PALA, Calif. – The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team took on Round 2 of the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday in the backyard of KTM’s North American headquarters in Pala, California and Marvin Musquin put on a show for the crowd as he raced his way to a podium finish with 3-2 moto scores on the day. His teammate, Cooper Webb, finished just outside the top five with a consistent performance in sixth overall.
Musquin, who qualified fourth earlier in the day, put himself into fourth off the start of 450MX Moto 1, powering his way up to second by lap three. He put on a charge late in the race to bring himself up to the rear wheel of the leader, where he soon found himself in a three-way battle for the top spot. With only three laps to go, Musquin got passed for second and while he battled to the end, he ultimately finished third. In Moto 2, he shot off the line and into second-place before charging his way to the lead early on the opening lap. He held off a hard-charging Eli Tomac for the first half of the race and on lap nine he got passed for the lead. Musquin did his best to keep the leader at bay but he ultimately finished second in the moto and second overall for the day.
Musquin: “Coming from Hangtown, I had a rough week with only a little bit of riding on Thursday and Friday so I didn’t have much expectation. I just wanted to get back to my full potential and I feel like today I was back to myself. I’m glad to be back on the podium with second overall and happy with my riding.”
It was a consistent day for Webb, but perhaps not the results the recently-crowned 450SX Champion was looking for at Round 2. After qualifying sixth, Webb got off to a sixth-place start in Moto 1 and he quickly worked his way into fourth by lap three. He battled inside the top-five for the rest of the race until getting passed on the final lap, where he ultimately finished sixth. In the second moto, Webb began in the seventh-place position and worked his way up to sixth about three laps in, where he remained through the checkers. With 6-6 finishes, Webb scored sixth overall for the day at Fox Raceway. Webb: “I didn’t the best starts today and just struggled to work my way to the front. I feel like I rode consistently but not at the pace I needed to be at. I’m looking forward to getting back to Florida and getting back into the routine of things this week so we can come out swinging at Thunder Valley.”
Next Race: Thunder Valley National – June 1, 2019
450MX Results 1. Eli Tomac, KAW, (1-1) 2. Marvin Musquin, KTM, (3-2) 3. Ken Roczen, HON, (2-3) OTHER KTM 6. Cooper Webb, KTM, (6-6) 16. Blake Baggett, KTM, (33-14) 19. Erki Kahro, KTM, (17-20)
250MX Results 1. Adam Cianciarulo, KAW, (3-1) 2. Justin Cooper, YAM, (1-4) 3. Dylan Ferrandis, YAM, (7-3) 12. Shane McElrath, KTM, (15-10) 13. Derek Drake, KTM, (13-12) 21. Jordon Smith, KTM, (16-38)
450MX Standings 1. Eli Tomac, 93 points 2. Ken Roczen, 89 3. Marvin Musquin, 74 OTHER KTM 6. Cooper Webb, 65 9. Justin Bogle, 41 11. Blake Baggett, 33
250MX Standings 1. Adam Cianciarulo, 92 points 2. Justin Cooper, 86 3. Dylan Ferrandis, 70 12. Shane McElrath, 37 14. Derek Drake, 28 17. Jordon Smith, 15 |