Steve Cox | August 12, 2017
2017 Unadilla AMA Lucas Oil 450MX Results – The rain really started coming down after the first 250MX moto at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, New York, site of round 10 of the 12-round 2017 Lucas Oil/AMA Pro Motocross Championships, but it didn’t seem to bother Red Bull KTM’s Frenchman Marvin Musquin who came into Unadilla having won four motos in a row leading up to the event.
2017 Unadilla AMA Lucas Oil 450MX Results
RCH Suzuki’s Matt Bisceglia grabbed the holeshot in the first moto, just in front of his teammate Justin Bogle, fast qualifier Christian Craig (Team Honda), Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM’s Blake Baggett, and Musquin, but Musquin went to work quickly to get around Baggett and Craig and set out after the Suzukis out front.
And it didn’t take him long. After taking the lead on the second full lap, Musquin checked out, while Baggett also worked his way up through the Suzukis to end up second when the race was called completed 25 minutes in due to lightning.
Honda’s Cole Seely finished third ahead of Bogle, Craig, AutoTrader/JGR/Suzuki’s Weston Peick, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Chaparral Yamaha’s Cooper Webb, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Martin Davalos and Dean Wilson, and then points leader Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki), who struggled in the opening moto on his way to 10th place.
In the shortened second moto – planned to be just 20 minutes plus two laps, rather than the usual 30 minutes plus two laps – Musquin left nothing to chance, grabbing the holeshot and leading every lap. Behind him, Davalos worked his way around Wilson for second on the opening lap, and Seely found himself in fourth, just in front of Tomac, Craig, Webb, Bisceglia, privateers Ronnie Stewart and Josh Mosiman, and then Baggett in 11th.
Webb put in a midrace charge to go by Tomac and Seely in just a couple of turns, then even chased down Wilson in third to take the final moto-podium spot, but at the end of the day, Musquin was the man yet again.
2017 Unadilla AMA Lucas Oil 450MX Results
Musquin has now won six motos in a row, which will stand at the longest such streak of the 2017 450MX Nationals (Tomac had five in a row earlier in the year, but there are only four motos left), and in the final moto at Unadilla, he was followed across the line by Davalos, Webb, Wilson, Tomac, Seely, Bisceglia, Baggett’s teammate Benny Bloss, Craig, Bogle and Baggett.
Musquin easily scored the overall on the day with a 1-1 over Davalos, grabbing his second podium overall in a row, this time with an 8-2. Seely was third overall with a 3-6, while Webb ended up fourth (7-3), Baggett fifth (2-11), then Wilson (9-4), Bogle (4-10), Craig (5-9), and Tomac (10-5)
In the end, Baggett gained five points on Tomac and now sits 27 points behind with four motos left to run, but the man on the move is Musquin, who gained 18 points on Baggett, and 23 on Tomac, and now sits only four points behind Baggett for second in the championship, and 31 behind Tomac, as the series heads to Budds Creek next weekend for round 11. CN
2017 Unadilla AMA Lucas Oil 450MX Results
2017 Unadilla AMA Lucas Oil 450MX Results
2017 Unadilla AMA Lucas Oil 450MX Results
450MX Point Standings