For round two of the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, the Honda Red Riders headed just a few miles outside of Denver, CO to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains for the Rockwell Watches Thunder Valley National. It was an exciting weekend for Team Honda Muscle Milk's Justin Barcia, who raced his way to a third-place-overall finish. Colorado native Eli Tomac also put together an impressive showing to earn the overall win in the 250 class aboard his Muscle Milk-supported GEICO Honda CRF250R.
450 Race
Team Honda Muscle Milk's Justin Barcia nailed down the holeshot in both motos, putting him that much closer to the $25,000 Motorcycle Superstore holeshot award that will be presented at the end of the season. In the first moto, Barcia led the pack until the midway point when he dropped back to third. Again in the second moto, Barcia jumped off the line to an early lead but fell a few positions within a couple laps. He stayed close behind the lead group but ultimately took the checkered flag in fourth. His 3-4 scores landed him on the podium in third place overall.
"I am definitely happy with how today went," said Barcia. "Last week I said I needed to make some changes and the changes that I needed to make were to get a good start and I definitely got two great starts today. Starts are so important in this class because the competition is so stacked. I feel like I gained a lot of momentum and I really learned a lot from following the guys today. I was able to see some of their line choices and was able to run their pace. I'm looking forward to heading to the East Coast and riding some of the tracks that I think suit me better."
Fellow Team Honda Muscle Milk rider Trey Canard rode well all day, grabbing good starts in both motos and was able to finish 4-5 for fourth overall. "The weekend was good. To have another ride under my belt is always positive," stated Canard. "I made some mistakes throughout the day but I also feel like there was some progress made. I got some good starts today and was able to run up front with the lead group for a while. That pace is just so fast it takes everything I have, and I'm not quite there yet. I think it will take a little more time but getting that time up front with them is a great learning experience. It was also really awesome seeing all the support for Oklahoma. There is a lot of devastation and for everyone to pull together to help raise money and awareness is great."
250 Race
It was a stellar weekend for the Muscle Milk-sponsored GEICO Honda team, with Colorado native Eli Tomac topping the podium and closing within six points of the top spot in the championship standings. Teammate Zach Osborne made his first podium appearance of the motocross season and Justin Bogle posted respectable results, finishing 10th place overall with 13-7 scores.
In moto one, Osborne launched off the line and grabbed the Motorcycle Superstore holeshot award but he quickly slipped into second. For the remainder of the opening lap, Osborne and his teammate Tomac were side-by-side until a small mistake caused Osborne to lose a few positions. Tomac made a hard charge for the lead position but was forced to settle for second, while Osborne finished in sixth.
During the second moto, Tomac put together a commanding race by taking over the lead on the opening lap and setting a blistering pace that was unmatched by the competition. Osborne spent the majority of the 30-minute plus two-lap race in third but on the final lap he made a valiant charge into second, securing himself a spot on the podium.
"Winning here is so nice," Tomac said. "I feel like I've let Colorado down a little bit in the past because I've never won this race before so to get the overall today is big for me and for all the fans who were cheering for us. We made up a few points today and when Zach got in between Roczen and me in the second moto that helped us even more, so it was a really good day in the standings. We were really close to getting the sweep. I was right on Roczen in the final lap of the first race and I just lost the rear wheel. It was a really good weekend."
"To have a ride like this in just my second outdoor race in such a long time is pretty amazing for me," Osborne said. "Catching Ken there at the end of the day was really cool. I gained a lot of confidence this weekend. This is a hard race because you're at altitude and that makes it tougher. It wasn't that hot but it can still take it out of you. For me, I felt good both motos, and we even got the holeshot in the first race so I'm really happy."
The Focus: Sun Enterprises Fan Fest
Sun Enterprises is the number one Honda dealership in Colorado and on Friday May 24th they hosted their annual Fan Festival. Hundreds of people were in attendance for food, music, games and autographs from some of the fastest racers in the world. The Honda Red Riders were there in full force with Barcia and Canard in attendance, along with GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac, Justin Bogle and Zach Osborne.
450 Class Overall Results
1. Ryan Villopoto 1-1
2. Ryan Dungey 2-2
3. Justin Barcia (Honda) 3-4
4. Trey Canard (Honda) 4-5
5. Mike Alessi 6-6
6. Clement Desalle 5-7
7. James Stewart 15-3
8. Tyla Rattray 7-10
9. Kevin Strijbos 10-8
10. Dean Wilson 11-9
450 Class Championship Points (after 2 of 12 rounds)
1. Ryan Villopoto 100
2. Ryan Dungey 88
3. Justin Barcia 70
4. Trey Canard 70
5. James Stewart 66
6. Mike Alessi 54
7. Tyla Rattray 49
8. Ryan Sipes 37
9. Weston Peick 36
10. Andrew Short 34
250 Class Overall Results
1. Eli Tomac (Honda) 2-1
2. Ken Roczen 1-3
3. Zach Osborne (Honda) 6-2
4. Marvin Musquin 4-4
5. Blake Baggett 9-5
6. Jeremy Martin 8-6
7. Martin Davalos 7-10
8. Jason Anderson 5-12
9. Cooper Webb 3-17
10. Justin Bogle (Honda) 13-7
250 Class Championship Points (after 2 of 12 rounds)
1. Ken Roczen 95
2. Eli Tomac 89
3. Marvin Musquin 72
4. Blake Baggett 70
5. Zach Osborne 65
6. Jeremy Martin 50
7. Jason Anderson 49
8. Cooper Webb 43
9. Kyle Cunningham 39
10. Justin Hill 39
About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was established in 1959 and is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and side-by-sides in the U.S. The American Honda Motorcycle Division is responsible for the sales, marketing, and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to www.powersports.honda.com.
About Muscle Milk
Muscle Milk® Ready-to-Drink is a protein-enhanced functional beverage that promotes workout recovery, lean muscle growth, and sustained energy. Muscle Milk takes the guesswork out of high performance nutrition, delivering a precise blend of premium proteins, complex carbohydrates, functional fats, vitamins & minerals. CytoSport™, the maker of Muscle Milk®, is among the largest sport nutrition protein beverage companies in the U.S. and offers a complete line of protein-enhanced powders, shakes and bars. Muscle Milk® was named Ready-to-Drink Beverage of the Year by bodybuilding.com, Best Functional Beverage and Beverage of the Year by BevNet and Company of the Year by Beverage Forum presented by Beverage Marketing Corporation and Beverage World.
