2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Finale Results
The 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 450cc title fight came down to the final round Saturday at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.
The battle, which lasted nearly all season, was between the Red Bull KTM pilots Ken Roczen (Germany) and Ryan Dungey (Minnesota). Just 20 points separated Dungey from the points-leader Roczen heading into the Zions Bank Utah National.
And though he didn’t take a win at Miller MX, Roczen’s 3-4 moto finishes earned him the title in his rookie year. Roczen would finish the season 14 points ahead of Dungey, who had to settle for 2-2 moto results at miller. Taking the overall victory was Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard, who swept the round.
As for the 250 class, YamaLube Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin clinched the title last weekend in Indiana. But he wasn’t about to slow down; he swept Miller MX, earning a class-leading five victories.
In the 450 class, Canard earned his first-career win in the 450 class, becoming the division’s 62nd different winner. In the first moto, he quickly got pass GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac and Motorsport Holeshot winner Roczen.
Soon, Canard, Roczen, Dungey and Tomac broke away from the remaining riders, and battled for the entire moto. Canard was able to hold off pressure, from Roczen, but the German SX-F 450 pilot would contact another rider, nearly crashing.
This allowed Canard to extend his led, and a battle ensued between Roczen, Dungey and Tomac. Dungey would get pass his teammate Roczen on lap 14, but would later lose it. As the KTM duo battled, Tomac fell back.
With two laps remaining, Dungey would once again get pass Roczen, and hold the position to the checkered flag. Canard would take the win, nearly seven seconds ahead of the 2010 MX Champion Dungey. Roczen took third, followed by Tomac and Toyota Yamaha’s Josh Grant in fifth.
Canard carried the momentum into the second moto, taking the holeshot ahead of Roczen. The two pulled away from the grid, though Dungey charged to third from a mid-pack start by the end of the opening lap.
Canard again opened a gap on Roczen, and Dungey began putting pressure on his teammate. Dungey made the pass on lap five, and began charging towards Canard.
But Dungey would never catch Canard, and had to settle for second, eight seconds behind. Meanwhile behind, Roczen was also overtaken by Tomac, who finished third.
Roczen took fourth – enough to win the title – followed by Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe.
Roczen became the first German native to win an MX title, and the 23rd different rider in the series’ 43-year history. He also becomes the fourth rider to win a title in his rookie year, including Dungey, Ricky Carmichael and Jean-Michel Bayle.
“I’ve been trying to play it cool [all weekend] but I’m not going to lie, I’ve been really nervous about today,” said Roczen.
“I just didn’t want to talk about it and [wanted to] go out there and ride. I just pumped myself up for the motos and went, but it was honestly hard to put it out of my mind. I just went out there and did what I needed to do and made it happen, which is a huge accomplishment.”
Roczen’s title triumph was the second ever for KTM in the 450 Class and was the brand’s second premier division crown in three years. It’s also the first 1-2 championship sweep for the team.
As for Canard, he earned his first moto win two weeks ago at Unadilla, and his first-ever round at Miller. This was his 26th career start in the 450 class.
“I’ve gotten more comfortable [the last few weeks]. It’s no secret we made bike changes and it was instant for me in gaining more confidence,” explained Canard.
“I really have to attribute that to the team and I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve been through such a roller coaster career I thought that if I didn’t win today then it would be hard to win [ever]. I just wanted to put two motos together to give us [momentum] going into next year.”
Dungey’s consistent 2-2 effort landed him second overall, while Tomac (4-3) earned the tiebreaker over Roczen (3-4) to grab the final spot on the podium.
Despite already clinching the 250 Class title last weekend, Martin didn’t let up on Saturday. After his teammate Cooper Webb grabbed the Motosport.com Holeshot Award in the opening moto, Martin applied consistent pressure after starting second and was able to make the pass for the lead on Lap 5. Once in front, Martin was untouchable and opened a comfortable margin that he was able to maintain throughout the remainder of the moto, MX Sports says.
Behind the Yamaha duo out front, the battle for the final spot on the podium was an exciting one. Strong starts by Rockstar Energy Racing teammates Joey Savatgy and Jason Anderson allowed the pair to jockey for the position early, but Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett soon made their presence felt by surging to the front, MX Sports says.
Musquin fought his way into third on Lap 4, but lost it to Baggett just one lap later. Although Musquin kept him honest for the entirety of the moto, Baggett withstood the pressure, MX Sports says.
Martin took his ninth moto win of the season over 14 seconds ahead of Webb, with Baggett in third and Musquin fourth. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Alldredge recorded a career-best fifth-place finish in just his third career pro start, MX Sports says.
Savatgy grabbed another strong start in the second moto, claiming the Motosport.com Holeshot Award over Martin. However, it didn’t take long for Martin to assume the lead and check out on the field. Savatgy soon came under fire from Musquin and GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle, while Baggett and Webb also began their marches toward the front, MX Sports says.
Musquin took over second from Savatgy on Lap 3, bringing Bogle with him. The duo did battle for six laps before Bogle got the best of the Frenchman, which allowed both Webb and Baggett to close in. On Lap 10 Musquin lost a pair of spots to the hard-charging tandem, dropping to fifth. As Webb looked to assume control of the final podium spot, Baggett found a way by and set his sights on Bogle, MX Sports says.
Martin won by nearly 18 seconds over Bogle, who held of Baggett in third. Webb followed in fourth to ensure his spot on the overall podium, MX Sports says.
“I found something with my bike setup that helped last week and I think that played a key factor in how comfortable I felt and how well I did today,” said Martin. “To be able to go 1-1 today was nice because it shows why I won the championship. I got good starts and chose good lines and it all worked out really great. I wanted to really enjoy it today and I did.”
Baggett’s 3-3 scores earned the runner-up spot in the overall classification and also clinched second in the final 250 Class championship standings over Webb, who tied Baggett in points for the afternoon but finished third overall (2-4) following the second moto tiebreaker, MX Sports says.
“I showed up and rode my bike to the best of my abilities today. Some days I do that and some days I don’t. It’s as simple as that,” explained Baggett. “The track was much better this year and I was able to fight my way to the front. I just charge all the way to the checkered flag and where I end up is where I end up. Today that was good enough for second.”
The 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship schedule was released in conjunction with the season finale and will kick off with the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, California, on May 16.
2014 Miller Motorsports Park Motocross Results – Zions Bank Utah National
450 Class (Moto Finish)
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda (1-1)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (2-2)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (4-3)
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM (3-4)
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Kawasaki (7-5)
- Ryan Sipes, Flaherty, Ky., KTM (9-6)
- Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (6-12)
- Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (10-9)
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki (13-7)
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha (12-8)
2014 450 Motocross Class Championship Final Standings:
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM, 532
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 518
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 468
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Kawasaki, 334
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 319
- Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM, 302
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki, 290
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 259
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 226
- Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda, 207
250 Class (Moto Finish)
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (1-1)
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (3-3)
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (2-4)
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda (6-2)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (4-5)
- Chris Alldredge, Powell Butte, Ore., Kawasaki (5-8)
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., KTM (8-7)
- Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki (10-6)
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Honda (7-9)
- R.J. Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (9-11)
2014 250 Motocross Class Championship Final Standings
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 500
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki, 421
- Cooper Webb, Morehead City, N.C., Yamaha, 419
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 408
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda, 368
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Yamaha, 355
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., KTM, 276
- Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda, 260
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 252
- Dean Wilson, Scotland, Kawasaki, 230