This past Saturday, the first Utah National at Tooele's state-of-the-art Miller Motorsports Park was home to round 11 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series and 21,000 fans were in attendance to catch all the excitement. Team Honda Muscle Milk's Trey Canard landed himself on the podium with third overall. Muscle Milk-supported GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac hit a milestone in his career by wrapping up his first ever AMA Pro 250 Motocross Championship with one round remaining in the series. The Colorado native has finished on the podium at every round of the motocross season, with sixth overall wins and has won 11 of the last 13 motos.
450 Race
Following a tough weekend in Unadilla, Canard was able to rebound at the inaugural Utah race by clinching third overall on his CRF450R with two consistent 3-3 finishes. In moto one, Canard got off the line to a top-10 start but quickly made his way into third, where he maintained a comfortable position throughout the remainder of the race. In the second moto, the Team Honda Muscle Milk rider launched out of the gate to a fourth place start and moved into third a few laps later, which is eventually where he finished. Canard's solid performance was enough to move him back into fourth place overall in the points chase with 303 points.
"Practice was a little rough and I honestly don't feel like I rode that great, but I am glad to be safe and back up front," stated Canard. "I got decent starts and then rode to where I was comfortable and that was it. I am a little disappointed in that but I am so grateful to be back on the podium after last weekend's disaster. It is nice to have a little wind going into the last round and it is great to even be at this point in the series. I am ecstatic because this is the first full season I have ridden in a few years. I feel like we have really built a good foundation throughout this entire year and made a lot of progress so I am looking forward to next year."
Team Honda Muscle Milk's Justin Barcia had a roller coaster day with his 11-4 scores landing him sixth-place overall. In the first moto, Barcia started outside the top 10, then collided with another rider toward the end of the race causing him to relinquish a few more spots before taking the checkered flag. In the second moto, Barcia nailed down a fifth place start and moved into fourth a few laps later, which is where he finished.
250 Race
Eli Tomac put forth another flawless 1-1 performance on his CRF250R to grab his sixth overall win of the season and with one round still remaining he secured the 250 Championship. In the first moto, Tomac sat in fifth at the conclusion of the opening lap but quickly moved his way into the lead position a few laps later. From there, nobody could match his pace and he rode unchallenged all the way to the checkered flag. Tomac was unable to get a good start in the second moto, but by the halfway point he had moved into second where a head-to-head battle ensued for the front spot. Tomac was triumphant, finally making a pass stick towards the end of the moto. The championship wasn't determined until the final lap when another rider inserted himself between Tomac and the closest title challenger, giving Tomac the 51-point edge he needed to secure the championship.
"I honestly didn't know if it would happen here or not. To do it here is kind of crazy; it is like a dream," said Tomac. "The whole team has been great all year, and the way my CRF250R has been all year has been amazing. I didn't really know I had the championship wrapped up; I was just going with the flow. I saw them (Roczen and Baggett) come over the line at the same time and then everyone got so excited and I realized what had happened. I think I am still in shock right now, it hasn't really sunk in."
The other Muscle Milk-supported GEICO Honda riders also turned in solid finishes at the Utah National. Justin Bogle placed fifth overall, won the holeshot in the second moto and led for the first part of the race before falling back to fourth, where he finished. "Both starts were pretty good, especially the holeshot in the second moto," explained Bogle. "I led the second moto for about six laps, which was great because I haven't been out front for that long in a while. You couldn't see very much at all for most of the race, but everyone was in the same conditions so we just had to deal with it."
Zach Osborne got out to an early lead in moto one before finishing sixth. His sixth and tenth place scores landed him ninth overall for the day. Teammate Wil Hahn was unable to collect his traditional holeshot, but he did secure decent starts in both motos. Hahn finished 11th overall with his 12-13 scores. The final GEICO Honda rider, Matt Bisceglia, finished 20th overall in his second pro race with 20-17 finishes.
The Focus: Justin Barcia Selected for the 2013 Motocross of Nations USA Team
This past Saturday, the AMA announced the team that will represent the United States at next month's FIM Motocross of Nations in Teutschenthal, Germany. Justin Barcia will compete for the second year aboard his Team Honda Muscle Milk CRF450R in the Open class. Barcia, who was a rookie in 2012, said he's more confident now with a year of experience competing at the FIM Motocross of Nations. "Last year I learned a lot and the experience will be huge for me this year," Barcia said. "I also have a lot more experience riding a 450 now, and that will be to my advantage because last year I didn't have much experience on that bike. I think it's awesome to represent my country, and our expectation is to win. We have a really strong team this year and we have a very good chance to bring back the trophy."
450 Class Overall Results
1. Ryan Villopoto 1-1
2. Ryan Dungey 2-2
3. Trey Canard (Honda) 3-3
4. Weston Peick 5-5
5. Justin Brayton 6-7
6. Justin Barcia (Honda) 11-4
7. Jake Weimer 8-6
8. Phil Nicoletti 12-8
9. Matt Goerke 9-11
10. Ben LaMay 13-10
450 Class Championship Points (after 11 of 12 rounds)
1. Ryan Villopoto 513
2. Ryan Dungey 463
3. Justin Barcia 375
4. Trey Canard 303
5. James Stewart 289
6. Jake Weimer 244
7. Andrew Short 238
8. Broc Tickle 216
9. Josh Grant 208
10. Mike Alessi 204
250 Class Overall Results
1. Eli Tomac (Honda) 1-1
2. Blake Baggett 2-2
3. Ken Roczen 4-3
4. Adam Cianciarulo 3-9
5. Justin Bogle (Honda) 9-4
6. Darryn Durham 8-5
7. Marvin Musquin 5-8
8. Cooper Webb 7-7
9. Zach Osborne (Honda) 6-10
10. Justin Hill 10-14
250 Class Championship Points (after 11 of 12 rounds)
1. Eli Tomac 505
2. Ken Roczen 454
3. Marvin Musquin 388
4. Blake Baggett 373
5. Zach Osborne 322
6. Justin Bogle 268
7. Jeremy Martin 264
8. Jason Anderson 256
9. Cooper Webb 217
10. Kyle Cunningham 214
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.
