2017 RedBud Motocross Results 450MX | 9 Fast Facts

2017 RedBud Motocross Results and Coverage |
Tomac Takes Charge

Between a slightly rerouted track with added sand, mild weather, and just the right amount of rain in the days leading up to the Rockford Fosgate RedBud National round of the 2017 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Series, everyone was primed for some top notch racing. While there were some notable battles in the 450MX class, the takeaway will be the huge swing in the series lead as the riders leave Buchanan, Michigan.

Here are the essential facts you need to know about the 450MX class at the RedBud National.

1. Eli Tomac has put the 450MX world on notice. Not only is he winning, but now Tomac (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) is consistent. Tomac hadn’t put together two consecutive podium Saturdays coming into RedBud. With two convincing wins at Red Bud, plus a 2-1 last week in Tennessee and a win in Moto 2 the previous round at High Point, Tomac now has four wins in five motos, plus a second. He looked unbeatable at RedBud, taking away the points lead from Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) and moving 13 points clear at the halfway point in the season.

   

2. Blake Baggett found out that he can’t be on the podium at will. Last week in Tennessee Baggett went down early and came back for a third. Today in RedBud, he had his front end taken out in a clean pass by Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy/ Husqvarna Factory Racing) early in the first lap. Baggett still worked his way impressively through the field, but could only manage 10th place at the end, and he needed two last-lap passes to make that happen. That 10th broke Baggett’s string of eight consecutive moto podium finishes, and three consecutive overall podiums.
3. Baggett may have been a bit too patient in Moto 1. Sitting behind Christian Craig (Team Honda HRC) and Marvin Musquin (Red Bull/KTM) early in the moto, Baggett was not able to follow Tomac as Tomac moved from fourth to second place on Lap 3 (of 17). Briefly finding himself in fourth, Baggett got by Craig the next lap, but that gave a bit of space to Tomac. Tomac passed Musquin for the lead on Lap 5, while Baggett sat behind Musquin until Lap 12. Baggett made a good run on Tomac at the end, but Tomac managed his lead and won by 1.5 seconds. After that first moto, Baggett had just a single point lead in the championship.

   

4. Marvin Musquin has stopped the slide caused by a knee injury. He led a couple of laps in Moto 1, and worked his way up from sixth place in Moto 2. However he started, Musquin found himself in third at the end of each moto at RedBud—his best finish since he won the overall at Glen Helen (Round 2) when he took the series lead. Musquin is fourth in the standings, just 16 points behind third-place Anderson. However, Musquin is 40 points behind Tomac, and no longer controls his own destiny in the series—only the top three do.
5. Jason Anderson continues to chug along. Anderson has four overall podiums in a row, and hasn’t finished a race outside of the top six since the season’s opening moto (when he took a rock in the face). Anderson never looked like a threat to win at RedBud—he got caught up in a bad Moto 1 second-corner crash, and was 15 second behind Tomac in Moto 2—but he’s piling up points and gained seven points on Baggett.

   

6. Christian Craig and Justin Barcia got to lead some laps. Craig lead three laps in Moto 1 before Musquin went by him, while Barcia lead the first 16 minutes in Moto 2. Craig faded back to fifth place in Moto 1, while Barcia (Autotrader/Monster Energy/Suzuki) lost the back end while in the lead in Moto 2. Barcia swapped and lowsided, putting him back to sixth before he got back in the groove. Barcia’s seventh place in Moto 1 meant he finished fifth overall, his best day of the season. Craig finished 12th in Moto 2, after a poor start. That put Craig out of the top ten overall.

   

7. Peick survived a spectacular Turn 2 crash in Moto 1. When Cooper Webb (Monster Energy/Yamalube/Factory Yamaha) knifed the front end in the second turn, it caused Peick to eject from his bike and over a berm. While Webb did not return for the rest of the day, Peick managed an impressive 14th. In Moto 2, Peick ran in fourth place early, and briefly put himself ahead of Musquin. However, Musquin regrouped and Peick took a lonely fourth. Throw out the crash in Moto 1 and Peick has three fourth place finishes in a row. Peick’s comeback from injury is impressive.

   

8. Josh Grant and Cole Seely rebounded from Tennessee. Grant (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) didn’t even ride Tennessee due to injury. While Grant’s 10th in Moto 1 was nothing to celebrate, he grabbed a fifth in Moto 2. Seely, who scored zero points in Tennessee and has been fighting injuries all season, finished a more consistent 6-9. Both Grant and Seely scored 27 points on the day and are just one point apart as they battle for ninth in the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series.
9. Dean Wilson continued his streak of consistency. Wilson (Rockstar Energy/ Husqvarna Factory Racing) has finished seventh, eighth, or ninth in every moto since Moto 2 at Glen Helen—that’s nine motos. In RedBud, he had a pair of eighths. That consistency has tied Wilson on points with Bogle, who is fifth in the standings. Bogle and Wilson also both scored 26 points at RedBud, keeping them deadlocked.

Photography by Jeff Kardas

2017 Rockford Fosgate RedBud National Pro Motocross 450MX Results, RedBud, Buchanan, MI

1. Eli Tomac, 1-1, 50 points
2. Jason Anderson, 4-2, 40
3. Marvin Musquin, 3-3, 40
4. Blake Baggett, 2-10, 33
5. Justin Barcia, 7-6, 29
6. Josh Grant, 10-5, 27
7. Cole Seely, 6-9, 27
8. Justin Bogle, 9-7, 26
9. Dean Wilson, 8-8, 26
10. Weston Peick, 14-4, 25
11. Christian Craig, 5-12, 25
12. Trey Canard, 13-11, 18
13. Fredrik Noren, 11-14, 17
14. Martin Davalos, 15-13, 14
15. Henry Miller, 12-16, 14
16. John Short, 17-15, 10
17. Brock Tickle, 18-17, 7
18. Dakota Alix, 16-40, 5
19. Dakota Teder, 31-18, 3
20. Toshiki Tomita, 26-19, 2

    2017 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Standings (6 of 12 rounds)
    
    1. Eli Tomac, 241, (6 moto wins)
    2. Blake Baggett, 228 (2 moto wins)
    3. Jason Anderson, 216 (2 moto wins)
    4. Marvin Musquin, 201 (1 moto win)
    5. Justin Bogle, 163 (1 moto win)
    6. Dean Wilson, 163
    7. Broc Tickle, 146
    8. Weston Peick, 137
    9. Josh Grant, 133
    10. Cole Seely, 132
    11. Justin Barcia, 125
    12. Cooper Webb, 112
    13. Martin Davalos, 110
    14. Fredrik Noren, 103
    15. Dakota Alix, 65
    16. Christian Craig, 62
    17. Trey Canard, 39
    18. Heath Harrison, 31
    19. Dean Ferris, 29
    20. John Short, 25

    2017 RedBud Motocross Photo Gallery