Steve Cox | May 20, 2017
2017 Hangtown 450cc MX Results: Fresh off of losing a very close and hotly contested AMA Supercross Championship to now-retired Ryan Dungey, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac came to Hangtown looking for a fresh start on the run to his first 450cc title, and boy did he get what he came for…
Tomac was easily the fastest qualifier, putting in a time about 3/4 of a second faster than second-placed Jason Anderson of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team, and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin was almost 2 full seconds behind Tomac in third.
2017 Hangtown 450cc MX Results
In moto one, Honda’s Christian Craig snatched the holeshot over Musquin, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Chaparral Yamaha’s Cooper Webb, and then Tomac in fourth, just in front of his teammate Josh Grant, former Kiwi champ Cody Cooper, Honda’s Cole Seely, RCH Suzuki’s Broc Tickle, JGR Suzuki’s Weston Peick, and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM’s Blake Baggett.
Craig crashed out of the lead on lap two, handing it to Musquin, who was immediately under attack from Tomac. Tomac found his way by within a couple of laps and then pulled out to a lead of well over 20 seconds before noticeably backing it down and riding the last half of the race at what almost looked like a leisurely pace. Tomac ended up finishing 15 seconds in front of Musquin, who had another 12 seconds in hand over Grant. Then came Seely, Webb, Baggett, Tickle and his teammate Bogle, Craig, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Dean Wilson, who rounded lap one in 24th place.
Anderson went down during moto one and hit his face on a wooden stake that holds the repeater banner around the border of the track and was immediately rushed to the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit with a very bloody laceration below his eye.
2017 Hangtown 450cc MX Results
In moto two, it was Tomac’s teammate Grant who snuck out to the holeshot in front of Musquin, JGR Suzuki’s Justin Barcia, Tickle, Webb, Wilson, Bogle, Wilson’s teammate Martin Davalos, Peick, Craig and Tomac. Tomac fought up to eighth by the end of the first lap, and showed remarkable patience coming through the field on a track that was downright nasty.
Grant led almost half of the race before Musquin found his way by, and by then Tomac had just moved into third, around Barcia. It wasn’t until lap 10 of 16 when Tomac finally got around his teammate Grant, who put up quite a fight (he thought it was Barcia pressuring him at first), and then Tomac went after Musquin.
2017 Hangtown 450cc MX Results
Musquin and Tomac put on quite a show for a few laps before Tomac solidified the pass for the lead, but then it was all over but the shouting, as Musquin ended up finishing eight seconds behind Tomac at the finish, with Grant a comfortable third ahead of a fantastic ride by Wilson, then Barcia and Anderson, who somehow made it out for moto two and put in a solid ride from the outside of the start gate. Behind Anderson came Tickle, Baggett, Webb and Bogle.
Overall, the top three were easy to sort out with Tomac’s 1-1 beating Musquin’s 2-2 and Grant’s 3-3. But Wilson ended up fourth with a very CB-radio 10-4 score over Tickle’s 7-7 for fifth, Baggett’s 6-8 for sixth, Webb’s 5-9 for seventh, Seely’s 4-12 for eighth, Barcia’s 11-5 for ninth, and Bogles 8-10 for 10th. Fourth place through eighth place were separated by two points.
Hangtown 450cc MX Results
Hangtown 450cc MX Results
Hangtown 450cc MX Results
Hangtown 450cc MX Results
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