Steve Cox | May 26, 2018
2018 Glen Helen 450cc National MX Results: Four motos into the 2018 Lucas Oil/AMA Pro Motocross Championships, and some people have already started talking about the “perfect season,” as they always do when a racer starts out with four moto wins in a row. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s defending 450cc National Champion, Eli Tomac, won both motos at Glen Helen and wasn’t even really challenged all that much on his way to the two victories.
Honda’s Christian Craig grabbed the holeshot in moto one just in front of his teammate and former two-time 450cc MX champ Ken Roczen, and about half a lap later, Craig went down big-time when he failed to get all the way over a tabletop in the back section of the track and the wheels came out from under him.
Roczen took over the lead, and by lap two, the top four MX superstars in the country were running 1-2-3-4, with Roczen leading Tomac, newly crowned 450cc SX champ Jason Anderson (who was also the fastest qualifier during the day), and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin. Tomac pressured Roczen off and on for the first half of the moto, but seemed to be willing to bide his time knowing that Roczen’s not yet 100 percent.
2018 Glen Helen 450cc National MX Results
Tomac really began putting the pressure on Roczen right about the time that Musquin was doing likewise the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Anderson. Musquin passed Anderson for the spot just past the halfway point, and Tomac relegated Roczen to second about a lap later, when Roczen seemed to consciously relent to the pressure.
Tomac immediately put time on the field, eventually winning by over 12 seconds, while Roczen soon had to deal with Musquin. Musquin got Roczen for second with just three laps to go, and then Roczen backed it down and rode it in for third. Anderson ended up fourth just in front of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM’s Blake Baggett, Monster Energy Yamaha’s Justin Barcia, AutoTrader/JGR Suzuki’s Weston Peick, and Suzuki privateer Kyle Cunningham.
2018 Glen Helen 450cc National MX Results
In moto two, it was Anderson who snatched the holeshot, and for most of the race, it looked like it could go his way as Tomac found himself battling at the tail end of the top five off the start and then had his forward progress more or less stopped for half of the race when he caught up to Musquin’s rear wheel, who was running second at the time.
But once Tomac found his way by Musquin, it didn’t take long for him to close the gap on Anderson, and after Tomac passed Anderson for the lead on the second-to-last lap, Anderson’s laptimes climbed as he seemed content with second. He cruised in to the finish 16 seconds behind Tomac, but 33 seconds in front of Musquin in third. Then came Barcia, Peick, Baggett’s teammate Benny Bloss, Peick’s teammate Phil Nicoletti, Roczen, and Baggett. Baggett had gone down on the opening lap and collected a myriad of riders, while Roczen had to pit as a result, but they both came through from the back of the pack to finish inside the top 10.
2018 Glen Helen 450cc National MX Results
Tomac now leads the points by 14 over Musquin as the series heads to Colorado this coming weekend for the Thunder Valley MX National in Lakewood.
2018 Glen Helen 450cc National MX Results
2018 Glen Helen 450cc National MX Results
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