MOTO 1: Thanks a last-lap pass for the lead on his teammate, Jeremy Martin claimed victory in the first 250 Class moto at the Red Bull RedBud National and closed the gap on Marvin Musquin in the championship standings.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy jumped out to an early lead after grabbing the MotoSport.com Holeshot Award but a crash on the opening lap handed the lead over to Martin.
In his second race since returning from injury, the Cooper Webb we’ve been expecting to see at some point this season was on display. Behind Martin, Webb was on a tear, as he closed the gap on Martin and challenged his Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha teammate for the lead. On Lap 6, Webb used his momentum coming off LaRocco’s Leap to overtake Martin for the lead, and from there, he began to open up a bit of a gap.
Webb led 11 laps after passing Martin. (Photo: George Crosland)
Martin then dropped another spot to Musquin and was sitting in third for several laps. Martin was able to get back around his championship rival but was not content to settle for second – with about three laps left in the race, he had closed back in on Webb and was applying the pressure.
As they closed in on the white flag, Martin nearly made a move on LaRocco’s Leap, going to the inside lane while Webb opted for the outside. However, while Webb soared over the jump, Martin had to check up and lost a bit of ground. With about two seconds to make up on the final lap, it looked like the standings would hold up, but Martin made up that deficit and then capitalized on an opportunity to retake the lead, passing his teammate in the roller section. Martin proceeded to soar over LaRocco’s Leap to seal the deal as he rode to the checkered flag. Webb would finish behind him in 2nd.
Martin earns his fifth moto win of the season. (Photo: George Crosland)
Zach Osborne finished third after getting around Musquin on Lap 12. Musquin took fourth but lost seven points to Martin in the championship standings. Musquin still holds the points lead but has just a three-point edge headed into the second moto of the day.
One week after his first career moto win, Alex Martin rounded out the top five.
Musquin hopes to hold on to the red plate for another week. (Photo: George Crosland)
MOTO 2: Thanks to consistent riding and a stroke of good luck in the second moto, Jeremy Martin reassumed the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship points lead in the 250 Class after sweeping both of the day’s motos.
This win could have just as easily gone to Martin’s Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha teammate, Cooper Webb, who had an opportunity to win each moto as well as the overall. Webb missed several rounds after reaggravating an ankle injury at Hangtown but finally returned to the series last weekend at Budds Creek, and in his second race back, he looked sharp for stretches of time.
Webb grabbed the lead from Martin in Moto 1 but eventually reliquished it. (Photo: Amy Schaaf)
Martin inherited the early lead in the first moto after MotoSport.com Holeshot Award winner Joey Savatgy crashed on the opening lap. Webb was hot in pursuit though, closing the gap over the course of the first few laps and making a pass for the lead on Lap 6 as they came out of LaRocco’s Leap.
After getting passed by Marvin Musquin for second, Martin battled back and not only retook the position from Musquin, he kept charging and caught back up to Webb with about three laps to go in the race. After a failed attempt to use LaRocco’s Leap make a pass with two laps to go, Martin faced a two-second deficit on the final lap. Closing the gap once more, Martin found an opportunity to overtake Webb in the roller section to steal the win from his teammate with a last-lap pass.
Zach Osborne finished third after passing Musquin on Lap 12. Musquin ended up fourth, losing seven points to Martin in the process but still maintaining his championship lead by three points heading into the second moto.
Moto 2 finally delivered a long-awaited Martin vs. Marvin battle. (Photo: George Crosland)
In the second moto, GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig grabbed the MotoSport.com Holeshot Award and went on to lead the first 18 minutes of the race before finally getting passed by Webb after a lengthy battle between the two. In the early stages of the race, Webb had engaged in a fight for second with Musquin, losing the spot on the opening lap, then getting it back about three minutes later. Once he caught and passed Craig, Webb looked primed for both his first moto win and his first overall win of the season.
Despite going back-and-forth for the championship lead all season long, we had yet to really see Musquin and Martin battle head-to-head. The chance finally came a few laps into this race as the two competed for third place, and with them separated by just three points, it was a meaningful fight. Martin made the pass on his championship rival on Lap 7, then as the race continued, Musquin also lost positions to Osborne and Alex Martin, costing him valuable points.
“Marvin and I, we just battled today,” Martin said after the race. “I remember going to bed last night and talking to Johnny [O’Mara], and I was like, tomorrow’s gonna be the day that I’m gonna battle with the #25. And sure enough we were battling. We’ve kinda been dodging each other all season, but today was the day.”
Craig grabbed an early lead in Moto 2 and recorded his best moto finish of the season. (Photo: George Crosland)
With Musquin out of the way, Jeremy Martin closed the gap on Craig, and the two battled for second place. As they battled, Webb rode alone out front – until he went down at the entrance of the roller section. Craig and Martin both rode past the downed Webb, and Martin used the opportunity to make a move on Craig and take away the lead. Webb remounted in fourth but would lose another spot to Alex Martin before the end of the moto.
“We came over that little tabletop before the rollers, and I saw that the flag was out and thought maybe that’s Cooper,” Martin recalled. “We were going pretty slow because [Christian] Craig saw it too, and I was like dude, that’s a blue machine, that’s Cooper! Craig didn’t know what to do because the ruts were really deep out of there, so I made a move and was able to get in the lead. I got lucky in that second moto.”
After assuming the lead, Martin was able to cruise to victory, winning his second moto of the day and also earning the overall.
Martin completed a most unlikely 1-1 sweep at RedBud. (Photo: Matt Rice)
The win was a credit to Martin’s perseverance, as he fought through some tough situations in both motos and emerged on top. He credits his training regmiment with enabling him to avoid mistakes late in races and keep fighting.
“The more fit you are, you’re gonna make smarter decisions because you’re not tired,” he said. “You’re not going to fumble. And even if you do hit the ground, you have a better chance of walking away. That’s very motivating to me.”
Osborne passed Craig for second place in the closing laps of Moto 2 and secured second overall with 3-2 moto finishes. He has now finished inside the top three in four of the last five motos, and his slow start at the first two rounds is a distant memory. By virtue of his result today, the Rockstar Husqvarna rider jumped up two spots in the points and now sits third, 91 points back of Martin.
Webb landed on the podium for the first time this season. (Photo: Matt Rice)
Although he lost out on a chance to win the overall, Cooper Webb (2-5) still landed third overall. Christian Craig (6-3) and Alex Martin (5-4) rounded out the top five.
Marvin Musquin (4-6) ended up sixth overall and lost 17 points to Jeremy Martin over the course of the day. After Musquin entered the day with a 10-point lead, the red plate will swap hands once again, as Martin will enter Spring Creek – his home track – with a seven-point advantage.
Martin has retaken possession of the red plate, but this is still a tight race. (Photo: Matt Rice)
250 MOTO 1 RESULTS
1. Jeremy Martin
2. Cooper Webb
3. Zach Osborne
4. Marvin Musquin
5. Alex Martin
6. Christian Craig
7. Jessy Nelson
8. Chris Alldredge
9. Aaron Plessinger
10. Jordon Smith
11. Justin Hill
12. Joey Savatgy
13. Anthony Rodriguez
14. RJ Hampshire
15. Mitchell Oldenburg
16. Kyle Peters
17. Matt Bisceglia
18. Dakota Alix
19. Shane McElrath
20. Luke Renzland
250 CLASS OVERALL RESULTS
1. Jeremy Martin (1-1)
2. Zach Osborne (3-2)
3. Cooper Webb (2-5)
4. Christian Craig (6-3)
5. Alex Martin (5-4)
6. Marvin Musquin (4-6)
7. Aaron Plessinger (9-9)
8. Chris Alldredge (8-10)
9. Jessy Nelson (7-11)
10. RJ Hampshire (14-8)
11. Matt Bisceglia (17-7)
12. Joey Savatgy (12-12)
13. Jordon Smith (10-14)
14. Justin Hill (11-15)
15. Mitchell Oldenburg (15-16)
16. Shane McElrath (19-13)
17. Kyle Peters (16-18)
18. Anthony Rodriguez (13-37)
19. Luke Renzland (20-17)
20. Dakota Alix (18-38)