2016 Unadilla Motocross Results

Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb reigned supreme in their respective classes over the weekend at one of the country’s oldest and toughest tracks – the Unadilla Motocross track, located in New Berlin, New York. In recent years, the track has gained a reputation for becoming one of the roughest tracks on the calendar, with many steep hills, long ruts, and loose rocks that provide extra concerns for riders to navigate. Several rainstorms during the weekend increased the difficulty of the track.
The opening 450 moto began with many of the usual suspects upfront; Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac pulled the hole shot aboard his KX450F, but his time in the lead was short lived. RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen and Justin Barcia quickly passed Tomac. The Kawasaki rider wasn’t going to give up second without a fight; Tomac pushed hard and got back by Toyota Autotrader Weinerschnitzel NFab JGRMX Yamaha’s Barcia.
Ten minutes into the Moto, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin was able to catch and pass Barcia. The technical mud riding skills of the European riders was quite apparent; Musquin and Roczen put their MXGP experience to work.
At the 20-minute mark, Roczen had built a 7.5-second lead over Tomac. The real battle wasn’t at the front though; it was between Weston Peick, Freddie Noren, Benny Bloss, Phil Nicoletti, Justin Brayton, and Matt Biscegelia, who had all been trading positions throughout the Moto.
When the checkers flew, the top five were: Roczen, Tomac, Musquin, Peick, and Noren.
Ken Roczen started the second 450 Moto the right way; he pulled a hole shot and employed his very successful game plan of sprinting away with the lead. Right behind Roczen was the pair of factory Red Bull KTM’s of Musquin and Dean Wilson, followed by the hometown hero Nicoletti aboard his Toyota Autotrader Weinerschnitzel NFab JGRMX Yamaha YZ450F.
The real action happened behind Roczen early in the Moto. Nicoletti struck first, passing Wilson for third. Wilson then got passed by BTO Sports KTM’s rider Benny Bloss and the other Toyota Autotrader Weinerschnitzel NFab JGRMX Yamaha of Weston Peick. To top off the early Moto action Marvin Musquin crashed while in second on the infamous hill section, known as “screw-u”.
At the halfway point of the Moto, the running order of the top five was: Roczen, Bloss, Nicoletti, Musquin, and Peick. Tomac found himself fighting through the pack after a bad start, he was in sixth and still charging forward halfway through the Moto.
Late in the Moto, Musquin managed to pass both Nicoletti and Bloss, giving him second. Musquin wasn’t alone in his charge through the top five, Eli Tomac made his way into third place behind the Europeans.
Late in the Moto, Phil Nicoletti began to lose his pace, he then got passed by Wilson, Peick, and Noren. Peick gave up the positions he gained with a late Moto crash that set him back to ninth. When they crossed the finish line it was Roczen, Musquin, Tomac, Bloss, and Peick. The 450 overall was: Roczen (1-1), Musquin (3-2), Tomac (2-3), Bloss (7-4), Barcia (4-7).
2016 Unadilla 250MX Recap
When the gate dropped for 250 Moto one, it was Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s rookie, Austin Forkner who led the pack around the first turn, followed by his teammates Joey Savatgy and Adam Cianciarulo. The race was quickly red flagged, after Cody Schock had a big crash.
Cianciarulo took advantage of the restart; he pulled the hole shot aboard his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250F. Right behind him was his amateur rival, Cooper Webb. Behind them was a teammate battle between Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders Savatgy and Arnaud Tonus.
Fifteen minutes into the Moto, Star Racing Rockstar Yamaha’s Webb made his way around his amateur rival Cianciarulo. Once in the lead, Webb dropped the hammer and sprinted away from the rest of the field. Although, Webb was out front, it was his series rival, Savatgy, who was laying down the fastest laps after passing his teammates; Tonus and Cianciarulo.
Aaron Plessinger put on an impressive late Moto charge to catch and pass Cianciarulo for third, with only three laps left. Plessinger didn’t stop there though; he chased down and briefly passed Savatgy for second. The seasoned veteran, Savatgy, used a lapper to make a quick pass by to retake second place.
When the Moto ended, it was: Webb, Savatgy, Plessinger, Cianciarulo, and Hill.
The second 250 Moto began with Forkner proving that his starts aren’t an issue, and pulling the hole shot to lead the field around the first turn. Forkner had fast company behind him though; Savatgy and Webb were quickly in tow. Savatgy made a mistake early, and allowed Webb to get by to overtake the second position. At the halfway mark, the rookie sensation Forkner was still leading the field, followed by: Webb, Martin, Plessinger, and Hill.
Savatgy’s off track expedition was the beginning of the end for his day; he then lost several more positions to Alex Martin, Plessinger, and Justin Hill, before dropping to 12th and pulling off the track. His teammate Cianciarulo also crashed out of the Moto. The rough conditions caused trouble for much of the field, including third place Star Racing Rockstar Yamaha’s Alex Martin, who fell later in the Moto, and remounted in fifth.
Just passed the 20-minute mark in the Moto, Webb proved why he currently has the red plate; he rode hard and caught and passed Forkner. Not long after Webb took the lead the race was cut short due to a crash by Troy Lee Designs GoPro Red Bull KTM’s Jessy Nelson.
The second Moto results were: Webb, Plessinger, Forkner, Hill, and Hampshire. The top five overall scores for the day were: Webb (1-1), Plessinger (3-3), Forkner (7-2), Hill (5-4), and Hampshire (9-6).
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will continue next weekend for the penultimate round of the 2016 season with the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National on Saturday, August 20, from Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Md.
2016 Unadilla 450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (1-1)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (3-2)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (2-3)
- Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM (7-4)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (4-7)
- Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (6-6)
- Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha (5-9)
- Dean Wilson, Scotland, KTM (11-5)
- Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (8-8)
- Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Suzuki (9-10)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki – 484
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 421
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 325
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 276
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna – 217
- Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM – 183
- Justin Brayton Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM – 173
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 171
- Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha – 168
- Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM – 163
2016 Unadilla Motocross 250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (1-1)
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (3-3)
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (7-2)
- Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM (5-4)
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (9-6)
- Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM (8-9)
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (13-5)
- Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Husqvarna (11-8)
- Tristan Charboneau, Tenino, Wash., Honda (10-10)
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (2-32)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 422
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 341
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha – 341
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha – 321
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 293
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 285
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 253
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 197
- Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Kawasaki – 195
- Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM – 190