Here’s what you need to know to enjoy the FMF Glen Helen National, Round 2 of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series on Saturday, May 27 in San Bernardino, Calif.1. You can tune in live on MAVTV, NBCSN, and NBC Sports Gold. Qualifying is at 9:15 a.m. local Pacific Time on Saturday, and on NBC Sports Gold only (a $50 season subscription is required for on-demand streaming—all racing and qualifying is live and uninterrupted). From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. PT, you can watch the first motos live in each class on MAVTV. The second motos run live from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT on NBCSN. You’ll have to wait until Friday at 2 a.m. Eastern Time to watch the hour-long Highlight Show on NBCSN.Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac
2. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac is on a roll. He didn’t win the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, so he has something to prove, and Ryan Dungey is no longer in his way and defending champion Ken Roczen is still recovering from injury. Tomac won both motos at Hangtown handily, but teammate Josh Grant and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin both led laps, so it may not be a cakewalk. On the other hand, Tomac won big at the 2016 MXGP round at Glen Helen.3. Grant has won before at Glen Helen. It’s his local track, and he knows how to win at Glen Helen. Grant had a pair of third place finishes at Hangtown and is looking good, so Tomac will have to be ready for a battle.4. Musquin needs to win. With Dungey retired, Musquin in the #1 guy at Red Bull KTM. He’s a former World Champion, so he is expected to win a US national championship for the Austrian marque. He was in front in both motos at Hangtown—now Musquin has to stay out front.5. Three riders are looking for a strong Moto 1. Monster Energy/Autotrader/Suzuki’s Justin Barcia, Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Wilson, and his teammate Jason Anderson will want better starts in the first moto. All three were involved in first corner problem. Anderson took a rock to the face and couldn’t continue. Barcia had to turn a 28th place start into an 11th place finish. Wilson was 24th after one lap, but worked his way up to 10th. All three rebounded in Moto 2—Wilson was 4th, Barcia took 5th, and Anderson ran 6th at the end. They’ll all be hungry to put it together for two motos at Glen Helen.KTM’s Marvin Musquin6. Two riders want to up their Moto 2 game. Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha’s Cooper Webb had a strong 5th place finish in the first moto at Hangtown, and started Moto 2 in 5th. However, the 2016 250MX Champion faded to 9th in the second moto. Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely was 4th in Moto 1 at Hangtown, but had a terrible 13th place start in the second moto. He made some headway, getting into the Top 10 at one point, but dropped back to 12th as he was suffering from a hip injury. That means Wilson, Barcia, Anderson, Webb, and Seely will all be looking for consistency at Glen Helen, and they’ll all be likely racing each other.7. Blake Baggett and Broc Tickle will be eyeing the top 5. Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS KTM’s Baggett went 6-8 at Hangtown, while RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Tickle had a pair of 7s. They’ll both be battling for top-5 finishes at Glen Helen, and Baggett is a former 250MX Champion.8. The Top 10 awaits for Weston Peick, Fredrik Noren, and rookie Martin Davalos. All three were close in Hangtown, with Monster Energy/Autotrader/Suzuki’s Peick the closest, with a 12th in Moto 1 and a 11th the next moto. However, Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Davalos and Precision Site Work/Tilube/Honda’s Noren has 13th place finishes—Noren in Moto 1 and Davalos the second time around. They can taste Top 10 finishes at Glen Helen.Kawasaki’s Josh Grant9. Only five points separated 4th from 10th in the standings. There will be lots of movement in the standings when Glen Helen is over, and the riders know it. 10. Team HRC Honda’s Christian Craig was the top rookie. He was 9th in Moto 1, after leading and then crashing. He admitted to being worn out in Moto 2 and finished 14th. Craig, who is filling in for the injured Roczen, will be aiming to finish in the Top 10 overall in Glen Helen.
KTM RC 390 and Gordon McCall of Quail Motorcycle Gathering
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the new KTM RC 390. The entry-level KTM has always been an impressive motorcycle that has sold extremely well, however the factory has now taken the bike to another level, with top-spec features that are typically found on flagship machines. Clearly KTM has realized that even smaller engined machines should have high spec suspension, brakes and electronics packages. Nic tells us how well the new RC 390 is equipped, and what he thought of riding the smaller displacement rocket.
In the second segment I chat with automotive and motorcycle industry icon, Gordon McCall. Gordon is the Director of Motorsports at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California.
This weekend of Saturday May 14th sees the annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering re-start after its Covid-forced hiatus, and having attended every one of the previous Motorcycle Gatherings, personally I’m very happy that the event is back on the schedule. Gordon chats about the event and a little of what’s happening this year. It’s a great event and if you feel like a trip to the gorgeous Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, you’ll get to meet Gordon, Roland Sands, and of course a large number of stunning motorcycles too.
From all of us at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
