Photos by: Todd Gutierrez

The 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicked off on Saturday with the Hangtown National. In the 450MX class, Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac lived up to expectations with a dominant 1-1 performance on the day. Joining Tomac on the 450 podium was Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin in second and Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Josh Grant in third.

In the 250MX class, Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne brought the momentum of his Eastern Regional 250SX Championship into Hangtown with him, and he ran away with a two moto sweep. Standing on both sides of Osborne on the 250MX podium was Troy Lee Designs / KTM’s Alex Martin in second overall and Star Racing / Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger in third.

After the motos were in the history books, we gathered quotes from the top finishig riders about their Hangtown rides.

While Musquin raced Tomac hard in moto two, Tomac still ran away with the 1-1.

Eli Tomac: (1st in 450MX) “There was some good battling today. In the first moto, I got into a good groove quickly and made my passes early to get out front and get away, but the second moto was tough. I really had to dig deep and try every line possible to make time up on the leaders. It feels good to get through the first round and leave with the red plate.”

 

Zach Osborne: (1st in 250MX) “This was the perfect day to start the season. It feels really good to carry my momentum from Supercross and get the outdoors started on the right foot. It feels awesome to be fastest in both practice sessions then go out and win both motos. It’s a huge way to start the season – so I’m happy.”

 

Marvin Musquin (2nd in 450MX) “I’m really happy to leave Hangtown 2nd overall and with good starts. I really want to thank the Red Bull KTM Team, they have put in a lot of work for me right now, and with Ryan retiring, but he is right there for me if I need so I appreciate that, thanks Ryan. I’m happy to start the season like that. Today it was hot but we fought through it. Eli was strong – there was nothing I could do. I’m missing a little bit of speed at the end but we tried to be consistent the whole moto and 2nd overall today, battling with Eli, it’s a good thing.”

 

Alex Martin: (2nd in 250MX) “Normally a 4-4 doesn’t get you the runner-up spot but I’ll take it. I felt pretty good today for how hot and rough the track ended up being. It was pretty hard to pass in spots, which made it tough for me first moto. I relied on my fitness to make sure I was there in the end because I was really pushing it most of the race.”

Josh Grant was the surprise of the day with a solid 3-3 score.

Josh Grant: (3nd in 450MX) “”Today wasn’t easy. The track got rough quickly and I struggled in morning qualifying trying to find smooth lines around the track, but the team and I found the perfect setting when it mattered and finished the day on the box. I couldn’t be happier going into Round 2 at my home track sitting third in the standings.”

[Josh talks about his resurgence] It’s cool. A lot of it’s been about rebuilding myself. I’ve had a lot of injuries over the years, and it took a lot out of me mentally, physically and emotionally. And then having kids on top of that. I definitely have a lot of odds against me in that type of scenario, but for me, a lot of it drives me to go out and do better and prove people wrong. Dude, I’m going to be 31 in a couple of weeks, and it’s not getting any easier. These guys are 18, 19, 21, and it’s tough. But I really feel like there’s a lot left in me. I feel like, when I’m riding, there’s always something I can improve, whether it’s fitness or bike setup. I have a really good team that believes in my ability to ride, and that’s really what it is.” Full Josh Grant interview here>>

 

Austin Forkner: (5th in 250MX) “It was a bumpy start for us this weekend. After having to pull into the mechanics area on the opening lap in Moto 1 I was pretty angry and I think that helped me because I passed 20 plus riders and nearly finished inside the top-10. We again had some issues in Moto 2 but I pushed through it because I wanted to show I had the speed and fitness in Moto 2. I’m looking forward to rebounding next weekend.”

 

Dean Wilson: (4th in 450MX) “I’d say it was a pretty good first round. I crashed into Jason on the first moto, which was unfortunate. I caught back up to 10th and put a lot of effort into that one. I put absolutely everything I had into the second moto and went from 11th to 4th. I’m really happy and it’s pretty awesome to be back up there battling.”

 

Colt Nichols: (6th in 250MX) “Honestly, I’m really happy about the overall today. Coming in we were kind of skeptical on wjat we were going to do and if we were going to race. I only have three weeks on the bike so I’m honestly really pumped with it. It’s a big surprise for me, I think. And for everybody else. I know I’ve been working hard and even when I was hurt I put in a lot of work. I’ve been doing the right things.”

250MX podium for 2017 Hangtown National.

Freddie Noren: (15th in 450MX) “My day was overall a good day. I always want to have better results. I’m not super happy with the results—I went 13-15 for 15th overall. Overall, it was a good race. It was the first race of the year, I had two solid motos, I’m not injured and I have a great group of people helping me.”

 

Aaron Plessinger: (3rd in 250MX) “I’m feeling great. I’m happy with my starts, happy with my riding and I just need to adjust to the heat a little bit. It was a pretty hot day today. Coming from 60 degrees to 90 degrees is a pretty drastic change. I gotta get used to that and I think we’ll be good. My bike works good, my starts are good and I’m riding good. I just have to get my fitness a little bit better and we can win this thing.”

 

Cooper Webb: (7th in 450MX) “Decent start to the MX season yesterday at Hangtown. Qualified 4th in practice and went 5-9 for 7th OA. Have some work to do. Thanks for all the support.”

 

Adam Cianciarulo: (4th in 250MX) “Overall it was a solid weekend. I felt really good on the bike in the morning. After getting the holeshot in the first moto, it felt good to lead laps again and finish on the box, but the heat and crazy rough track conditions got the best of me in Moto 2. We’re in a good spot leaving the first round and I’m looking forward to Glen Helen.”

 

Martin Davalos: (14th in 450MX) “Today went really well. I only found out about moving up to the 450 about a week and a half ago, so I think my debut went pretty well considering I haven’t really been riding a 450 at all. I didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t know the pace, but I’m pretty happy and look forward to next week at Glen Helen.”

Austin Forkner looked like the 2nd fastest 250 rider, but a bike problem in moto one ruined his overall score.

Michael Mosiman: (14th in 250MX) “My pro debut is in the books. I think I had a pretty good performance and I’m happy with it. I just have to limit my mistakes for next weekend. I had two crashes in each moto, but I’m happy with my speed and where I fit in. I think I can be a top-10 guy. It was good to get it out of the way and start the season at my hometown track. I’m really pleased for this being my first national.”

 

Jason Anderson: (13th in 450MX) “My day started out great in practice and I was looking forward to a great race. I was off to a good start in the first moto but unfortunately went down and got hit with a rock, which forced me out of the race and then I had to get stitches. I rode awesome in the second moto, though. I crashed in the beginning but then came all the way back to sixth so I’m happy.”

 

Sean Cantrell: (12th in 250MX) “I came into this race not knowing where I stood. I kind of just wanted to come here and ride like I know how to ride. In the first moto I did just that. I got into second right behind AC [Adam Cianciarulo] and because I was struggling a lot in practice, it was good to get up there and find the pace. I was doing that, but Osborne was able to get around me and I settled in there. Then [Aaron] Plessinger was able to get around me. I was good—I wasn’t tired at all. I was really feeling it, but I made a little mistake and ended up going down. I got up, got going and I felt good again and went down again. A lapper kind of crossed in front of me. I ended up 10th in the first moto. In the second moto I really didn’t have anything left in the tank. I definitely had some rookie mistakes, but we know where we’re at and we can only get better from here.”

 

Cole Seely: (8th in 450MX) “It was a day of ups and downs, but we’ll take it after having a pretty big get off in qualifying practice in the morning. I felt good in Moto 1, but it caught up with me in the second moto. We’ll regroup and come back strong next weekend.”

Marvin struggled with Eli’s pace, but he was clearly the second fastest 450 rider.

Joey Savatgy: (7th in 250SX) “This weekend was tough. The track conditions were crazy and I struggled to find smooth lines. We’re going to do our homework next week and come back swinging next weekend.”

 

Jeremy Martin: (11th in 250MX) “Hangtown is in the books. It’s unfortunate that we had a rough first round going 35-3 for 11th overall. It’s only two of 24 motos and we have a whole lot of racing left. Second moto was encouraging. I came from the 25th gate pick and was probably around 15th or 20th rounding the second turn. It was good to get all the way to third. I gotta be able to get around those guys faster. I sat behind Austin [Forkner] for way too long. I had to go wide in some spots to make passes and try taking different lines. I was sick of getting roosted!”

 

Christian Craig: (12th in 450MX) “Some ups and downs today. Felt good to lead a couple laps. Taking the positives out of the day and bring it next weekend. Thanks team!”

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Justin Hill: (8th in 250MX) “I’m glad to get through the first race safe. This track has always been one of the hardest in the series, so to leave here with a top-10, I can’t complain. It’s a long and tough series. You can’t win the championship at the first race but you can definitely lose it. The team and I will continue to do our work and improve each and every week.”

 

Cameron McAdoo: (16th in 250MX) “Hangtown was definitely pretty tough on me, but it was something to build off of and learn from. Moto 1 I hit a downed bike in the second turn and went down. Lost my back brake in the crash, too, but I ended coming through to 15th. Moto 2 I got my front wheel taken out coming into the first turn and ended up down pretty hard. At first I was unsure if I was gonna be able to finish the race until I gathered myself back up and got going and came through for 16th. Ended up 16th overall on the day, but we’re healthy and going to come out swinging at Glen Helen.”

Author

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