RCH Racing Suzuki's Ken Roczen has put the perfect finish on his Championship winning season after going 1-1 at the final round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the the Ironman National.
Ken Roczen came out of the gate and around the first corner to earn the holeshot in the moto 1, and JGR Yamaha’s Justin Barcia came out right on his tail where he held strong for second with teammate Phil Nicoletti not far off behind in third.
Nicoletti would settle back closer to the set of riders behind him. 450 class rookie Red Bull Factory KTM’s Marvin Musquin would eventually make a move to claim third.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Rider Eli Tomac would keep his momentum moving forward found himself within lengths of Musquin to make for a battle that lasted through a series of turns and ultimately series of laps. The two racers would get neck-and-neck to find themselves in an all out dragrace style battle across a straightaway. Then Tomac would find the line to set him up for a long outside around a bend to leave Musquin fighting through deep, inside ruts and ultimately falling behind.
A few laps later, however, Musquin would find a gift as he came out from around a corner to see Tomac down and picking up his bike after slipping out in another deep rut wreck.
The Tomac and Musquin exchange would happen again after the drop of the two-lap marker was flown. Tomac was simply riding with more of an aggressive style over the course of a few laps while Musquin looked like he was trying to ride smooth rather than ride fast. Tomac would square up to leave a corner and drag past Musquin for the third place spot.
The moto would finish with Roczen 10 seconds ahead of Barcia in second.
Following bike troubles just before the gate dropped for moto 2, BTO Sports Andrew Short found the holeshot to start the final moto of his professional career perfectly. Barcia and Roczen were right behind Short but quickly made their ways around him. Barcia took the lead, but Roczen kept on him and took the front before the first lap was over.
With only five minutes left in the moto Barcia found himself pulling his bike out of the mud after crashing while exiting a corner. Barcia had to scramble to get back on his bike, and then to kick it back to life after a short stall. With Tomac closing in, Barcia started his bike and quickly made moves to hold onto second place before Tomac could take it away.
The rest of the racers stayed steady through the remainder of the moto with no change to the Top-5 order. Roczen finished 1-1 on the day to cap off his already Champion Title season, while Barcia and Tomac rounded off the podium behind him. The season was over.
450 CLASS RESULTS
- Ken Roczen (1-1)
- Justin Barcia (2-2)
- Eli Tomac (3-3)
- Marvin Musquin (4-4)
- Jason Anderson (5-5)
- Phil Nicoletti (6-8)
- Weston Peick (8-7)
- Matt Bisceglia (11-6)
- Fredrik Noren (9-9)
- Benny Bloss (7-11)
450 CLASS STANDINGS
- Ken Roczen, 584
- Eli Tomac, 498
- Marvin Musquin, 401
- Justin Barcia, 360
- Phil Nicoletti, 229
- Benny Bloss, 228
- Christophe Pourcel, 217
- Weston Peick, 197
- Andrew Short, 197
- Fredrik Noren, 192
Photo: Simon Cudby