Feature photo by: Octopi
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship went to Buchanan, Michigan for the 2019 RedBud National, and it was Eli Tomac (1-2) taking the win in the 450MX class and Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis (1-1) winning the 250MX class.
Dylan was joined on the 250MX podium by the Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo (2nd) and Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s of Justin Cooper (3rd). In the 450MX class, Tomac was joined by Rockstar / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson (2nd) and Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin on the podium.
After the racing was over, we gathered numerous quotes from riders about their seventh outdoor National of 2019.
Eli Tomac: (1st in 450MX) “Man, the track was gnarly out there, but I always have fun riding at RedBud. The crowd was so loud, it was unbelievable; there’s really nothing like riding out there with all of that energy and being able to get the job done for them. The team has worked so hard to get me the best bike set up and I’m feeling even more comfortable and confident on my KX™. It feels so good when you put it all together and get another overall win. Because of all that work put in, we’ve been able to go on a roll this season and we’re all looking forward to keeping that momentum going after taking this next weekend off.”
Dyan Ferrandis: (1st in 250MX) “Finishing the day with two moto wins and the overall, honestly I couldn’t have expected a better weekend. My bike was really good, and I felt very comfortable on it today. We improved a lot on it with the team, and I want to thank them all for the hard work they put in every day for me to get the best bike possible. Getting ready for the outdoors is tough after a long Supercross season, so it took me time but finally we are where we want. Now we’re going take some rest before getting back to work and get ready for Millville in two weeks.”
Jason Anderson: (2nd in 450MX) “We’re progressing and we’re getting better every weekend. The fans here at RedBud are amazing! This weekend went a lot better than the last. I was able to get second overall, which is another podium, so we’ll take it and just keep climbing.”
Adam Cianciarulo: (2nd in 250MX) “Although I’m struggling to accept and understand the decision to dock me two positions in the first moto, I’m going to stay positive and focused. I’m stoked to turn it around with a solid second moto and second overall on the day. Being able to perform in front of that crowd, with all the energy and enthusiasm, is truly special. It’s something I certainly don’t take for granted. I’m looking forward to a weekend off and finishing this season strong.””
Justin Cooper: (3rd in 250MX) “It was a tough day. I really got unlucky on the first lap in both motos where I was in decent positions, but that’s the way it goes! That’s racing. I’m happy to walk away with a podium today. I had to work from the back, so it was tough, but I’m looking forward to Millville. I really enjoy that track and did well there last year. I felt good today, but I didn’t put myself in good positions so a podium is great. The team did a great job today, and they had the bike feeling good for me. I just need to execute better next race.”
Marvin Musquin: (3rd in 450MX) “The riding was really good all day but unfortunately, I didn’t get a great start in the first moto and then ended up going down in the first lap. It was very bad but I came back from dead last to seventh. To be able to win the second moto is just awesome and to salvage a podium was really important today – it’s good for the team and it’s good for me.”
Cooper Webb: (4th in 450MX) “RedBud was a step in the right direction for me. Practice went really well, I was able to qualify first for the first-time ever in outdoors. To go 3-5 for fourth overall is alright, I wish I would have been a little bit better in the second moto but so far, it’s the best day yet and we’ll keep plugging away to try and get better for Millville.”
Ken Roczen: (5th in 450MX) “It’s hard to be completely satisfied with the way that I’m feeling and how today went overall, but I’m happy with the second moto. Obviously, I haven’t been myself; it’s been a tough few weeks and we’re trying to figure it out. The first few races when it was cool out, it wasn’t as much of an issue, but with the heat and humidity, it’s been tough. I’m just going out there and doing my best. The first moto would’ve been okay too because I had worked my way into fifth but then I actually threw up with like five minutes to go. I let it all out and just finished the race but did lose time. The second moto, I got a much better start and just tried to do the best that I could for as long as I could. I’m happy with how I was riding and finishing third.”
Dean Wilson: (9th in 450MX) “My first race back was a good race to work off of. This was the first time I’ve ridden my outdoor bike all year, so I was just kind of gelling with it. I’m going to work off of this – I know what I need to do and I’ll keep pushing for better results.”
Fredrik Noren: (10th in 450MX) “It was awesome to be back racing at RedBud! It was kind of an off day for me. I struggled to ride to my potential. Still, I’m happy to salvage a tenth overall. It’s so nice to have the support of the team around me, and to race such a great bike. I’m looking forward to Millville.”
Aaron Plessinger: (11th in 450MX) “RedBud went a lot better than Southwick did. I qualified 13th and then made a lot of improvements to the bike. We got it working pretty good for the motos, but I twisted my ankle pretty bad in the first one. I dropped a couple spots and then made it back up to 11th. I got a great start in the second one and then let a few people by. Justin passed me on the last lap and ended up finishing 11th again. So I went 11-11 for 11th overall. We’re making big improvements. I’m just going to keep pushing forward, build my fitness during this week off, and try to have some fun and enjoy it with the family.”
Ty Masterpool: (6th in 250MX) “RedBud lived up to the hype. The fans and the track were so awesome. In the first moto, I was midpack and started to work my way up and got fourth. In the second moto, someone went down in the first corner, and I got stuck behind them. I worked my way up through the pack and ended up sixth overall. I’m really happy with the progress I’m making so far and really looking forward to the next one at Millville.”
Colt Nichols: (7th in 250MX) “The bike was awesome today. I’m really happy with the progress we have made there. In the first moto, I had a crash and my front brake locked up, so I had to pull into the mechanics area. It’s unfortunate, but that’s racing. We still salvaged a decent result for the day.”
Michael Mosiman: (8th in 250MX) “I had a good week and I felt good coming back after an injury. All-in-all, it was a pretty good day. I’m happy with my riding but I just need to clean things up a little bit. We’ll regroup and keep charging, we’ve got a weekend off to rest and recuperate and then we’ll hit it hard at one of my favorite tracks at Spring Creek.”
Justin Barcia: (14th in 450MX) “It was a tough day. We had our work cut out for us. In the first moto, we ran into a little mechanical and unfortunately it took us out of the race. The boys had to scramble to do a lot of work and get the bike ready. They did a great job handling everything today. In the second moto, I had full outside gate and didn’t come out so well. I started probably in the 20’s and ended up getting hit by someone and flipping over the bars. I came back from near last to 10th. It doesn’t look good on paper, but I rode my heart out.””
Alex Martin: (11th in 250MX) “I love racing at RedBud every year. It’s definitely one of my favorite stops on the circuit. Qualifying went well, as I logged the eighth quickest time. It felt awesome to grab both holeshots on my Suzuki RM-Z250 and run up front for quite a while. Obviously, the bike issue took me out of contention for the overall win, but it was still nice to lead laps and grab a moto podium. There are lots of positives to take away from the weekend”
Joseph Savatgy: (17th in 450MX) “I’m trying so hard to put two decent motos together but I’ve run into some unfortunate issues these last few weeks. I got into a downed rider in Moto 1 and bent my foot peg to the point where I couldn’t even stand on it. Then, I made a small mistake in Moto 2 and crashed with about 3 laps left while running sixth. We all know this isn’t the easiest sport, but I’ll get back to what I know and keep working. The Monster Energy Kawasaki team has been so supportive and continue to work with me so I can get back to the front where I belong.”
Kyle Peters: (13th in 250MX) “It was a good day. A seventh in the first moto was a big step in the right direction. I started around tenth and worked my way forward. The bike was performing great and my fitness was there. I was just in a little bit of pain from my broken ribs. Even the second moto, coming off the ground in the second turn and landing on my ribs, I was happy to make my way up to the top 20.”
Mitchell Oldenburg: (14th in 250MX) “We’re making progress. Qualifying went really well, and my speed has been pretty good this year, so I’m really excited about that. I’m getting stronger every weekend and trying to keep that forward momentum, so I’m happy with the weekend. I’m not really sure where I ended up overall, but like I said we’re making progress and getting stronger every weekend, which was my goal when I returned to racing. Hopefully I keep continuing to do that. We’ll take advantage of this next weekend off and get strong for Millville.””
Jordan Bailey: (18th in 250MX) “RedBud is one of the best races of the year and I would say it was a really good step forward. I qualified fifth overall in practice, which was my best qualifying position ever. I had a rough start in the first race but we were able to come back to 12th. In Moto 2, we had a bike issue that caused a DNF but we’ll get it figured out. It’s been a tough year outdoors but I have confidence in the guys that we’re going to get it figured out and get everything dialed for Millville.””
Martin Davalos: (DNS in 250MX) “I have been dealing with some lingering injuries all season and although it’s not in my blood to give up, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team and I made the choice not to line up for today’s motos after struggling to get through practice and qualifying. We decided it made more sense for me to listen to my body and not take a chance at doing any further damage or creating any more risks. I’ll check in with the doctor this week and we will go from there but for now, I’m looking forward to a weekend off.”
