Photos by: Doc Weedon

The 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship headed south from Hangtown down to San Bernardino, Ca. for round number two and the Glen Helen National. Once again it was Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac walking away with the hardware in the 450 class. The #1 extended his moto win streak to four in a row to start the year and two overall wins in a row. Eli was joined on the 450 podium by Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin and Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson.

Click to check out what's new at Race Tech
Click to check out what’s new at Race Tech

In the 250MX class, Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger showed that he wants to be a title contender in 2018 with a dominant 1-1 performance of his own. Aaron was flanked on the podium by Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / KTM’s Alex Martin in 2nd and GEICO / Honda’s Jeremy Martin in 3rd. Aaron’s win pulled him into a tie with the defending champ, Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne, at the top of the standings.

After the racing was over, we gathered numerous quotes from riders about their second outdoor MX race of 2018.

We’re going to see these three guys on the podium a lot in ’18.

Eli Tomac: (1st in 450MX) “I felt comfortable on my bike all day and I was just having fun out there. I found some awesome lines in the end, so I just kept charging until I finally made it to the front. I’m doing everything I can for us to keep this No. 1 plate and we’re off to a great start.”

 

Aaron Plessinger: (1st in 250MX) “I thought the track was alright. It was definitely a lot deeper than Hangtown was. It got really, really rough in the second moto and I found some really, really good lines. Yeah, it played out perfect for me. (laughs) I was getting by guys pretty quick. I think a little bit was I was finding smoother lines and exploring the track a little bit more than those guys were. I think I was a little bit more out of my comfort zone by doing that, and it kind if played out good for me.”

 

Marvin Musquin: (2nd in 450MX) “All the top guys were ahead of me off the start and it was really hard to pass. I settled a little bit behind Jason, then I got him and I fight hard to come back to Ken and Eli was gone by then, he was fast. It was a hard fight and it was pretty good considering the passes I had to make. It’s a good result but I always want better and to win. I finally got a decent start in the second moto – I was fighting for the lead and Jason was riding really well. I was right there, but missing a little bit of speed and after halfway I lost the momentum, the feeling; and on that track if you’re not on it, it will bite you. I had some sketchy moments and made some mistakes so I figured it was best to play it smart and safe toward the end. I’m a little disappointed finishing Moto 2 that way but I’m looking forward to the third round in the championship.”

 

Alex Martin: (2nd in 250MX) “Today was fun,Martin said. It felt really good to get the holeshot and get out front and lead some laps. Plessinger was riding really well. I saw Jeremy coming and I knew he was going to be strong but some of the lappers kind of made trouble for me. I’m really happy to come away with two podium-finishes here today and second-overall at Round 2.”

 

Jason Anderson: (3rd in 450MX) “This weekend was definitely better than last weekend. I qualified first, which was pretty cool. I started up front in the first moto but I got a little tight so I ended up fourth. I pulled a big holeshot in the second moto and led all the way up until two laps to go until I got passed by Tomac. All-in-all it was progress so it was a good day.”

250 overall podium from Glen Helen.

Jeremy Martin: (3rd in 250MX) My thoughts are good. I got 2nd last weekend, 3rd this weekend and we still got a lot of racing left. We did some testing and got the bike better from last weekend. I tried something a little different in the first moto, and wasn’t jiving. I had a massive battle for 30 plus-two. I just got annihilated by AP’s teammate Justin Cooper. We were battling. In moto two, I got off to a better start and Aaron was a little bit faster in the middle part and got Alex and I. Then I battled with my big brother forever. I was like, “dude, get out of the way.” (laughs) I was able to send it in deep and get him on the outside, and it was a good battle. He went off the track a couple of times. It reminds me of battling him during the week a couple years ago.”

 

Zach Osborne: (4th in 250MX) “Glen Helen was pretty good. I had a couple mistakes that cost me, and carried a bit of an injury in, but it was a decent weekend. I’m glad to get out of here unscathed and I’m ready to make my way to some good tracks.”

 

Joey Savatgy/strong>: (5th in 250MX) “I put it all out there today, but we have more work to do. It’s early in the season so we’ll just keep working at it and look forward to Colorado.”

 

Kenny Roczen: (5th in 450MX) “The result is one thing, but there are always certain things that are out of your hands, which is what happened in the second moto. Still, leading for over 20 minutes in the first moto was good, especially for only our third moto back. I tried not to be like ‘Oh my god, I’m leading’; I just tried to keep a steady and calm mood. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hold Eli [Tomac] off, then Marvin [Musquin] got by me too. I tried to make a last-minute attack but got messed up by lappers, so I really just settled into third, which we were all happy with. The second moto, I got another good start but heard a noise and wasn’t ready to just send it over any of the big jumps when there might be a problem, so I went into the pit lane. It ended up that there was a rock in my front sprocket area, but better safe than sorry. After that I just went out and wanted to use this as good practice, and I kept telling myself, ‘Don’t quit.’ We made it all the way up to eighth place, which is pretty sweet. We’ve been working really hard, and it’s unfortunate because I think today we could’ve been on the podium. We have a lot of motos to go, so it’s coming. I’ve got to just keep building and I think we’ll get there.”

 

Justin Cooper : (6th in 250MX) “Placed 1st in qualifying today! Went 4-7 on the day. Struggled a bit to put myself in the right position in the early laps, but overall felt strong all day. Step in the right direction.”

Ken Roczen surprised everyone by leading and holding off Eli Tomac for 20 minutes in moto 1.

Weston Peick: (6th in 450MX) “Glen Helen is my hometown track, and I would have liked to do better. The conditions were pretty tough on my hand, with all of the uphills and downhills. The track put a lot of stress on my hand, which took me out of my groove. The first moto went fairly well. It took me some time to find a good pace, and I ended up in seventh. We made some suspension changes between motos and found some new things that will help for this upcoming weekend at Lakewood. The second moto at Glen Helen went quite a bit better. I moved into third for a few laps and settled into a pace. I’m happy with the result, given the circumstances of my hand.”

 

Phillip Nicoletti : (8th in 450MX) “My starts were pretty good in both motos. Realistically, I should have been 8-7, but I swapped out going into the sand in the first moto. I hit a kicker, got slammed to the ground, and had a bit of whiplash. I ended up tenth, which was a bummer. I struggled with a little bit of speed. I’ve never been that comfortable at Glen Helen. The goal was to not fight the track, but I found myself doing that more than I should have. We made a few changes to the RM-Z450 in order to find a better level of comfort, and we’re going in the right direction. All in all, I’m having fun and doing my best to remain consistent while trying to build. I have more in the tank, and I’m looking forward to showing what I’m capable of.”

 

Garrett Marchbanks: (8th in 250MX) “This has been another exciting weekend,” said Marchbanks. “I felt really good on the bike today and I feel like I’ve already learned so much from last week. I’m hungry for even better finishes and hope to continue improving each week!”

 

Michael Mosiman: (12th in 250MX) “It was a different day here at Glen Helen. I’ve been sick this week so it was tough. I felt good on the bike, though. I got collected in a pileup and went down a couple more times the first moto. I did a little better the second moto and was in 14th, then guys started dropping off around the halfway mark and I caught way up. Then I crashed again and tumbled for awhile, then I crashed again. It was a tough day, but I’ll learn from it and will come back swinging next week.”

 

Christian Craig: (DNF/Crash in 450MX) “It didn’t go at all how I had hoped, obviously. I felt pretty good all day, qualifying sixth and getting the holeshot in the first moto. Halfway through the first lap, I went down pretty hard and instantly knew my knee was hurt. I’m just so bummed because this is the third year in a row that I’ve gotten hurt here and it’s frustrating. Rather than feel sorry for myself, I’m going to work on coming back stronger. Thank you to everyone for expressing concern, and huge thanks to the team for the opportunity this year!”

With a 4th overall at Glen Helen, Zach will now share the red plate with AP at Thunder Valley next weekend.

Kyle Chisholm: (9th in 450MX) “I definitely had to work for this one, but a Top 10 overall feels great, First moto was good, just settled into a pace and was able to click off consistent laps. Second moto was a little tougher with my poor start, having to ride over Ken Roczen’s bike and taking a huge rock to my knee. I think I just rode looser and was having fun despite the rough track conditions. The bike worked really well today and I’m super happy to be making improvements at the second round. I want to be closer to the front but satisfied with 9th at this point.”

 

Austin Forkner: (10th in 250MX) “We have to get back to work this week. I’m glad I was able to pull off a top-10 overall finish, but I didn’t have the best starts today. I never gave up and I’m looking forward to making up for it next week at Thunder Valley.”

 

Jordon Bailey: (13th in 250MX) “It was chilly today, but the track held up pretty well. I definitely made progress. I didn’t get off to a good start in my first race but I made a lot of passes to finish 14th. I got a better start in my second moto and was ninth for the majority of the race but then got shuffled back. I’m looking forward to a better finish next weekend in Colorado.”

 

Justin Hill: (15th in 250MX) “Glen Helen is always rough and challenging, and this year was no different. I struggled to find a flow in the first moto, but we made some positive changes to the bike in between motos. Those changes resulted in good improvements, which is all I can ask for. I’m hungry and willing to do more, and I’m looking forward to the next race.”

 

Michael Mosiman: (17th in 250MX) “It was a different day here at Glen Helen. I’ve been sick this week so it was tough. I felt good on the bike, though. I got collected in a pileup and went down a couple more times the first moto. I did a little better the second moto and was in 14th, then guys started dropping off around the halfway mark and I caught way up. Then I crashed again and tumbled for awhile, then I crashed again. It was a tough day, but I’ll learn from it and will come back swinging next week.”

Click to check out what's new at Race Tech
Click to check out what’s new at Race Tech

Enzo Lopes: (21st in 250MX) “The day started off well, as I rode hard in practice. I was running in 14th position in the first moto, but I started making mistakes everywhere. While trying to gain ground I fell and stalled the bike, which put me in a hole. I had a decent start in the second moto and was running 12th for half of the moto. Unfortunately, the track got me once again when I crashed and fell back. The track was super rough and rutted, with bumps everywhere. Luckily, I didn’t get hurt. The takeaway is that I got more experience and track time with the guys. The class is stacked, but it’s nice to run a high-level pace.”

 

Author

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