2017 Thunder Valley Motocross Schedule and Viewing Guide
Here’s what you need to know to enjoy the True Value Thunder Valley National, Round 3 of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series on Saturday, June 3 in Lakewood, Colorado.
1. You can tune in live to Thunder Valley Motocross on MAVTV, NBCSN, and NBC Sports Gold. Saturday qualifying is at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on NBC Sports Gold only (a $50 season subscription is required for on-demand streaming—all racing and qualifying is live). From 3 to 5 p.m. ET, you can watch the first motos live in each class on MAVTV. The second motos run live from 5 to 7 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Gold, while you’ll have to wait until 6 p.m. to see them on NBCSN. The hour-long Highlight Show on NBCSN runs on Friday night, June 9, at midnight ET.
2. Thunder Valley Motocross Park is Eli Tomac’s home track. KTM’s Marvin Musquin took over the series lead last week at Glen Helen when Tomac’s Kawasaki KX450F suffered a front brake failure in a collision early in Moto 2. Tomac will be looking to take a chunk out of Musquin’s 15-point advantage. However, Tomac has some bad memories at Thunder Valley—he went down hard in 2015 while leading, severely injuring both shoulders and ending his successful ’15 campaign.
3. Musquin now knows how to win. In his second year in the 450MX class, the two-time FIM World Motocross MX2 Champion now has some experience in winning both a moto and overall in the US Nationals. Musquin didn’t do well last year at Thunder Valley, as he ran 37-5 in the two motos, compared to 5-2 for Tomac. The two riders who beat Tomac in 2016—Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey—aren’t racing the series this year.
4. Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson is surging. A nasty crash in the first turn took Anderson out of the season’s opening moto in Hangtown. He recovered for a sixth in Hangtown and a fifth in Moto 1 at Glen Helen. He then went on to win Moto 2 at Glen Helen handily. Altitude sickness kept Anderson out of the points at Thunder Valley in 2016. Has he found a cure?
5. Kawasaki’s Josh Grant will be looking to return to the podium. He had three third-place finishes in a row this year before going down early in Moto 2 at Glen Helen. That let KTM’s Blake Baggett move into third in the series by three points.
6. Keep your eyes on Suzuki RM-Z450 racers Broc Tickle and Weston Peick, along with Husqvarna’s Martin Davalos. All three were in the Top 10 in Moto 2 at Glen Helen—their best finishes of 2017. They have a bit of a taste, and that may make them very hungry.
7. You won’t be seeing Team Honda HRC’s Christian Craig at Thunder Valley. Team Honda HRC has been beset with injuries this year. Craig went down hard into the face of a jump in Moto 2 while in a podium position at Glen Helen. He suffered a Boxer’s Fracture in his hand, which has been plated. He won’t be riding for a few weeks.
8. At high-altitude, there can be surprises. They’re racing at over a mile above sea level. Oxygen content in the air is reduced, and that means less power for the bikes, and more laboring by the riders. The high temperature on Saturday should be around 75 degrees and partly cloudy, so weather shouldn’t be a factor for the riders or the motocross motorcycles.
2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Standings (after 2 of 12 rounds)
- Marvin Musquin, 89 points (1 moto win)
- Eli Tomac, 74, (2 moto wins)
- Blake Baggett, 63
- Josh Grant, 60
- Dean Wilson, 58
- Jason Anderson, 56 (1 moto win)
- Cole Seely, 54
- Broc Tickle, 53
- Justin Bogle, 49
- Weston Peick, 46
- Justin Barcia, 45
- Cooper Webb, 39
- Christian Craig, 37
- Martin Davalos, 31
- Fredrik Noren, 30
- Justin Hoeft, 17
- Dakota Ail, 17
- Dillan Epstein, 12
- Heath Harrison, 12
- Cody Cooper, 11
