Zach Osborne and Dylan Ferrandis were crowned champions as the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship wrapped up its season Saturday at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
There were first-time event winners in both the 450 class (Chase Sexton) and 250 (Jett Lawrence).
Osborne’s sixth place quietly capped a breakout season in which he won the 450 class season opener. The 31-year-old led the series with four victories and six podium finishes, becoming the oldest champion in American motocross history. He also is the 12th rider to win the 250 and 450 championships.
“It’s been the longest nine weeks of my life and this [last] one has been the toughest,” Osborne, who finished 12 points ahead of Adam Cianciarulo, said after delivering Husqvarna its first premier class title, three years after giving the manufacturer its first 250 Class championship. “You think of a million ways to win and a million ways to lose, so I’m just so relieved this is finally over.
“That was the longest moto of my life. I actually thought about retiring after injuring my back earlier this year, but my wife encouraged me to keep going. We came into this outdoor season looking to get some good results and I never could have imagined that we’d be up here today with this championship. It just goes to prove you should never give up, because anything can happen.”
Ferrandis went one step higher after finishing runner-up in the 2019 standings, securing the title with three 1-1 victories sweeps and eight podium finishes in nine starts. He became the first Frenchman to win a 250 title with a third overall Saturday, finishing fifth in the second moto after rebounding from an incident.
“It was a crazy moto. I made a mistake and crashed and had to come back through the field,” said Ferrandis, who finished 123 points ahead of Jeremy Martin. “I just want to thank everyone at Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha. They put so much work into this. I’ve been dreaming of holding up this [number one] plate for a long time now.
“It’s been a hard and a long journey, but I’m just so happy. As an athlete in any sport we all want to win. We all work hard. For me, it took me some time to get here, but now all you want is more. You can’t dream of anything else but winning.”
Sexton, who was coming off a 250 Supercross title in June, finished 1-3 for his first event victory and a fifth in the finale standings.
“It’s unreal; it feels a little bit like a dream,” Sexton said. “Since I was young I always wanted to be a 450cc race winner and 450cc champion. That was a great race. We put so much hard work in trying to get this, and we saved the best for last.”
Lawrence earned his first podium with a 1-2 finish that sealed a rookie of the year award for the 17-year-old.
“It means the world; I’ve worked my butt off to get where I am today,” said Lawrence, the second Australian winner in 250 series history. “I’m just excited to be up here. I’m glad I could finish it out with a bang.”
RESULTS
MX vs ATV All Out Fox Raceway National (Fox Raceway - Pala, California)
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (3-1)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-4)
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-3)
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (4-2)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (6-5)
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-7)
- Max Anstie, England, Suzuki (9-6)
- Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM (7-8)
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha (8-9)
- Coty Schock, Dover, Del., Honda (12-10)
Final 450 Class Championship Standings
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna - 355
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki - 343
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki - 321
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM - 314
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda - 290
- Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda - 235
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha - 234
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM - 232
- Max Anstie, England, Suzuki - 193
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha - 170
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda (1-2)
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (4-1)
- Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (2-5)
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Yamaha (5-4)
- Jo Shimoda, Japan, Honda (9-3)
- Jarrett Frye, Mechanicsville, Md., Yamaha (8-6)
- Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., KTM (7-7)
- Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Kawasaki (6-9)
- Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., Honda (11-8)
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki (10-11)
Final 250 Class Championship Standings
- Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha - 390
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda - 377
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., Yamaha - 288
- Jett Lawrence, Australia, Honda - 277
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 271
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki - 242
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna - 217
- Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Kawasaki - 190
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki - 187
- Jo Shimoda, Japan, Honda - 174