When the gate dropped on moto one, Roczen propelled his CRF450R up the long start hill and came around the first turn in third. He quickly began his push forward, making swift passes and making his way into the lead early on the first lap. Once he established control of the race, the German never looked back, checking out from the rest of the field. Over the remainder of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race, Roczen rode unchallenged, taking the win with an impressive 35-second lead. Meanwhile, Seely got off to a top-10 start and began a strong charge forward. He made the pass into sixth on lap seven, but kept his momentum going, taking over fifth on the following lap. Seely then closed the gap on fourth and began applying pressure, making several pass attempts over the next four laps. Unfortunately, he got caught up in a deep rut, causing him to go down and lose multiple positions. He remounted and took the checkered flag in ninth.

In the day’s final moto, Roczen shot out of the gate to another third-place start but moved into second before the completion of the first lap. On lap two, Roczen made the pass into the lead and quickly opened another multi-second gap. He maintained the front spot until he came under fire from Eli Tomac with less than 13 minutes remaining. A heated battle ensued until Roczen relinquished the lead on lap 10, leaving him to finish in second. Seely got a mid-pack start and was forced to come from behind, working his way from 20^thto 12^thby the end.

NOTES

• For the third consecutive week, Honda Red Riders took advantage of Friday’s press day, allowing them an additional 30-minute practice session prior to the race. Riders and crew took the opportunity to dial their CRF450Rs in at elevation. Later that evening, Roczen and Seely were joined by the GEICO Honda crew for an autograph session at Peak Honda World in Littleton.
• On Friday, the musical band Sublime with Rome launched the music video to their new song “Light On,” featuring Team Honda HRC rider Cole Seely. Check out the full video here.
• The day started on a positive note, as Roczen secured the second-fastest time during the morning’s second qualifying session, with a solid 2’04.198” lap. Seely was ninth with a 2’06.548” time.
• Roczen’s speed was unmatched in the first moto, as he laid down the quickest lap time of the race with a 2’10.566”, over two seconds quicker than the second-fastest time.
• After spending the past five weeks in California, Roczen flew back home to Florida the day after the Thunder Valley National. Seely won’t be far behind him, as he’ll spend one more week at home in Costa Mesa before making the move to Clermont for the summer to train at the Moto Sandbox. “This will be my second summer in Florida training,” Seely said. “I was supposed to go last year but obviously got hurt. It’s overall just a better situation. We’re riding at a private facility with multiple tracks, and getting to ride alongside fast guys like Ken and Chase [Sexton] is an advantage because we push ourselves more. It’s also good training for the heat and humidity, which we encounter at many rounds.”
• The Thunder Valley National proved a challenge for the GEICO Honda team, as inconsistent starts left each rider fighting for position. Chase Sexton was the top Red Rider in the 250 Class, finishing fifth overall with 7-6 scores. Teammate RJ Hampshire showed podium-level speed early in moto one but was unable to maintain that pace, finishing seventh on the day with 5-11 marks. Hunter Lawrence was eighth with 10-7 finishes, while Christian Craig finished 18^th.
• Team Honda HRC will take their first of three one-week breaks in the series before heading to Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, on June 15 for round four at High Point Raceway. “I really like High Point,” Roczen said. “It’s kind of like this one [Thunder Valley], with a lot of hills, clay type soil and ruts. It should be interesting because it’ll be the first race where it’s probably going to be pretty humid so that will play into effect.”

Media contact:

Mandie Fonteyn // Jonnum Media  // mandie@jonnummedia.com// +1 (951) 537-0454