2014 Hangtown Motocross Results
For the 46th time, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship – sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing – headed to Rancho Cordova, Calif., for the GoPro Hangtown Motocross Classic.
And just like the opening round at Glen Helen, a Red Bull KTM rider doubled in the 450 main event. But it wasn’t Ryan Dungey, who doubled at Glen Helen; it was his teammate, the German Ken Roczen.
As the rookie took the double in the 450 class, the 250 class was once again dominated by Minnesota’s Jeremy Martin. The YamaLube Yamaha rider doubled, just as he did last week at Glen Helen.
After Roczen finished in second at both Glen Helen races, he was expected to be Dungey’s biggest challenger at Hangtown. But the SX-F 450 pilot Roczen set a pace Dungey could not match.
Overall, Dungey would finish second with a 2-2 finish, and Muscle Milk Team Honda’s Trey Canard third with a 3-4 overall finish.
After qualifying on top, Roczen got the gate choice. Though he got out of the gate quickly, Dungey took the MotoSport.com Holeshot Award. But Roczen would take the lead before the end of the opening lap of 20.
He immediately opened up a gap en route to his first 450-class moto win. Dungey would battle with Canard, but be able to keep the number-2 spot. Finishing behind Canard was teammate Justin Barcia and Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart.
In Moto 2, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer earned the MotoSport.com Holeshot, with teammate Brett Metcalfe in tow.
Metcalfe then took the lead, with Barcia, Roczen and Dungey following. Metcalfe would battle with Barcia, but eventually Roczen would break out and take the win.
Dungey would make some attempts on Roczen, but wasn’t able to catch him. He had to settle for second.
“Today was pretty good, I got good starts which helped out. The first and second moto kind of played out the same, got into second and Kenny was riding really well today,” Dungey says. “I know I can improve in a few little areas, but overall it wasn’t too bad. It’s going to be a long year.”
Taking the final podium position was Stewart, who got around Metcalfe and Barcia later in the race. Another intense jump in positions was from Canard; the Honda CRF450R pilot moved from ninth to take fourth overall. Rounding out the top five was Barcia. Due to his wins, 3-4 win, Canard would take third overall.
“I was trying to do the best that I could and I got more and more comfortable as the race went on,” Canard says. “It feels good to ride a motorcycle that you’re comfortable on and having fun. Every point is going to count come August so I’m going to make the best of every moment while I’m out there.”
Stewart finished the day with 5-3 moto scores to capture fourth overall for the day, followed by Barcia in sixth with 4-5 scores. California native Westin Peick put in a season-best sixth place finish aboard his RCH Racing/Soaring Eagle Suzuki.
With his win at the 2014 Hangtown Motocross Classic, Roczen began one of a few riders who would win there in both the 250 and 450 classes. He now has a five-point lead over Dungey, and will don the number-one red plate next Saturday at Lakewood.
“I really had a good time out there,” Roczen says. “It was good racing, I don’t think I have anything to complain about. I always have done well at Hangtown and I have good memories here. This weekend I was comfortable on the bike and once you have that little bit you need, it’s going good.”
It was once again a marquee day for Factory Yamaha racing in the 250 Class, as the brand swept all three positions on the overall podium. Coming off Yamaha’s first 250 Class victory in exactly one decade at the opening round, Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin once again led the way with his second straight victory-and 1-1 sweep-of 2014, MX Sports says.
“This is what I’ve been focusing on,” Martin said. “Great motos today, my teammate and I went 1-2 and the Yamahas were strong. It was pretty cool for Yamaha that we swept the podium. I don’t think it’s been done in a long time.”
Martin was once again joined atop the podium by his Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha teammate Cooper Webb, who seemingly picked up where he left off as a front-runner at the opening round, MX Sports says.
In the first moto, Webb battled with GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle for the second place spot, a battle that sent the Newport, North Carolina rider to the ground once. Webb bounced back, though, eventually passing Bogle to capture second place in Moto 1. There was no catching Martin, though, as he gapped the rest of the field by nearly 20 seconds, MX Sports says.
GEICO Honda’s Zach Bell captured the MotoSport.com Holeshot in the first moto, where he hung on for a top five finish behind Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Justin Hill, who took fourth in Moto 1, MX Sports says.
While he’s been extremely close in the first three races, Martin captured his first MotoSport.com Holeshot of the season in Moto 2, where he led every lap start to finish. The top two positions unfolded just as they did in the first moto, but the turn of events came in the third place position with Valli Motorsports/Yamaha’s Christophe Pourcel. Pourcel, who hasn’t raced a full season of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross since 2011 in the 450 Class, captured a season-best third place finish in Moto 2, which was good enough to earn the Frenchmen third overall for the day, MX Sports says.
Justin Hill put forth a consistent effort to capture fourth overall with 4-6 moto scores, while California native Jessy Nelson rounded out the top five with moto finishes of 7-5 aboard his Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda machine, MX Sports says.
Round Three of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads to Lakewood, Colorado for the Toyota Thunder Valley National on Saturday, June 7.
2014 Hangtown Classic Motocross 450 Class Results (Moto Finish):
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM (1-1)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (2-2)
- Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, (3-4)
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (5-3)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (4-5)
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki (8-6)
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki (7-8)
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Kawasaki (6-9)
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (10-7)
- Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki (11-12)
450 Class Championship Standings:
- Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 94
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 89
- Trey Canard, Edmond, Okla., Honda – 72
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 66
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Kawasaki – 61
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda – 52
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki – 52
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 52
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 51
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 43
2014 Hangtown Motocross 250 Class Results (Moto Finish):
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (1-1)
- Cooper Webb, Morehead City, N.C., Yamaha (2-2)
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Yamaha (8-3)
- Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki (4-6)
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda (7-5)
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM (10-4)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (9-7)
- Zach Bell, Cairo, Ga., Honda (5-12)
- Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda (13-8)
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda (3-35)
250 Class Championship Standings:
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha – 100
- Cooper Webb, Morehead City, N.C., Yamaha – 88
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Yamaha – 63
- Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda – 51
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 50
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM – 49
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda – 48
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrance, Calif., Kawasaki – 48
- Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda – 45
- Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki – 43
