2018 Glen Helen Motocross Results: Tomac Takes Two

Eli Tomac kept his perfect record in the 2018 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series intact with a pair of wins at Glen Helen Raceway.

Both motos provided drama, as Tomac battled with Ken Roczen for the first half of Moto 1, and then Tomac mounted an epic come-from-behind charge to snatch the Moto 2 victory from Jason Anderson. Marvin Musquin scored two podium finishes, ending the day second overall at the Giant RV Glen Helen National.

1. It was an unusually cool day at Glen Helen Raceway. The San Bernardino track can hit triple digits on Memorial Day weekend, but this year the temperatures barely tipped into the 70s, with the sun struggling against the clouds all day. Rain during morning practice made for an unpredictable track that changed throughout the day.

2. Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac went at it in Moto 1.Roczen (Team Honda HRC) took over the lead early on the opening lap after teammate Christian Craig pulled a holeshot and crashed hard. Benny Bloss (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) was in third place ahead of Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki). Tomac passed Bloss on lap 2 (of 14) and put unrelenting pressure on Roczen. Roczen held up to the pressure well, but was eventually cleanly passed by Tomac just before the riders returned to the start straight on lap 8. Roczen couldn’t hang with Tomac, who eventually won Moto 1 handily.

3. Tomac’s come-from-behind Moto 2 victory was astounding. Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 450) had a lead of over nine seconds behind over Tomac well into Moto 2, and as late as lap 11 it looked like a lock for Anderson to break Tomac’s streak; then Tomac put in a three-lap tear that won’t soon be forgotten. Tomac was three seconds faster than Anderson on Lap 12, six seconds faster the next lap, and then 13 seconds faster on the final lap as Anderson threw in the towel, finishing 16 seconds shy of Tomac.

4. Ken Roczen had mixed results, though an impressive day overall. Leading the first half of Moto 1 surely boosted Roczen’s morale, as he hung on for a podium finish. After a chaotic first lap due to a crash by Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM), Roczen pulled into the pits with a perceived mechanical issue. After an inspection of the bike, Roczen was back out on the track in 35th place after lap 1.

Roczen rode hard, getting into a points-paying position by lap 6 (of 14). Roczen hit the top 10 on lap 11, and finally worked his way up to eighth place after passing Baggett on lap 12. While his 3-8 results don’t show it, Roczen did quite well. However, he is already 47 points behind Tomac in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship standings.

5. Marvin Musquin was on the podium twice, but was never close to the lead. Musquin (Red Bull KTM) took a mediocre start in Moto 1 that landed him in seventh place after the opening lap, and worked his way up to fourth by the next lap. Musquin went past Anderson for a podium shot on lap 7, and then put it to a fading Roczen with three laps remaining in Moto1.

At the finish, though, Musquin as a dozen seconds back of Tomac. Although Musquin was behind Anderson after some carnage early on the opening lap of Moto 2, Musquin was three seconds behind Anderson almost immediately. Tomac passed Musquin for second at the halfway point, and Musquin hung onto third—over 49 seconds behind Tomac at the finish.

6. Justin Barcia had a come-from-behind day, taking fourth overall. Middling starts doomed Barcia’s hopes for podium finishes. Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) was 11th after the opening lap in Moto 1 and seventh in Moto 2, so a 6-4 result wasn’t bad. On the downside, Barcia wasn’t within a minute of Tomac in either moto. Anderson and Barcia are tied in points for third place in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship standings, trailing Tomac by 27 points.

7. The series resumes in one week at Thunder Valley MX Park. It’s Tomac’s home race in Lakewood, Colorado on June 2. However, Tomac has never won at Thunder Valley. Roczen has two overall wins, with Baggett taking the overall victory last year.

2018 Glen Helen Motocross Results, San Bernardino, CA

1. Eli Tomac, Kawasaki, 1-1
2. Marvin Musquin, KTM, 2-3
3. Jason Anderson, Husqvarna, 4-2
4. Justin Barcia, Yamaha, 6-4
5. Ken Roczen, Honda, 3-8
6. Weston Peick, Suzuki, 7-5
7. Blake Baggett, KTM, 5-9
8. Phil Nicoletti, Suzuki, 10-7
9. Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, 11-11
10. Cody Cooper, Honda, 16-10
11. Benny Bloss, KTM, 22-6
12. Brandon Scharer, Yamaha, 14-13
13. Kyle Cunningham, Suzuki, 8-37
14. Toshiki Tomita, Honda, 15-15
15. Ben Lamay, Honda, 13-17
16. Bradley Taft, Husqvarna, 12-18
17. Dylan Merriam, Yamaha, 9-39
18. Alex Ray, Yamaha, 19-12
19. Cade Autenrieth, KTM, 20-14
20. Dare DeMartile, Honda, 21-16
21. Bradley Lionnet, Honda, 17-23
22. Chris Alldredge, KTM, 18-35
23. Felix Lopez, KTM, 23-19
24. Dustin Pipes, Suzuki, 26-20
    

    2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Standings (Round 2 of 12)

1. Eli Tomac, Kawasaki, 100 points (4 moto wins)
2. Marvin Musquin, KTM, 86
3. Jason Anderson, Husqvarna, 73
4. Justin Barcia, Yamaha, 73
5. Blake Baggett, KTM, 60
6. Weston Peick, Suzuki, 60
7. Ken Roczen, Honda, 53
8. Phil Nicoletti, Suzuki, 49
9. Benny Bloss, KTM, 42
10. Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, 39
11. Bradley Taft, Husqvarna, 33
12. Cody Cooper, Honda, 31
13. Christian Craig, Honda, 26
14. Dylan Merriam, Yamaha, 26
15. Kyle Cunningham, Suzuki, 21
16. Ben Lamay, Honda, 20
17. Brandon Scharer, Yamaha, 18
18. Toshiki Tomita, Honda, 16
19. Jake Masterpool, Yamaha, 14
20. Alex Ray, Yamaha, 11
21. Cade Autenrieth, KTM, 10
22. Dare DeMartile, Honda, 8
23. Brandan Leith, Kawasaki, 5
24. Bradley Lionnet, Honda, 4
25. Chris Alldredge, KTM, 3
26. Felix Lopez, KTM, 2
27. Dustin Pipes, Suzuki, 1