2018 Unadilla 250cc National MX Results: It was a French Revolution at Unadilla. After Marvin Musquin—who was left off of the 2018 French Motocross of Nations team—went out and won the 450cc class overall, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis (who actually was picked for the French team) did the same in the 250cc class. Mud races are often thought to favor European racers, but Ferrandis went 1-1 on the day on almost two separate tracks; the first being a muddy, sloppy mess, and the second more of a one-lined, rutted, slick racing surface.
2018 Unadilla 250cc National MX Results
In the first moto, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Michael Mosiman took off with the early lead and seemed content to stay there, pulling away from Ferrandis and the rest of the field in the early going, but Mosiman fell a handful of laps into the race, handing Ferrandis the lead. Mosiman was back up in fifth, but it was around that same time that points leader (and Ferrandis’s teammate) Aaron Plessinger fought his way by Mosiman’s teammate Mitchell Harrison and into second. There wasn’t much he could do with Ferrandis, though, and Ferrandis took the win by over 35 seconds over Plessinger, who had another 14 seconds on TLD/Red Bull KTM’s Shane McElrath, who made a late-race charge into the top three. Harrison hung on for fourth just in front of GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton, Mosiman, Plessinger’s teammate Colt Nichols, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy (who had a wicked highside at the bottom of the Gravity Cavity early in the race), Sexton’s teammate RJ Hampshire, and McElrath’s teammate Alex Martin in 10th, the last guy on the lead lap.
2018 Unadilla 250cc National MX Results
GEICO Honda’s Cameron McAdoo got the holeshot in moto two over McElrath’s teammate Jordon Smith, Harrison, Ferrandis, Savatgy, Plessinger, Sexton and the rest of the field. Mosiman was down in turn one.
Smith crashed out of the spot on lap two, which handed second place to Harrison, and then Harrison took the lead on lap five after McAdoo went down. Harrison held strong out front for almost six laps before a lapper balked him in a turn and Ferrandis was able to sneak by. Plessinger did likewise and then briefly took the lead from Ferrandis, but Ferrandis would not be denied. He eventually found his way around Plessinger on the tricky surface and took off to win the moto—although not without incident. When leading by about 15 seconds with a couple laps left, Ferrandis careened off the track and into the fence, but remarkably didn’t actually fall. He got going quickly and won the moto by about 5 seconds over Plessinger and Savatgy, who was the other beneficiary of Harrison’s earlier collision with a lapped rider. Harrison was fourth in front of McAdoo, Plessinger’s teammate Justin Cooper, Martin, Sexton, Savatgy’s teammate Austin Forkner, and Plessinger’s teammate Nichols.
2018 Unadilla 250cc National MX Results
Ferrandis took the overall—his second of the year—with a 1-1 score over Plessinger’s 2-2 and Harrison, with his first-ever outdoor overall podium, landing third with a 4-4. Then came Savatgy (8-3) and Sexton (5-8).
Plessinger now seems likely to clinch his first-ever National Championship at Budds Creek, as he leads Martin (seventh overall at Unadilla) by 78 points with two rounds left to run. This means that Plessinger can clinch the title by losing less than 28 points to Martin at Budds Creek. On paper, that means if Plessinger finishes in the top 10 in both motos, the title’s his no matter what Martin does this coming Saturday in Maryland.
2018 Unadilla 250cc National MX Results
2018 Unadilla 250cc National MX Results
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