MOTO 1
Eli Tomac was dominant in the first moto of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, grabbing the early lead and leading every lap to take the victory. He finished 22 seconds ahead of Ryan Dungey and one minute, 18 seconds ahead of third-place Jason Anderson, who put in an impressive ride on his Husqvarna in his 450 Class debut.
Weston Peick ran in third in the early part of the moto but dropped a few positions throughout the race, despite the fact that he was one of the few riders – along with Tomac and Dungey – hucking the 150-foot uphill triple pretty consistently. He hit the FLY 150 once he started feeling the pressure from Anderson, but Peick eventually gave up the third-place position to him. Blake Baggett and Christophe Pourcel also engaged in their own mini-battles with Peick to earn spots inside the top five.
Ken Roczen’s title defense got off to a rough start. The RCH Suzuki rider was unable to put himself near the front from the get-go and he faded back to 19th when the checkered flag came out. Roczen is currently dealing with ankle and back injuries.
Cole Seely would not finish the race after going down on the opening lap of his 450MX debut.
MOTO 2
After running away with the victory in Moto 1, Eli Tomac repeated the feat in the final moto of the day – this time winning by a minute and a half over Ryan Dungey and the rest of the field.
Early in the race, Tomac, Dungey, Justin Barcia and Ken Roczen broke away from the rest of the field. In short order, Tomac was way out in front, Dungey was running his own race in second, and Barcia and Roczen were locked into a battle for third.
After struggling through practice and the opening moto because of a back injury, Roczen rode much better in this one, even attempting the FLY 150. The defending 450MX champion didn’t have enough for Barcia though, and after the two stayed close for awhile, Barcia began to pull away with the position.
For Weston Peick, this race was basically the reverse of his Moto 1 performance. Earlier in the day, Peick got a great start and was holding down third but began dropping positions throughout the moto. In this one, Peick – who consistently launched the 150-foot triple again in this moto – came from outside the top five to work his way up to third. After overtaking Roczen for fourth, he ran down his JGR Yamaha teammate Barcia in the final two laps of the race to grab third. Peick (8-3) wound up fourth overall on the day.
Barcia and Roczen rounded out the top five in this moto, and behind them, a battle between rookies played out with Blake Baggett passing Jason Anderson late in the race. Anderson (3-7) was still able to get the final spot on the overall podium though thanks to his stellar ride in the first moto. Baggett (5-6) took fifth overall.
“It’s not easy after ten days lying flat on the couch,” Roczen said after his top five moto finish. “It turns out I have a stress fracture in my spine. I’m glad I was able to ride. I didn’t think so yesterday – I could barely walk. I’m gonna do everything I can to rest up and be ready to come back next weekend.”
Judging from the way Tomac rode today, Roczen will need to be at full strength to match him.
“Going back to the first moto, I made a change on my front end,” Tomac said after his dominating win. “My bike was amazing. I’m kinda in shock by how the day went, but it was just perfect.”
As the series heads to Glen Helen next week, will anyone be able to slow down the GEICO Honda rider, or is this just the beginning?
Hangtown 450MX Overall Results
1. Eli Tomac (1-1)
2. Ryan Dungey (2-2)
3. Jason Anderson (3-7)
4. Weston Peick (8-3)
5. Blake Baggett (4-6)
6. Broc Tickle (6-8)
7. Brett Metcalfe (7-9)
8. Christophe Pourcel (5-12)
9. Fredrik Noren (10-10)
10. Phil Nicoletti (9-14)
Hangtown 450 Moto 1 Results
1. Eli Tomac
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Jason Anderson
4. Blake Baggett
5. Christophe Pourcel
6. Broc Tickle
7. Brett Metcalfe
8. Weston Peick
9. Phil Nicoletti
10. Fredrik Noren
Hangtown 450 Moto 2 Results
1. Eli Tomac
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Weston Peick
4. Justin Barcia
5. Ken Roczen
6. Blake Baggett
7. Jason Anderson
8. Broc Tickle
9. Brett Metcalfe
10. Fredrik Noren