2017 Spring Creek National Motocross Results, Coverage and Commentary
Series leaders Eli Tomac (450MX) and Zach Osborne (250MX) didn’t have breakout days at the 2017 La Crescent Wine & Spirit Spring Creek National at Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, MN, but they did scrub off two more motos and moved closer to taking 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships that are theirs to lose.
Here are a dozen essential facts you need to take away from Spring Creek.
- With two moto victories at Spring Creek, you can declare Marvin Musquin fully recovered from his debilitating mid-season knee injury. It wasn’t even close at Spring Creek MX Park, as Musquin (Red Bull/KTM) won each moto by over 15 seconds. In Moto 1, Musquin got a holeshot and quickly took off—Musquin was 20 seconds ahead after just six laps. Justin Bogle (RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing) took the holeshot honors in Moto 2, but Musquin took the lead on Lap 3 and never looked back. Musquin led 28 of 30 laps at Spring Creek—a dominating performance.
Marvin Musquin - Eli Tomac had small problems, but did what it took to extend his lead. Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) is the only competition for Tomac (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) at this point, and Tomac added a point to his lead and reduced Baggett’s chances to make up 20 points by two motos. A start out of the top 10 doomed Tomac in Moto 1, though he came back to take second place. In Moto 2, he was right up front at the start when he faltered in a downhill rut and went down hard. Tomac remounted, and then crashed again, leaving him in 14th place. Tomac stormed back to fifth place, putting him on the podium and one-point up on Baggett for the day.
Eli Tomac - Blake Baggett never got on track in Moto 1, and it cost him. A seventh place start isn’t too bad for Baggett, but he floundered from there. He dropped back to ninth, and never got higher than his sixth place finishing position, following Cooper Webb (Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha) for most of the second half of Moto 1. It was a much better second moto for Baggett, who is still riding with an injured thumb. He was third at the start, and when leader Bogle faded, Baggett took over second place, which he held for 13 of 15 laps. Baggett, however, never threatened Musquin for the win, and leaves Spring Creek 20 points behind Tomac and off the overall podium.
- Two podium finishes put Dean Wilson on the overall podium for the second consecutive round. He wasn’t flashy about it, but Wilson (Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna Factory Racing) rode strong at Spring Creek MX Park. He was third early in Moto 1 before giving up the spot to a charging Tomac. In Moto 2, he started fourth, and held his spot behind Musquin and Baggett as Bogle faltered. Wilson now has three third place moto finishes in a row, and moves to an unexpected fourth place in the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450MX Championship Series—not bad for a replacement of the demoted Christophe Pourcel.
Dean Wilson - Cooper Webb, Justin Barcia, and Martin Davalos looked good, but need consistency. The trio finished fifth, sixth, and seventh, in that order, but their results were mixed. Webb went 4-9, while Barcia (Autotrader/Monster Energy/Suzuki) was 5-8, and Davalos (Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna Factory Racing) finished 11-4. If any of these three can put it together for two motos, we may see them on the podium.
- Team Honda HRC teammate Cole Seely and Christian Craig were consistent, but not consistently fast. Craig’s 7-7 is great for a replacement rider, but Seely’s 8-6 is not inspiring. Fortunately for Seely, his two closest competitors—Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Bogle—had terrible days.
Trey Canard - Trey Canard retired from racing, and Jason Anderson retired early for the day. Canard, who has been plagued with injuries most of his professional career—he had 250-class championships in 2008 and 2010—finally surrendered to the inevitable at Spring Creek. This year, riding for Red Bull/KTM, the likable Canard rode just four motos with a single top 10 finish. Anderson was having a great season, but couldn’t ride Southwick due to injuries, and pre-race injuries caused him to pull out early at Spring Creek—Anderson sits fifth in the standings with zero points in the last four motos.
Joey Savatgy - Joey Savatgy revived his 250MX class season with a 1-2 day and overall win. Savatgy won a moto at Thunder Valley, and hadn’t finished on the podium since. Claiming major reworking of the settings on this Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki, Savatgy ran strong at Spring Creek. He was never headed after a quick battle with RJ Hampshire (GEICO/Honda) in Moto 1, winning by seven seconds over Alex Martin (Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM), whose parents own the track. Savatgy took the lead after Shane McElrath (Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM) grabbed the holeshot, and it looked like Savatgy might go 1-1. However, series leader Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna Factory Racing) had something to say about that, passing Savatgy at the halfway point. Still, 1-2 is a great overall win for Savatgy.
Zach Osborne - Zach Osborne rode incredibly smartly to end up on the podium. Osborne had a radiator hose blow in Moto 1 when he was running in fifth with 6:30 (plus two laps) to go in the race. Rather than pull off or blow-up the motor, Osborne nursed the motor and kept going. He dropped back as far as 10th, but a couple of fallers ahead of him moved him up to eighth place at the finish. Osborne had a mediocre start in Moto 2, and methodically worked his way up to the lead at the halfway point. Yes, he lost two points Alex Martin (Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM) for the day, but that’s like beating Martin as it takes two rounds away from Martin to pull back Osborne’s commanding 43-point lead.
- The Martin Brothers had to be disappointed on their, literally, home track. Everyone had to expect more from Alex Martin and Jeremy Martin (GEICO/Honda) than one moto podium between them. Still, Alex did land on the overall podium and pick up two points on Osborne, so it wasn’t a total washout. Jeremy is in a funk—he hasn’t been on the podium in the last five motos. Alex’s fourth in Moto 2 was his first time off the podium in six motos. Alex leads third place Jeremy in the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 250MX Championship Series standings by 20 points with eight motos remaining.
Alex Martin
- Dylan Ferrandis is an enigma. After going 1-2 in Southwick, Ferrandis (Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha) follows it up with a 7-8 day in Spring Creek. Ferrandis win in Glen Helen was surround by a pair of ninth place finishes. If he can find consistency, Ferrandis could be challenging for a series championship.
- Third was the unlucky finishing position in the 250MX class. Aaron Plessinger (Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha) went 3-12 and McElrath went 16-3. McElrath went down twice in Moto 1, while Plessinger ran has high as fourth in Moto 2 before fading out of the top ten.
Photography by Simon Cudby, Jeff Kardas, Rich Shepard, and Don Williams
2017 Spring Creek Motocross National 450MX Results, Millville, MN
1. Marvin Musquin, 1-1, 50 points
2. Dean Wilson, 3-3, 40
3. Eli Tomac, 2-5, 38
4. Blake Baggett, 6-2, 37
5. Cooper Webb, 4-9, 30
6. Justin Barcia, 5-8, 29
7. Martin Davalos, 11-4, 28
8. Cole Seely, 8-6, 28
9. Christian Craig, 7-7, 28
10. Fredrik Noren, 13-10, 19
11. Weston Peick, 12-11, 19
12. Henry Miller, 9-14, 19
13. Dakota Alix, 15-12, 15
14. John Short, 17-13, 12
15. Matt Bisceglia, 10-39, 11
16. Josh Mosiman, 19-16, 7
17. Benny Bloss, 14-24, 7
18. Brandon Scharer, 30-15, 6
19. Justin Bogle, 16-33, 5
20. Zack Williams, 22-17, 4