Cycle News Staff | June 19, 2021
2021 High Point Pro Motocross Rnd 3 Results. Dylan Ferrandis won a hard-fought battle in the 450MX class at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, round three of the 2021 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha Team rider didn’t get a moto win but the Frenchman did get the overall victory and took back the red plate, signaling the points leader in the championship.
In a race that saw numerous passes, a lot of close racing, hard multi-rider skirmishes, often times amongst teammates, and the return of the Eli Tomac of old, Ferrandis emerged through it all as the overall winner with a pair of second-place finishes.
Ferrandis even rubbed elbows with title rival Ken Roczen and outdueled the Honda rider in the all-important second moto.
“It was crazy,” Ferrandis said of the day’s racing, especially in the second moto that at one point of the race saw factory teammates from Honda (Roczen vs. Sexton), Kawasaki (Tomac vs. Adam Cianciarulo), and Yamaha (Ferrandis vs. Plessinger) all fighting against each other for positions while running inside the top six.
Kawasaki won both motos, with Adam Cianciarulo winning the first and Tomac the second. After a strong performance in moto one, Cianciarulo led moto two early on and had the overall victory within his grasp but slipped back to fourth by the end of the moto, admitting afterward that, “I just need to be stronger.” His 1-4 gave him second overall.
After finishing sixth in the first moto, which was a slight improvement from the Pala and Lakewood Nationals, Tomac finally got a good start in the second moto and looked like the Tomac of old, passing his teammate Cianciarulo for the lead and running away with the win. His 6-1 got him on the podium for the first time this season. Tomac seemed relieved getting the win saying that he thinks he can keep it going. If so, things will get real interesting in the race for the championship.
For Roczen, it was tough to swallow after all his hard work that a 3-3 wasn’t good enough to get him on the podium, and to make matters worse, he lost the points lead to Ferrandis. Roczen rode well but it just wasn’t his day. “I raced hard all the way to the end,” he said seemingly happy with his riding despite what the results tell.
Chase Sexton also rode well and was rewarded with a top-five finish with a 4-5.
Plessinger (5-8), Justin Barcia (9-6), Marvin Musquin (10-7), Joey Savatgy (8-9), and Cooper Webb (7-11) completed the top 10.
Ferrandis, who has now finished the last four motos in second place, is back on top of the leaderboard following his opening-round win at Pala. He leads Roczen by three points, with Plessinger third another 27-points back. Cianciarulo and Sexton are both two points behind Plessinger.
Defending champ Zach Osborne announced before the race that he won’t be racing the rest of the season due to his bad back.
The 250MX class saw a first-time winner standing on the top step of the podium when all was said and done. Twenty-year-old Jalek Swoll, of Beleview, Florida, captured his first-career moto win in the first race, which led to his first-career overall victory with a 1-3. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Team rider, Swoll, came out swinging in the first moto. He fought his way into the lead off the start and gave veteran racer RJ Hampshire a good fight before surrendering the point position to his teammate.
Hampshire looked to be a sure winner until his chain broke with just four laps to go while enjoying a comfortable lead. It was a long walk back to the pits for the dejected Hampshire.
Swoll found himself in the lead again but with room to spare over the second-place rider, Colt Nichols. The Husqvarna rider took the surprising win 3.2 seconds ahead of Nichols.
Swoll got the start he needed in moto two. He completed the first lap in second behind eventual moto winner Justin Cooper. Before the race was over, Swoll surrendered a position to Jett Lawrence and fought back the advances of Garrett Marchbanks before finising third, which was good enough for the overall victory.
“The win means the world to me, I can’t explain what I’m feeling right now,” said Swoll who admitted he was getting fatigued toward the end of the moto. “My tongue was in the spokes I was so tired.”
Lawrence (Honda HRC) finished out the day second overall with a 3-2, followed by Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) with a 5-1. Both Lawrence and Cooper were held back by small falls in the first moto.
Nichols finally showed what he’s capable of doing outdoors with some good starts and solid rides. A 2-5 netted the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider fourth overall, followed by ClubMX Yamaha rider Garrett Marchbanks with a 10-4.
Austin Forkner (7-6), Ty Masterpool (9-10), Hunter Lawrence (8-11), Dilan Schwartz (6-13), and Carson Mumford (13-7) rounded out the top 10 overall.
Jett Lawrence gained a single point on Cooper in their battle for the 250MX Championship. Lawrence and Cooper leave High Point separated by 11 points, with Lawrence on top with 132 to Cooper’s 121.
Hunter Lawrence is third with 90 points, followed by Swoll with 88 and Nichols 87. CN
2021 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Round 3
High Point Raceway
Mount Morris, Pennsylvania
RESULTS (June 19, 2021)
450MX Overall (Top 10)
1. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
2-2 |
2. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
1-4 |
3 |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
6-1 |
4. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
3-3 |
5. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
4-5 |
6. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(Yam) |
5-8 |
7. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
9-6 |
8. |
Marvin Musquin |
(KTM) |
10-7 |
9. |
Joey Savatgy |
(KTM) |
8-9 |
10. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
7-11 |
250MX Overall (Top 10)
1. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
1-3 |
2. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
3-2 |
3. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
5-1 |
4. |
Colt Nichols |
(Yam) |
2-5 |
5. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Yam) |
10-4 |
6. |
Austin Forkner |
(Kaw) |
7-6 |
7. |
Ty Masterpool |
(GG) |
9-10 |
8. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
8-11 |
9. |
Dilan Schwartz |
(Suz) |
6-13 |
10. |
Carson Mumford |
(Hon) |
13-7 |
450MX POINT STANDINGS (After 3 of 12 rounds)
1. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
133/2 wins |
2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
130/1 win |
3 |
Aaron Plessinger |
(Yam) |
103 |
4. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
101 |
5. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
101 |
6. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
96 |
7. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
86 |
8. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
76 |
9. |
Marvin Musquin |
(KTM) |
76 |
10. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
72 |
250MX POINT STANDINGs (After 3 of 12 rounds)
1. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
132/1 win |
2. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
121/1 win |
3. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
90 |
4. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
88/1 win |
5. |
Colt Nichols |
(Yam) |
87 |
6. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Yam) |
85 |
7. |
Austin Forkner |
(Kaw) |
77 |
8. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Yam) |
72 |
9. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
68 |
10. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
67 |
2021 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Schedule
Rnd 1 |
May 29, 2021 |
Fox Raceway National |
Pala, CA |
Rnd 2 |
June 5, 2021 |
Thunder Valley National |
Lakewood, CO |
Rnd 3 |
June 19, 2021 |
High Point National |
Mt. Morris, PA |
Rnd 4 |
June 26, 2021 |
Southwick National |
Southwick, MA |
Rnd 5 |
July 3, 2021 |
RedBud National |
Buchanan, MI |
Rnd 6 |
July 17, 2021 |
Spring Creek National |
Millville, MN |
Rnd 7 |
July 24, 2021 |
Washougal National |
Washougal, WA |
Rnd 8 |
Aug 14, 2021 |
Unadilla National |
New Berlin, NY |
Rnd 9 |
Aug 21, 2021 |
Budds Creek National |
Mechanicsville, MD |
Rnd 10 |
August 28, 2021 |
Ironman National |
Crawfordsville, IN |
Rnd 11 |
Sept 4, 2021 |
Pala National |
Pala, CA |
Rnd 12 |
Sept 11, 2021 |
Hangtown National |
Sacramento, CA |