Photo by: Ryne Swanberg

The 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship went to Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Mn. for round 8 and the 2017 Spring Creek National. In the 450 class, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin scored the first 1-1 sweep of his career and announced that his knee injury would not hold him back. On the podium with Marvin was Rockstar / Husqvarna’s Dean Wilson in second and Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac in third.

In the 250 class, Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy got his first overall win since way back in Thunder Valley with a 1-2 performance. Joey was joined on the podium by TLD / KTM’s Alex Martin in second and Rockstar / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne in third.

After the racing was over, we gathered some post race comments from the top riders in Millville.

Marvin Musquin: (1st in 450) “It was definitely a great day. I knew my speed was good. I was the fastest after the second practice, and the track was so soft. It was sandy and, with all the rain, it made the track super rutted and technical. But that’s good for me – I like that kind of track. I had a perfect first moto and got the holeshot then tried to pull a gap on everyone. I think I had over a 20 second gap, which is the best feeling ever. I controlled the race and was able to be smooth and consistent. I wanted to do the same thing in the second moto. It didn’t work that way off the start, but I was able to make the passes to get up front and try to get a gap. Baggett was putting on a charge, but I was consistent and was really happy with my riding. The bike setup is perfect, thanks to the team. Going 1-1 is a dream come true in the 450 class.”

250 podium. Photo by: Ryne Swanberg

Joey Savatgy: (1st in 250) “I had fun riding today. We were able to go back to the drawing board over the break and apply it to the track today. Our lap times in qualifying were good and I think it really set me up for a great start in Moto 1. I felt good and I’m glad we were able to get back on the podium. I’m looking forward to keeping this momentum!”

 

Dean Wilson: (2nd in 450) “It was a great day. It’s just nice to see all my hard work paying off. It wouldn’t be as rewarding if I didn’t get the results from working hard. I’m happy where I’m at. I had great starts today—I wouldn’t say my riding was amazing today, but I put myself in good positions and stayed strong the whole motos. It was nice to be on the podium again—it was awesome.” Full interview here>>>

 

Alex Martin: (2nd in 250) “It’s always great to come home and even better when I am able to get on the podium. I would have loved to get the win, but it was a good day overall considering the conditions of the track and my start in the second moto. It would be great to keep the streak going next weekend.”

 

Eli Tomac: (3rd in 450) “I made a few mistakes today. Starts weren’t bad, I just had some tough luck and made some errors on my end. I went down twice in Moto 2 and just kept pushing to get back to the front. We will work on some things, but glad I could leave with a place on the podium and salvage some points.”

 

Zach Osborne: (3rd in 250) “I’m just happy I took some points from that first moto. We had a little issue with the valve cover gasket which is super random, and it’s something I’ve never seen happen before. It is what it is. We’ll just keep plugging away. It was definitely nice to take that second moto win even after a little fall over.” Full interview here>>>

Trey Canard announced his retirement this weekend. Photo by: KTM

Trey Canard: [on retiring from racing] “I love racing and my passion for doing so has not changed, but there comes a time in every racer’s career where you come to the realization that although the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak, and I know in my heart it’s time to call it a day. I’ve had many injuries throughout my career and have always done my best to heal and bounce back. However, I feel I am not able to push myself to the level I need to in order to be competitive at the highest level of racing. I am sad to say goodbye but also extremely grateful and thankful for the last 10 years of my life. I never could have dreamed I’d do the things I’ve been able to do, to live out a childhood dream and meet and become close with so many wonderful fans and industry people.”

 

Adam Cianciarulo: (5th in 250) “I really enjoyed the track today. I felt like I was riding well and started the day off right. We’re happy with a fifth overall finish, but I expected to be on the podium at the end of the day. We’ll work on a few things this week, but I’m looking forward to Washougal.”

 

Cole Seely: (8th in 450) “The second moto was definitely the highlight of my day. Leading up to it was just okay. In practice, I never got a good lap in. It seemed like you needed to get out there and go right away and unfortunately I didn’t use that strategy. Instead I was trying to find lines and pick my way through. In the first moto I got a good start and just rode way too tight. I used too much energy in the beginning, made way too many big mistakes, and just wasn’t feeling it. I basically went backward in that one. I was still pretty tired heading into the second moto but we softened the bike up a little to make it easier to ride because the track was very treacherous. I got a decent start but actually went down on the first lap and fell back to 16th. I just started picking my way through guys and found myself in fifth before Eli [Tomac] got me on the second-to-last lap. It sucks I ended up eighth overall but I still feel like I’m making progress each week, even if the overall results don’t show it.”

 

Jeremy Martin: (4th in 250) “Rough day at the home town race,” said Martin. “Good starts but didn’t have the speed nor the flow around the track today. I will study footage from the race and work on getting better.”

Musquin was dominant at round 8. Photo by: Chase Yocom

Martin Davolos: (7th in 450) “The track actually came around from this morning. It rained a lot, and the guys did a great job getting the track ready for us — but it was brutal. It got really humid, especially in the second moto. The track was really rough and rutted. I made a little bit of a mistake in the first moto and stalled my bike. I got a top-10 start in the second moto and put in a charge for fourth. I feel pretty happy with how I’m ready, but hopefully I still get better for Washougal next weekend.”

 

Shane McElrath: (9th in 250) “The first moto could have gotten me down but I knew that it wasn’t over. I got the start I needed and had the drive to keep my position up near the front the whole moto. It was great to put myself up there with Alex (Martin). I’d love to finish the last four rounds like this (on the podium).”

 

Christian Craig: (9th in 450) “Today started off pretty good. I’ve ridden here quite a bit when I lived in Minnesota for a couple years, so I knew what I was getting myself into. The track was muddy for practice but I just got out front and put down some solid lap times and actually qualified second, so I was pretty happy with that. I know my speed is there and I know I belong up front, so I just went into the motos open-minded. I got a pretty decent start in the first moto and was running fourth for a while before losing a few spots. Cole and I were battling back and forth most the race, passing each other two times before I was able to get by him with two laps left. I ended up seventh. I just tried to do the same thing in the second moto. I got an okay start and just rode my way through the pack. I was able to make some good passes toward the end for seventh again. I actually went 7-7 for ninth overall, which is a bummer, but oh well. I put in two solid motos and we’re moving forward to Washougal.”

 

RJ Hampshire: (6th in 250) “Practice we ran into some problems again, but we turned it around for the motos. Pulled the holeshot in the first moto with 28th gate pick but had a lot of mistakes the first few laps, wasted a bunch of energy. Then second moto I didn’t have the greatest start but made some good passes and actually rode pretty smooth! Was pretty solid all day. We didn’t have the speed to run up front this weekend, but man I’m having a blast! We will give it another go and try to get it on the box next weekend. It’s coming soon.”

Huge day for Savatgy in Millville. Photo by: Chase Yocom

Chase Sexton: (11th in 250) “Qualifying went well today,” said Sexton. “P3 first practice and P8 second practice. Felt good coming into the motos but a mid-pack start hurt me first moto, ended up getting to seventh and then fell on the last lap! I was bummed, I got 12th. Second moto got a good start and got tangled up on the first lap, then came back to eighth and then fell again. Got 11th. Speed was good today just needed to stay on two wheels! Onto Washougal.”

 

 

 

 

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.