Eli Tomac nipped Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo to win the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 450 division at Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colorado.
Tomac, the reigning Supercross champion and three-time defending 450 motocross champion from Cortez, Colorado, won’t be defending his title after a disappointing season, but Saturday’s victory provided a lift.
Tomac finished third in the first moto and won the second while Cianciarulo won the first and finished third in the second. The tiebreaker went to the second moto winner.
“Such a cool day here in Colorado,” Tomac said in a release after his second victory this season and the 25th of his career. “So glad we were able to get back here this season. I finally had a race where I felt like myself.
“In the first moto I was out of touch (from the leaders) early on, but in the second moto I was much closer to the front. I had a bit of a clutch hang up, but it fixed itself. We really needed this. I’ve kind of been searching lately, so it feels good to have a day like this and get back on top.”
Hometown hero 🤠 @elitomac wins the second moto and the overall 🏆 pic.twitter.com/45r4AS71Xm
— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) October 3, 2020
In the championship battle, Cianciarulo gained five points and trails by 24 points to Zach Osborne entering the Oct. 10 season finale in Southern California.
“In the first moto I got slammed by another rider in the second turn and my foot got jammed really bad. The more I went the more I could feel it,” Osborne said after finishing third at Lakewood. “I got it massaged before the second moto and then adrenaline carried me from there.
“I had a midrace lull there in the second moto but was able to finish strong and get a good result. I wasn’t in my comfort zone today so I did a little bit of point racing. We’ll look forward to next week.”
In the 250 class, Justin Cooper won the overall with a second and first in the motos.
Points leader Dylan Ferrnadis won the first moto and placed second overall. He leads by 18 points over Jeremy Martin entering the finale.
Said it, did it ✅ @justincooper32 WINS the second moto and the overall in the 250 class 🏆 🐶 pic.twitter.com/ohFIbxdBRP
— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) October 3, 2020
“I was in a bad position (in the second moto),” Ferrandis said. “I wanted to get as many points as possible, so I rode as hard as I could.
“I got a bad start and then I got caught up in an incident. There was nothing I could do. I just put my head down and gave it my all. We still were able to get on the podium so that’s good for the championship.”
NEXT: The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will conclude its season Oct. 10 with the The MX vs ATV Fox Raceway National at Fox Raceway in Pala, just outside of San Diego. Live coverage of the second motos will begin at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
RESULTS
WPS/FLY Racing Thunder Valley National (Thunder Valley Motocross Park - Lakewood, Colorado)
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (3-1)
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (1-3)
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (4-2)
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (2-5)Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (6-2)
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (7-4)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (6-8)
- Max Anstie, England, Suzuki (9-6)
- Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., Husqvarna (14-7)
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM (12-9)
- Jake Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Husqvarna (13-10)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna - 325
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki - 301
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM - 283
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki - 278
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda - 245
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha - 234
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM - 232
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda - 195
- Max Anstie, England, Suzuki - 166
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Suzuki - 147
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (2-1)
- Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (1-3)
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (4-2)
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Yamaha (3-5)
- Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (5-4)
- Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda (6-6)
- Jo Shimoda, Japan, Honda (7-8)
- Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Kawasaki (8-9)
- Jarrett Frye, Mechanicsville, Md., Yamaha (9-10)
- Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., Honda (13-11)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha - 352
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda - 334
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Yamaha - 254
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 251
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki - 242
- Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda - 230
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna - 217
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki - 165
- Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Kawasaki - 163
- Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., KTM - 148
