Photo by: Octopi
The 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship headed to Millville, Minnesota, and one of the most amazing motocross circuits on earth for the 2020 Spring Creek National National. In the 450 Class, it was Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo dominating both motos and running away with the first 1-1 day of his professional career. Occupying the other two spots on the 450MX podium was Rocky Mountain ATV/MC / KTM’s Blake Baggett with a solid 2-2 day and Monster Energy / Yamaha’s Justin Barcia using a 5-4 day to grab third overall on the day.
In the 250 Class, Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis used a 1-1 day to climb to the top step of the podium and wrestle the red plate back away from GEICO / Honda’s Jeremy Martin—who finished 2nd overall with a 5-2 score. Dylan and Jeremy are now separated by just 3 points heading into the final six motos of 2020 and all the signs point to an all-out war developing between the two veterans. Grabbing the final spot on top of the 250 podium was JGR / Suzuki’s Alex Martin with a 4-4 on the day.
After the racing was over in Millville, we gathered numerous quotes from riders about their sixth outdoor MX race of 2020.
Adam Cianciarulo: (1st in 450MX) “For the first time, I’m almost at a loss of words! Going 1-1 was huge for me. It’s a great accomplishment that I’m really proud of and something I wasn’t even able to do last year in the 250 class when I won the championship. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point and even though I had a rough start to the season, all the hard work is paying off. My Monster Energy Kawasaki team sets me up in a position to win every week, so it feels good to bring home a win for them.”
Dylan Ferrandis: (1st in 250MX) “Finally it was a good day for me here in Millville. The last three years were a nightmare, which was a bummer since it’s my favorite track on the schedule. I had a big fight with my main rival in the championship, but the red plate is back on my Yamaha bike and it feels awesome.”
Blake Baggett: (2nd in 450MX) “I’m giving it everything I got, RedBud reminded me that I got it in there and I can do it. I’m really just enjoying it. I’m enjoying being a dad and trying to put it up front [for my son]. The goal is to try to be there at the end and if I don’t win – like today, going 2-2 is awesome but at the same time I was so close to pulling it off – at least they knew I was coming and that’s all that matters, so I’ll take it.”
Jeremy Martin: (2nd in 250MX) “That was the funnest race I’ve had all year. I know I didn’t get the win today, which is always the goal. I don’t like to lose, but it felt good to see the number 14 up there and give him a run. We’ve got two rounds to go and hopefully we can battle each other like we did today.”
Justin Barcia: (3rd in 450MX) “Today was one of those warrior days. There were a lot of challenges. The track was extremely tough. I didn’t feel comfortable all day and just kind of struggled a little bit with the setup, but I put in two solid motos and never gave up. I tried my hardest and came out with a podium, so that was really cool. It was definitely one of those days where you have to be really tough mentally and ride as hard as you can and try to keep it on two wheels. I would have liked for it to be easier and would have liked to win, but getting a podium on these hard days is a great result. All in all, it was a positive day and I’m looking forward to next weekend already.”
Alex Martin: (3rd in 250MX) “I feel pretty good. It was nice to qualify 1st. I haven’t done that since 2016. That was awesome to see I still have the speed. My starts were okay today. I think I was in the top three or four in both motos. In the first moto, I rode a little tight and was basically between Jett Lawrence and my brother [Jeremy Martin] the whole moto. Just a GEICO / Honda sandwich and I was able to hold my brother off—he was all over me. It was kind of chaos. I’m not too pumped with how I rode. In the second moto, I actually got a better start. We switched tires for the second moto. The scoop or the paddle just wasn’t doing it for me. In the second moto, the bike was handling better, but just, straight up, Dylan [Ferrandis] and my brother were on another level that moto. I tried to hang with the pace they had at the beginning but it was tough. They ended up winning by like 30-seconds or whatever. I did the best that I could and focused on myself.”
Chase Sexton: (4th in 450MX) “Today started off good. I had the fastest qualifier and felt really good on the bike. In the first moto, I got a good start but ended up going down with one lap to go. I had another good start in the second moto. I made my way up to second and stayed there pretty much the whole race. I made a little mistake and slid out, ending up third for fourth overall. I’m looking forward to the Florida race–kind of a home race for me.”
Eli Tomac: (5th in 450MX) “A fifth overall should feel good, but it’s definitely not where we want to be and not where we need to be if we want to be in this title fight. I felt good today but didn’t get the starts I needed to run up front and on this track, you really need to be out front early. The team and I will just keep grinding and work to improve on this for the remaining rounds. Overall, it was a consistent weekend of riding and we’ll look forward to Florida next weekend.”
Jett Lawrence: (4th in 250MX) “In the first moto, I really didn’t get a good start and was around 6th.I made my way up to 3rd, which put me in a good position to get a podium. I just had to make sure I executed my second moto, which I did not do very well. I ended up getting a terrisble start and came back from 80th and came up to 6th which was really good. I just gotta keep my head down and my bum up. Next weekend is WW Ranch, which is sand and I really like sand so I can’t wait for that round. ”
Marvin Musquin: (6th in 450MX) “I was doing great in Moto 2 until having a mishap at the very top of the mountain on the left-hander before you drop off. I lost the rear just a little bit and it got sideways even more while I was flying in the air so when I landed I was still sideways and it hooked and I had a big crash. It was hard to get back up but I was able to get some points with 10th. I’m super disappointed because I was looking forward to getting a podium today but I’m very lucky right now to not be injured.”
Christian Craig: (7th in 450MX) “This weekend went well. It was a beautiful day and the weather was finally good, with no rain. For qualifying, I was sixth in the first practice and fifth in the second. I ended up sixth overall, which was my best so far. In the first moto I got off to a midpack start; it wasn’t the greatest, but I made some quick passes up to ninth and then found myself in a heated battle with a lot of top guys, ending up seventh by the checkered flag. I got a better start in the second moto and was in eighth for a while. Eli Tomac got around me and then we made some passes. I was pretty much locked onto him and we went through the pack pretty well. We got up to Justin Barcia at one point and then we both got stuck in fifth and sixth. I finished seventh overall; I’m right on that cusp of breaking the top five, which is what I want, so I just have to keep pushing.”
Justin Cooper: (5th in 250SX) “I struggled in Moto 1 with some arm pump and was just really not riding like myself. In the second moto, we made a few changes, and I was able to fight with those guys up front for a while. Overall, it was another average weekend. I have got to put two motos together. On a positive note, I’m glad to be back on the podium in Moto 2.”
RJ Hampshire: (6th in 250MX) “The weekend started off rough, I had a practice crash in the second session and it actually upset my hip a little more than I thought. I led half of the first moto and was feeling good but I kind of jammed it again and it was just tough after that. We managed to still get 11th in the second moto, which isn’t great, but we had a lot of speed today and I’m stoked on my riding.”
Joey Savatgy: (8th in 450MX) “Another tough weekend. IIn the first moto I was riding decently and about twenty minutes in I lost the rear brake. We made a suspension change for the second moto and it wasn’t in the right direction. We will try again next weekend.”
Zach Osborne: (10th in 450MX) “It’s not the day we had hoped for but I still have the points lead and I’m still in a good spot. If someone would’ve said you’ll have a 15-point lead with three rounds to go I would’ve said sign me up! So now it’s time to fight for the goal.””
Hunter Lawrence: (7th in 250MX) “Millville baby! Good step forward towards getting back to 100% Hunter Lawrence. We don’t give up. We will keep charging and working.”
Freddie Noren: (11th in 450MX) “I had two consistent motos and starts this weekend. It should be a good week of riding leading into WW Ranch. I’m looking forward to racing there.”
Mitchell Harrison: (9th in 250MX) “o be honest, it wasn’t the best day for me overall. I just struggled to feel comfortable and like myself on the bike. The positive is that we know what we need to fix heading into WW Ranch next weekend. We’ve only got a couple more rounds left to go, so I am going to continue to make the most of this incredible opportunity to ride the best 250 motorcycle in the paddock and aim to run up front next weekend where I belong.”
Shane McElrath : (11th in 250MX) “It was a subpar day for me today. I was just off all day and struggled every time I was on the track. We’re going to regroup and work on coming back stronger next weekend in Jacksonville.”
Justin Bogle: (13th in 450MX) “I’m getting stronger every weekend. I felt loose out there and flowing around the track today. I’m for sure making strides and they are showing in my results. We keep moving forward, progress and fight for a top ten finish next weekend at WW Ranch”
Broc Tickle: (16th in 450MX) “It was a tough day for me from the start. I struggled to get a flow on the track and it was difficult for me to feel comfortable. Millville is normally prepped differently. It was super hard and slick. We had a decent practice, I was 11th overall for qualifying. I knew it was going to be important to get good starts and stay away from people. I didn’t do that. I put myself in bad positions in both motos. I ended up 12th in the first moto and in the second moto, I was coming through the pack and had a moment over a jump and had a big crash. I’m super sore today and feeling banged up. I’m just going to take it day by day and see the progress heading into Jacksonville towards the end of the week to see where I’m at. I’m going to do what I need to do to try to get better and get back at the races”
Cameron Mcadoo: (14th in 250MX) “Millville was an up and down day for me. I had a pretty good start in the first moto and finished sixth. In the second moto, I felt really good for the first few laps. I was riding around fifth or sixth and was pushing towards the front, but I ended up crashing pretty hard and getting a handlebar to my stomach, which made me sick and forced me to pull in and unable to finish the moto. It definitely wasn’t the day we wanted but it was nice to get good starts. We’ll take that to Florida next week and give it our all.”
Jarrett Frye : (15th in 250SX) “It was an okay day for me. It started well, qualifying seventh, and I was happy with that going into the motos. Two 14ths was not the moto scores I was looking for, but I’m going to take what I learned today and try to build off of it and be better next weekend.”
Grant Harlan: (17th in 450MX) “I struggled in practice and moto 1 with finding a flow around the track. I had to go back to the lab to make some adjustments to my mind and I found that speed and aggression that I’ve been missing. I’m going to keep grinding with GAME Moto (Elite motocross training) to be ready and better for the next one.”
Robbie Wageman: (20th in 450MX) “It’s been such a rad trip racing both RedBuds and Millville! RedBud 1: 24-25, RedBud 2: 21-DNF, and Millville 17-21. I know where I’m lacking and need to improve but it’s been such a blast learning each and every round and I can’t thank all my supporters for everything.”
Alex Ray: (25th in 450MX) “Hey, I didn’t score points this weekend but I’ll take take it. We fought hard second moto after a crash. The vibes of the team was all-time this weekend! Bring on WW.”
Jared Lesher: (30th in 450MX) “Bit of a rough one at Millville this weekend. P-26 in qualifying> Moto 1, I was feeling awesome then made a small mistake and tipped over in a corner. When I got back going, I started having brake issues. With the steep hills, it was hard to push and ended up 32nd. Second moto, I was in a good spot to start, and coming into the finish line jump, the outside line faded right off the track and there was no safe place to re-enter so it put me back at the very back of the pack. I worked my way up to 26th, but I spent too much energy early so I didn’t have much fight left in me late in the race. Disappointed that we didn’t make a step in the right direction this weekend, but we have 1 more round this season to improve and learn.”
Derek Kelly: (16th in 250MX) “Awesome weekend in Millville for round 6. I finished 16th overall and my best finish at a national! I can’t wait for the next one to keep learning and improving. Huge thanks to all that make it possible.”
Jerry Robin: (18th in 250MX) “Awesome hearing the hometown fans out there today. I qualified P-13, and went 16-19 in the motos! Riding was really solid. I had to dig deep after being sick for a week so I was pretty drained later into the motos. Hopefully back to 100% for WW Ranch next weekend.”
Jalek Swoll: (20th in 250MX) “It was kind of one thing after another today. I went into the first moto with a good start and a decent pace but I had a freak accident and broke my forks. I came into the second moto with 38th gate pick and I had a decent start but I ended up pulling my shoulder out on the second lap. It’s frustrating but we’ll get healed up and be ready to fight on home base.”
