250MX MOTO 1 – Glen Helen
The early championship battle between Jeremy Martin and Marvin Musquin took a swing in favor of the Frenchman in the first 250 Class moto of the day at Glen Helen – although it could have been much, much worse for Martin.
Martin had issues getting his bike started before the race. The team desperately tried to do everything they could to get it going before the gate dropped, but to no avail. They were eventually able to get it working with a push start, but it came moments after the gate had already dropped, putting Martin in an early hole.
Because of the bike issues, Martin had to start from the back of the field, but to his credit, he did a good job working his way up to fifth place by the end of the moto.
With Martin facing an early deficit, he was no threat to the lead pack. Out front, it was Jessy Nelson grabbing the early lead, but he soon came under fire from Musquin. The two locked their KTMs into battle throughout the first half of the race, with Musquin eventually making the pass with around 13:30 left in the moto. He went on to win by six seconds.
Nelson would then have to fend off a challenge from Joey Savatgy in the latter stages of the race. It ended up being Justin Hill – this morning’s second-fastest qualifier – who made a charge though, passing Savatgy for third and Nelson for second, giving Red Bull KTM a 1-2 sweep. Nelson then fell back into the clutches of Savatgy, who got around Nelson and broke up the KTM sweep up front.
It was a moto to forget for Adam Cianciarulo. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider crashed right at the start of the race and, like Martin, had to work his way from the back of the pack. He ended up in 12th.
250MX MOTO 2 – Glen Helen
The second 250 Class moto at Glen Helen was similar to the first, with Marvin Musquin running out front and Jeremy Martin encountering issues that cost him valuable points.
The MotoSport.com Holeshot went to Alex Martin, who is turning in the best rides of his career this season. His brother, Jeremy, would not have the same luck in this moto – Jeremy Martin got a good start but was knocked down and got his bike tangled up with Matt Bisceglia’s, and for the second race in a row, he was forced to work his way up from the back of the field. Once again, he made the best of a bad situation and salvaged points, ultimately working his way up to sixth.
Up front, the other Martin brother, Alex, led the first lap of the race. Within the first four minutes of the moto though, Musquin was all over him once more and made the pass. Musquin went on to win by six seconds, and Martin held on for second place.
A good battle for third materialized between Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/KTM teammates Jessy Nelson and Shane McElrath. After another good start, Nelson ran in the top three for most of the race but McElrath passed him on the final lap. Nelson’s 4-4 moto finishes were enough to land him on the overall podium in third though.
The top five was rounded out by Justin Hill, who was solid all day. With 2-5 moto scores, he finished second overall behind Red Bull KTM teammate Musquin. With Nelson in third, it was a clean sweep of the podium for KTM.
Musquin now heads to Thunder Valley with a 19-point lead over Jeremy Martin in the championship standings.
GLEN HELEN 250 MOTO 2 RESULTS
1. Marvin Musquin
2. Alex Martin
3. Shane McElrath
4. Jessy Nelson
5. Justin Hill
6. Jeremy Martin
7. Joey Savatgy
8. Chris Alldredge
9. RJ Hampshire
10. Adam Cianciarulo
GLEN HELEN 250 CLASS OVERALL RESULTS
1. Marvin Musquin (1-1)
2. Justin Hill (2-5)
3. Jessy Nelson (4-4)
4. Joey Savatgy (3-7)
5. Alex Martin (11-2)
6. Shane McElrath (9-3)
7. Jeremy Martin (5-6)
8. Matt Bisceglia (6-11)
9. Kyle Peters (7-12)
10. Adam Cianciarulo (12-10)
GLEN HELEN 250 MOTO 1 RESULTS
1. Marvin Musquin
2. Justin Hill
3. Joey Savatgy
4. Jessy Nelson
5. Jeremy Martin
6. Matt Bisceglia
7. Kyle Peters
8. Aaron Plessinger
9. Shane McElrath
10. Mitchell Oldenburg