Steve Cox | June 24, 2017
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results: Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac came into the 2017 Lucas Oil/AMA National Motocross Championships as the hands-on favorite, and he made good on that favoritism by dominating round one at Hangtown. Since then, though, he’s struggled and fallen behind in the championship until he finally got his third moto victory of the series in moto two last weekend at High Point. With the ship righted, he came into round five at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee, incredibly motivated – not only by his victory last weekend, but by the comments made by current points leader Blake Baggett – and it paid off.
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
AutoTrader/JGR/Toyota Suzuki’s Justin Barcia actually snatched the holeshot to start the first moto with a slew of Suzukis mixed into the pack behind him. RCH Suzuki’s Justin Bogle started second, just in front of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson, Barcia’s Suzuki teammate Weston Peick, Red Bull KTM’s Trey Canard (back for his first race of the MX Nationals after recovering from a broken collarbone suffered testing for the series in May), then Monster Energy/Yamalube/Chaparral Yamaha’s local boy Cooper Webb, Suzuki privateer Ronnie Stewart, and Bogle’s Suzuki teammate Broc Tickle.
Anderson and Barcia fought it out for the lead for most of the first lap before Barcia finally gave way.
Before long, Tomac joined in behind Canard and Tickle in seventh, and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM’s Baggett was hot on Tomac’s tail. Tomac made it through the group up front much quicker than Baggett, though, and fought his way past Barcia in a tight left eight laps into the race. For the rest of the moto, Tomac couldn’t seem to reel Anderson in, but after the moto, Tomac revealed he actually thought he was leading the whole time.
Anderson took the win over Tomac, Baggett, and Peick.
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
On the last lap, three turns from the finish, “BamBam” Barcia lived up to his name when he shoved former points leader Marvin Musquin wide to take fifth, and that also allowed Tickle by for sixth. Even Husky’s Dean Wilson almost got Musquin at the finish, but had to settle for eighth in front of Webb, Canard, Anderson’s other teammate Martin Davalos, and then Bogle, who slowed dramatically late in the race to finish 12th.
In moto two, Bogle got the holeshot right alongside Canard with Tomac, Peick, Musquin and Anderson giving chase, while Tickle, Webb and points leader Baggett found themselves on the ground together in the first turn.
Tomac went by Canard early on the first lap, and then Bogle crashed out of the lead a few turns later in a tight left-hander. From there, Tomac was gone.
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
Bogle got up angry, though, only falling back to fifth, and was in a battle all the way to the finish with Peick and Davalos.
The points leader, Baggett, got to work from nearly dead-last. On lap one, he came across the line in 31st. On lap two, he was 20th. On lap three, he was 16th. On lap four, 14th. And so it went until he sat on Canard’s tail in eighth near the halfway point. With four laps to go, Baggett fought his way through the Peick/Bogle/Davalos battle and took over third.
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
At the finish, it was Tomac with ease over Anderson, Baggett, Peick, Bogle, Davalos, Wilson, Freddie Noren, Webb, Barcia, Canard and Tickle.
The 2-1 was good for Tomac to take the overall win over Anderson’s 1-2 and Baggett’s 3-3, and Baggett leads the championship by four points as the series heads to RedBud next weekend.
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
2017 Tennessee 450 MX Results
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