2m05s range. Rounding out the top three was Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) with a 2m06.508s lap. Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) was fourth, as Joey Savatgy (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) ended the session in fifth. Sixth was Justin Bogle (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) with Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) in seventh. Eighth was Max Anstie (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) with his teammate Brandon Hartranft just behind in ninth. The final spot in the top 10 went to Coty Schock aboard his FXR Chaparral Honda).
250 moto one:
It was Vohland with the holeshot ahead of Mosiman, Josh Varize (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) with Jett Lawrence, and Hampshire in third. Cooper was just behind in sixth. Mosiman made a move around Vohland in the first lap, with Lawrence getting into third and Hampshire to fourth. At the conclusion of the second lap, Mosiman had got out to a 3.6s lead, as Lawrence found his way past Vohland for second. Vohland pressured Lawrence momentarily, but Hampshire eventually made a move for third in the following lap. At the end of the third lap it was Mosiman, Lawrence, Hampshire, Vohland, Varize, Shimoda, Cooper, Hunter Lawrence, Jarrett Frye (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) and Masterpool in the top 10. Lawrence reeled in Mosiman at the halfway point, while his brother began to pressure Cooper for seventh. Mosiman crashed in an attempt to regain time on Lawrence, giving Jett the lead and a six-second gap on Hampshire in second. With 10 minutes to go, the battle for third was on, as Shimoda and Mosiman caugh Vohland in third. Mosiman found momentum via an outside line, passing Shimoda and then Vohland in back-to-back corners, Shimoda then taking fourth from Vohland in the moments to follow. Mosiman then caught and passed Hampshire for second, while Cooper wicked up the pace and passed Hunter Lawrence, with that duo passing Vohland, giving them fifth and sixth. Hunter continued to pressure Cooper ahead of him as the duo looked to be set for a battle for fifth with two laps to go. Lawrence’s lead stretched out to over 13 seconds, eventually taking the win ahead of Mosiman, Hampshire, Shimoda, and Cooper in the top five. Hunter Lawrence couldn’t make the move on Cooper in the last lap and ended up sixth, as Vohland, Masterpool, Varize and Dilan Schwartz (BarX Chaparral Suzuki) rounded out the top 10.
450 moto one:
Roczen grabbed the holeshot with Webb, Ferrandis, Anstie, and Tomac. Schock was sixth with Craig, Bogle, Hartranft, and Fredrik Noren (KTM) rounded out the top 10. Roczen sprinted immediately, putting a gap between himself and Webb, but the latter closed the gap in the next laps. Tomac worked his way around Anstie and into fourth, just as Ferrandis worked his way around Webb for second. At the halfway point, Ferrandis worked his way past Roczen for the lead. Craig found his way around Anstie into fifth, just as Tomac closed on Webb for third. With seven minutes to go, Webb continued to hold off Tomac for the final podium spot. As the duo worked through lapped traffic, Webb got held up allowing Tomac to go around the outside and into third. At the front, Ferrandis had stretched out to nearly a seven-second lead over Roczen. With four laps to go, Tomac found his way around Roczen, putting a gap on the Honda rider. Roczen recovered to catch Tomac, then encountered an issue and backed off the pace. Out front it was all Ferrandis, taking the moto win with Tomac and Roczen rounding out the podium. Just behind him was Webb with Craig rounding out the top five. Sixth went to Anstie while Schock, Bogle, Savatgy, and Hartranft rounded out the top 10.
250 moto two:
Lawrence launched out of the gate and into the lead followed by Mosiman, Cooper, Hunter Lawrence and Varize. As things settled on the first few laps, Lawrence got out to a five-second lead as Cooper began to pressure Mosiman for second place. That duo stretched out a gap over Hunter Lawrence in fourth, with Varize holding off Forkner for fifth. Mosiman upped the pace and gapped Cooper again. Deeper in the field Forkner closed the gap to Varize with Shimoda just behind. Forkner made a pass attempt but was unable to make the move stick, allowing Shimoda to get that much closer. Forkner eventually made the pass, with Varize making an attempt to get back around in the following corners. Varize challenged Forkner but ended up losing a position to Shimoda, with Shimoda then making a move around Forkner for fifth with a big inside move. At the halfway point, Lawrence led Mosiman by five seconds, with Cooper a further four seconds behind in third. Just past the 10-minute mark, Cooper began to dig deep, charging and getting around him for second, now looking at a 10-second gap to Lawrence ahead of him. With three laps to go, Shimoda charged hard, catching and passing Mosiman for third place, with Mosiman keeping the pressure on at the two-lap card. Lawrence would grab the win ahead of Cooper, Shimoda, Mosiman and Forkner in the top five. With Hunter Lawrence, Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha), Schwartz, Varize and Frye rounding out the top 10.
450 moto two:
Ferrandis got the jump, but Cooper Webb and Roczen edged him out for the lead. Schock was fourth followed by Craig in fifth, while Tomac was mired in eighth. Roczen immediately began to challenge Webb for the lead, the duo crossing lines with Roczen eventually taking the position. Ferrandis made his way past Webb immediately, setting out after Roczen and making the pass for the lead a few corners later. Tomac made his way through and into fifth place around Schock, passing Craig shortly after for fourth. Tomac made an aggressive move to get around Webb, then passed Roczen in the same lap to take second place. Tomac charged and caught Ferrandis in the lead by way of a mistake from Ferrandis, eventually making the pass pretty easily at the halfway point. Meanwhile, behind them Webb passed Roczen for third place. Craig worked his way around Roczen deeper in the moto, dropping to fifth place. Anstie would slip past Roczen and into fifth, with Tomac eventually going on to take the moto win by a large margin. Ferrandis would take second and the championship with Webb third. Fourth went to Craig while Anstie, Roczen, Schock, Hartranft, Savatgy and Noren rounded out the top 10.