Ryan Nitzen | August 20, 2022
Round 10 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship is all wrapped up here at Budds Creek. This track is a staple on the circuit and has provided some great racing throughout the years. Today was no different as drama unfolded in every moto. When the dust settled, Jason Anderson and RJ Hampshire walked away with the overall wins.
450MX
The day’s drama started with 450 moto one. The veterans came to play as Tony Cairoli, Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey all started at the front of the field. Just a few turns later, the points leader Chase Sexton hit neutral and knifed the front end in a deep rut, causing him to front flip over the bars. He got up deep in the pack and fell again when he tangled with another rider. He found himself way down in 25th position.
Meanwhile up front, Eli Tomac made the pass on Roczen for the lead. With his main rival buried in the back of the pack, Tomac could gain maximum points with a moto win. After taking over the lead he managed the race from the front and won by 13 seconds.
Jason Anderson found some extra juice today and was charging in moto one. He marched his way through the pack, making passes on Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen late in the race. A second place finish kept the Kawasaki rider in good standings for the overall.
Roczen clocked the fastest time in qualifying and showed more speed in moto one. He led the first seven minutes of the race before dropping back to third. The Colorado winner held off Dungey for the majority of the moto and claimed a podium. Great to see Roczen back on the box after some mid-season troubles.
Sexton fought hard for the whole 34 minute moto and crossed the line seventh. This meant the points lead was now in Tomac’s control heading into moto two.
450 Moto 2
In arguably one of the best races of the year, it was Joey Savatgy, Anderson, and Dungey who got things started with Dungey taking control of the lead after a few turns. Roczen followed suit and set the stage for a great battle. Behind them, Sexton crossed in fifth while Tomac was back in 13th.
Roczen quickly took the from Dungey with Anderson trailing and doing the same. Sexton also claimed the number-five for the third place spot. Dungey got swallowed up fast but stayed with the lead pack for the first half of the race.
Anderson then set his sights on Roczen and grabbed the lead one lap later. This put the two Honda’s second and third, with neither Roczen nor Sexton giving an inch to one another. Sexton eventually got the spot and began chipping away at Anderson’s gap. By the halfway point, Sexton would pass Anderson for the lead.
Sexton fell shortly after sealing the deal, falling to third and bunching up the top three. Anderson now had the lead again, with Roczen and Sexton hot on his heals. Sexton went back to work and passed both riders again in wheel-to-wheel battles. This solidified the final running order as Sexton went on to claim the win after a disastrous opening moto. 7-1 scores gave him 4th overall, relinquishing the points lead in the process.
Anderson found his pace in second and finished there. His consistent 2-2 finishes were good enough for the day’s overall, the second of his 450 career.
Roczen again held on for third. He fought hard in both motos and fended off Dungey late in moto two. 3-3 for Roczen gave him third on the overall podium.
As for Tomac, he struggled with a poor start and couldn’t manage to make key passes early in the race. He got held up with Ryan Dungey for most of the second moto, with Dungey riding great for the fourth place spot. 1-5 for Tomac gave him second overall, and swinging the points lead by one in his direction.
450MX Overall Results (Top 10)
1. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
2-2 |
2. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
1-5 |
3. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
3-3 |
4. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
7-1 |
5. |
Ryan Dungey |
(KTM) |
4-4 |
6. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
5-7 |
7. |
Joey Savatgy |
(Kaw) |
9-6 |
8. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
8-8 |
9. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
10-9 |
10. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hus) |
12-11 |
250MX
250 Moto 1
No shortage of action today as the first 250 moto kicked off with bar-to-bar racing. RJ Hampshire and Michael Mosiman duked it out for the holeshot and battled for the top spot for the first half of the race. Mosiman looked strong in his return to racing, but once Hampshire got around that was the end of the story. The number-24 broke away with the lead and won the moto by over five seconds.
Jett Lawrence started in fourth but quickly found himself in podium territory when Nate Thrasher fell and gave up the spot. Lawrence then stalked Mosiman and Hampshire and knew to make moves once Hampshire got to the lead. Jett and Mosiman traded passes but Mosiman hit the deck and momentarily collected the points leader. This incident allowed Hampshire to run away and ultimately sealed the deal for Jett in second.
Michael Mosiman found himself in another battle late in the race as Jo Shimoda caught up to the final podium spot. These two went back and forth for the final few laps with last week’s winner, Shimoda, ultimately taking the final podium spot. Mosiman finished fourth.
Trouble for the usual front runners as both Justin Cooper and Hunter Lawrence had issues of their own in the opening stages of moto one. Cooper fell and tangled with Jalek Swoll about half a lap in. He remounted outside the top 20 but later finished ninth. Lawrence also fell on lap one and later found himself off the track with a banner. An all-race charge put Hunter one spot up in eighth.
250 Moto 2
The chaos continued in 250 moto two as Cooper, Swoll and Shimoda all got off the gate with great starts. Jett found himself nearly last going into the first turn after getting squeezed down the start straight.
Shimoda and Cooper dueled at the front of the field and traded passes early on. Cooper held the lead spot until the half-way mark when Shimoda made a crucial pass. Cooper, the 250 pick for Team USA, held tight but eventually dropped back to fourth. His 9-4 finishes gave him fifth overall.
Shimoda marched on with the lead and carried the top spot through to the finish. The Japanese rider has become a staple on the podium and backed up his Unadilla overall with another moto win. 3-1 finishes gave him second overall on the day as he moves to second in points over Hunter Lawrence.
The overall today belonged to RJ Hampshire. He won moto one and was on a charge again in moto two. A few key passes on teammate Swoll, and later Cooper, put him in position for the overall win. Hampshire eventually locked into second place, giving him 1-2 scores on the day. This is Hampshire’s first win of the 2022 season.
Jett Lawrence fought hard for the entire second moto. After a poor start he certainly had his work cut out, crossing the first lap outside the top 20. About halfway through the race, Lawrence found his flow and clicked off a number of passes that saw him go from 10th to third in the matter of a few laps. 2-3 finishes are a definite rebound from his Unadilla results and gave Jett third overall. He still controls the points lead.
250MX Overall Results (Top 10)
1. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
1-2 |
2. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
3-1 |
3. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
2-3 |
4. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
4-7 |
5. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
9-4 |
6. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
7-6 |
7. |
Max Vohland |
(KTM) |
5-8 |
8. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
8-9 |
9. |
Guillem Farres |
(Yam) |
6-13 |
10. |
Carson Mumford |
(Suz) |
10-14 |
QUALIFYING
450MX
Ken Roczen is back on top for the second week in a row. The Honda rider set multiple fast times throughout the second session, but a 1:55.8 held up as the fastest of anyone this morning. Antonio Cairoli sis back in the States to prepare for the Motocross des Nations and the KTM rider clocked in with the second fastest time of the field. Eli Tomac was third and looking for redemption after losing the points lead to Chase Sexton last weekend.
450MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
1:55.834 |
2. |
Antonio Cairoli |
(KTM) |
1:56.441 |
3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
1:56.586 |
4. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
1:56.891 |
5. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
1:57.020 |
6. |
Joseph Savatgy |
(Kaw) |
1:57.514 |
7. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
1:57.527 |
8. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
1:57.559 |
9. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
1:57.887 |
10. |
Ryan Dungey |
(KTM) |
1:58.838 |
250MX
No real surprises here as Jett Lawrence tops the time sheets in 250 qualifying weekend. He’s only about a half-second up on Justin Cooper and just under a full second ahead of Jo Shimoda. After a wild weekend in Unadilla, we imagine Jett will get things under control here at Budds Creek.
In the earlier Q1, Max Vohland put in the best time, but combined times dropped him to fifth. Hunter Lawrence only managed seventh, but will likely bring the heat come race time. Star Racing Yamaha also hired Spanish racer Guillem Farres as a fill in rider for the weekend (replacing injured Nick Romano). Farres rounded out the top 10 in practice.
250MX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
1:56.809 |
2. |
Justin Cooper |
(Yam) |
1:57.283 |
3. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
1:57.595 |
4. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
1:58.011 |
5. |
Maximus Vohland |
(KTM) |
1:58.411 |
6. |
Pierce Brown |
(GG) |
1:58.425 |
7. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
1:58.644 |
8. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
1:59.055 |
9. |
Nathanael Thrasher |
(Yam) |
1:59.246 |
10. |
Guillem Farres |
(Yam) |
2:00.485 |
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