Round 7 – AMA Pro Motocross Championship – July 7, 2018
BUCHANAN, Mich. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin earned his second consecutive victory and locked down the 450 series points lead at the RedBud National, the seventh round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, held in Buchanan, Mich. on Saturday. Riding like a champion, he overcame a crash in the first lap of the first 450 moto to charge from the back of the pack to second, then followed it up with an exciting second moto win to earn the overall and the red plate.

 

450MX

Marvin Musquin posted the third-fastest qualifying time of the day, and had the opportunity to take control of the 450 points lead and the coveted red plate. He lined up for the first 450 moto looking for a holeshot but got caught up in a first-turn pileup. He remounted in the back of the pack and charged through the traffic. He pushed his way to 12th by the third lap then closed a ton of ground to make it up to fifth around the halfway mark. He blew past Benny Bloss for third with three laps to go then finished his impressive moto with one more pass for second.

 

He was fourth at the start of the second moto and immediately went to battle as he overtook the lead before the end of the first lap. He had a strong ride and held his ground as he was being challenged for position the remainder of the race. Never letting up, he fully redeemed himself from his first-moto crash and put on an amazing ride to charge to his second consecutive overall victory and take over the series points lead. He will run the red plate at the next race.

 

Musquin: “I can’t believe I came back to second place in the first moto. It was a crazy race, so having a shot of winning the overall after that was great. I was looking forward to the second moto. I got a great start and was able to get into the lead. My goal was to stay consistent and mistake-free. I was able to stay on two wheels and keep Kenny and Barcia behind me. It’s crazy to be leading the championship now. Anything can happen. It’s only another race, and there’s a lot to go. The fans were unbelievable here. I really enjoyed it. Having the second win in a row is amazing.”

 

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC – WPS – KTM’s Blake Baggett had consistent 5-5 finishes for an impressive fourth overall on the day.

250MX

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Alex Martin had a strong showing and earned another podium with his 4-3 finish, giving him second overall on the day. He got great starts, stayed consistent, and ran up front all day. He is currently second is 250 rider point standings.

 

Next Race: Spring Creek National, Millville, Minn. – July 21, 2018

 

450MX Results

1. Marvin Musquin, KTM, (2,1)

2. Ken Roczen, HON, (1,3)

3. Justin Barcia, YAM, (4,2)

4. Blake Baggett, KTM, (5,5) 

OTHER KTM

11. Benny Bloss, KTM, (3,23)

 

250MX Results

1. Aaron Plessinger, YAM, (1,1)

2. Alex Martin, KTM, (4,3)

3. Dylan Ferrandis, YAM, (3,4)

OTHER KTM

4. Shane McElrath, KTM, (5,9)

14. Dakota Alix, KTM, (14,12)
18. Jordon Smith, KTM, (10,20)

 

450MX Standings

1. Marvin Musquin, 304 points

2. Eli Tomac, 301 points

3. Justin Barcia, 264 points

4. Ken Roczen, 246

5. Blake Baggett, 232 points

OTHER KTM

7. Benny Bloss, 176 points

21. Cade Autenrieth, 46 points

 

250MX Standings

1. Aaron Plessinger, 283 points

2. Alex Martin, 248 points

3. Justin Cooper, 201 points
4. Shane McElrath, 198 points
OTHER KTM

9. Jordon Smith, 163 points

16. Sean Cantrell, 77 points

Author

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