For round 7 of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, the series headed to the newest motocross circuit in the series, WW Ranch, for the 2020 Florida National. In the 450 Class, it was Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne dominating both motos and running away with a much-needed 1-1 day—stretching his points lead to 29-points. Occupying the other two spots on the 450MX podium with Zach was Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin with a solid 3-3 day and Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac using a 6-2 day to return to the overall podium in 3rd.
In the 250 Class, Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis used his second-straight 1-1 day to climb to the top step of the podium and stretch his points lead to 13-points over GEICO / Honda’s Jeremy Martin—who finished 3rd overall with a 3-3 score. Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Justin Cooper stood in between the two title contenders on the podium with a 4-2 for 2nd overall on the day.
After the racing was over, we gathered numerous quotes from riders about their seventh outdoor MX race of 2020.
Zach Osborne: (1st in 450MX) “It was a solid weekend going 1-1 for the overall. I was able to extend my cushion again in the points so it was exactly what we needed for the stretch run of this championship. I’m looking forward to the last two rounds and finishing it off.”
Dylan Ferrandis: (1st in 250MX) “We already knew that this race is one of the hardest of the circuit with the heat and humidity here in Florida. So every year you have to manage your energy more than giving everything you have. I got two good starts, and that helped a lot. From there I just tried to control the race. It worked really well. The team and I, we changed some stuff on the bike to improve my start and it worked. So that’s good news. I’ve made a small gap in the championship which is really, really good with two rounds to go. We’ll see how it goes. I’m in great shape. I think winning the Florida round shows that. Let’s go!”
Marvin Musquin: (2nd in 450MX) “I came into this race not very well, physically, from my crash in Millville last weekend and then I had another crash in the second practice, so I went out there in not-so-great of shape but I gave my best and I’m happy with how I rode and my consistency. It’s a bummer that I lost 10 points on Zach [Osborne] in the championship but he was stronger than me today. I did what I could, so I’m happy to still be up on the podium.”
Justin Cooper: (2nd in 250MX) “Once again, it was really hot here. I knew it was going to be hot coming in. I was at the track yesterday, so I kind of got to feel the heat here. It was just a good, solid day. We had a better first moto and an even better second moto. I knew I had second overall if I beat Jeremy (Martin), so that was the goal. Dylan was riding really well today. He got past me pretty early in the first moto and I tried to latch onto him. From there, I just tried to ride my laps and focus on myself. Overall, it was a really good day. I’m proud to put it back on the podium.””
Eli Tomac: (3rd in 450MX) “Today we finally felt like we were back to normal a bit with how Moto 2 shaped up. Moto 1 was similar to how the entire season has gone, where I get buried and couldn’t dig myself out of the hole, but Moto 2 I felt fresh and felt like I had a lot left in the tank physically to make that push. At this point we are out of the title fight, but that’s not going to stop me from pushing for moto wins these last two weekends”
Jeremy Martin: (3rd in 250MX) “It was the first time I had ever been to WW Ranch and the track was pretty fun. I knew it was going to be high speed but, dang it, I didn’t know it was going to be that high speed. Just a 3-2 day for me for 3rd overall, so nothing fancy. Definitely, Dylan [Ferrandis] was riding really well today. He got really good starts. In both motos he was out of the gate better than me so I did what I could. I was kind of fighting it all day but I did everything that I could. We have two rounds left so we’ll hopefully fight him until the end and see what happens. ”
Adam Cianciarulo : (4th in 450MX) “We put ourselves in such a good position both motos to grab another overall and close the points gap so I’m pretty disappointed with how the second moto went. I needed to be a little stronger at the end of Moto 1 to hold off (Zach) Osborne and Moto 2 I felt like I was doing everything right but left the door open and came together with (Marvin) Musquin. I did everything I could to salvage what I could. The good news is we are healthy and know what we need to improve on for the last two rounds.””
Chase Sexton: (5th in 450MX) “Pole position and 5th overall this weekend in Jacksonville. Not the best result but I’ve been having a lot of fun learning every weekend and we are making improvements towards our goal! Keep climbing ”
Blake Baggett: (6th in 450MX) “It was a good day overall. I had the speed, I didn’t get the best starts, the track was tough and I didn’t move forward as quick as I should have. Still a good day and we will take the momentum into the last two rounds of the season.”
Max Anstie: (7th in 450MX) “I’m making progress each week with myself, the bike, and the team. I’m happy with a solid fourth in the second moto. It was nice to battle up near the front. On the first lap of moto one I went off the track and had to make a hard charge from a long way back, so it was nice to end up seventh overall. I’m looking forward to Colorado!”
Freddie Noren: (8th in 450MX) “It was a good weekend for me. We did some testing this week. Riding down in Florida with Alex was good; that definitely put us in a good direction. With just two more rounds to go I’m looking forward to finishing off the season strong.”
Joey Savatgy: (9th in 450MX) “It was another struggle weekend for me. We have two rounds left for me to dig deep and finish strong.”
Justin Barcia: (10th in 450MX) “It wasn’t what we were hoping for at WW Ranch. In the first moto, I got a decent start and finished fifth. We made some changes to the bike for the second moto. I got the holeshot and was feeling awesome, and then had a big crash. I had to pull in, which was a bummer, but we were able to get back out there. I gave it everything I had and fought my way back up to 13th for 10th overall. It’s not the results I wanted, but all in all, have to look at the positives. I’m looking forward to next weekend.””
Shane McElrath: (5th in 250SX) “It was tough. It was a hot day today and the track was really rough. I’m not happy with my first moto. I started out front and ended up going back to eighth at one point and then somebody went down, so I ended up seventh. I just didn’t ride very well. I didn’t feel very good at all. The sand here, it’s pretty tough to ride in. My second moto was better though. It felt harder, but I just rode better and ended up fourth. I’m going to take what I got and use it for motivation for next weekend.”
Alex Martin : (6th in 450MX) “It was a so-so day at the Florida national. The heat and humidity made the conditions pretty tough, and a second moto crash with my brother cost me a shot at another podium. Moving back to third in points was a positive.”
Justin Bogle: (13th in 450MX) “Today was good. I felt really comfortable on the track and had the speed out there. It’s a shame I went down at the start of the second moto, as I felt I could have had a top ten finish. We are still making huge progress and will be ready at Thunder Valley next week.”
Tristan Lane: (19th in 450MX) “Solid weekend at WW Ranch with 20-17 moto finishes. I’ve got more in the tank and I’m excited to keep fighting for better results. Without the support of my awesome sponsors, this wouldn’t be possible! Also a huge shoutout to Brandon Hannon for stepping up and covering my entree fees this weekend. I truly appreciate it.”
Cameron McAdoo: (7th in 250MX) “It was a good day overall. The track had a lot of tricky spots and you had to really be on your game the whole time. It was a nice surprise to see the 9-8 was seventh overall, but I really want to put the team closer to the top. We’ll keep working to close out the season with some good racing.”
Bryce Backaus: (21st in 450MX) “WW Ranch was a tough one. In the first moto, I crashed in the first turn again but found a rhythm and made my way from 40th to 19th to score my first ever points in the Pro Motocross Championship. In the second moto, my body was torched. I was running 23rd and made the pass for 22nd but blew the corner and it was all downhill from there and rode to a 24th place finish. 19-24 for 21st overall. On to Thunder Valley this weekend!”
Jarrett Frye: (11th in 250MX) “It was really hot today and the track was rough, so it definitely made it tough. The first moto I got a decent start and ended up 12th, but then the second moto I had an issue at the start and I missed the gate. I fought my way back and ended up 12th again. It was a decent day, but I want better.”
Nick Fratz-Orr: (28th in 450MX) “Had an absolute blast out there. To this day, there is nothing that compares to how difficult racing a Pro National is. This is a whole different level. I’m humbled and blessed to be able to race my motorcycle with the racers at a Pro Motocross National in the summers while working long hours during the weeks and even while I’m at the race track. Thank you everyone who has supported my program and continues to do so. It’s not a shortlist, but there are so many people who have helped along the way, in big ways or small, and none of it gets overlooked.”
RJ Hampshire: (12th in 250MX) “Today was tough. I was coming in injured [hip] and I didn’t ride all week so I tightened up in the first moto. I was able to put a late-race charge but I caught a rock off the biggest jump out there and it really scared me. I’m lucky enough to walk away with pretty much minor aches and pains but I’m sure I’ll be feeling it later. I salvaged what I could in the second moto and I’m ready to re-group and get back on the box next weekend.”
Mitchell Harrison: (13th in 250MX) “My goal is to stay in the top 10 and I wasn’t able to do that this weekend. I felt like I had the speed to be able to be up there with those guys but couldn’t make the moves I wanted to. I’m already pumped to get to Thunder Valley to bounce back and put my Kawasaki KX250 back in the top 10”
