Pro Motocross: Unadilla 2021 Results – RM Rider Exchange
The eighth round of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship took place at Unadilla Motocross in Berlin, New York on August 14. After the break from racing, the riders seemed refreshed, restored, and ready to score some points. See how they placed by checking out the race report below.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
450MX Report
Moto 1
At the gate drop of the first 450 moto, Ken Roczen came speeding out in first place. Rozen hasn’t been the most consistent front runner this season, but you wouldn’t know that by watching him lay down the heaters in the first moto. From start to finish, Roczen held 1st place, though it wasn’t much of a competition. His win seemed effortless while the other riders behind him struggled for position.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
One rider who especially struggled was Chase Sexton. After starting out front with Roczen, Sexton lost traction and went down hard in the middle of the pack. He wasn’t able to resume the race until the other riders had cleared the area, but he still managed to remount and finish in 11th place after being practically an entire lap down.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
Aaron Plessinger was another rider who got into hot water contending for position. Plessinger was on the gas in the early laps of the race to try and pass Roczen, but a huge get off after the finish line jump saw him getting helped off of the track by the medical crew. Plessinger did not finish the moto, and it’s now been reported that he’s out for the remainder of the season.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
Several other riders were in the mix throughout the moto, including Dylan Ferrandis, Justin Bogle, Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, Joey Savatgy, and Marvin Musquin. By the checkered flag, the finishers were Roczen, Ferrandis, Tomac, Musquin, and Webb.
Moto 2
The second 450 moto saw the continued domination by Roczen and the comeback of Sexton. Although finishing in 11th place after his crash was impressive, Sexton was clearly looking for a way to salvage some points. He started out strong with the holeshot, then battled with Roczen for 1st place for several laps. Roczen eventually overtook the position and held onto it for the rest of the race, but it was still exciting to watch the teammates duke it out. Sexton held onto 2nd place, not letting Roczen get more than six seconds ahead.
Behind the Honda duo, Webb, Ferrandis, and Musquin were locked in a battle of their own. The three shifted positions, but stayed within the top 5 by the checkered flag. The overall results were 1-1 Roczen, 2-3 Ferrandis, 4-4 Musquin, 3-7 Tomac, and 11-2 Sexton.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
450MX Results
Pos. | No. | Name | M1 | M2 | Points | Overall |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 94 | Ken Roczen | 1 | 1 | 50 | 306 |
2 | 14 | Dylan Ferrandis | 2 | 3 | 42 | 345 |
3 | 25 | Marvin Musquin | 4 | 4 | 36 | 213 |
4 | 3 | Eli Tomac | 3 | 7 | 34 | 283 |
5 | 23 | Chase Sexton | 11 | 2 | 32 | 270 |
6 | 2 | Cooper Webb | 5 | 5 | 32 | 209 |
7 | 29 | Christian Craig | 7 | 6 | 29 | 211 |
8 | 34 | Max Anstie | 8 | 9 | 25 | 126 |
9 | 19 | Justin Bogle | 9 | 12 | 21 | 107 |
10 | 72 | Coty Schock | 12 | 10 | 20 | 78 |
11 | 15 | Dean Wilson | 15 | 8 | 19 | 121 |
12 | 951 | Ryan Surratt | 14 | 11 | 17 | 39 |
13 | 17 | Joey Savatgy | 6 | 20 | 16 | 160 |
14 | 376 | Chris Canning | 17 | 13 | 12 | 40 |
15 | 28 | Brandon Hartranft | 10 | 37 | 11 | 96 |
16 | 122 | Jeremy Hand | 16 | 16 | 10 | 19 |
17 | 800 | Jace Kessler | 13 | 22 | 8 | 8 |
18 | 314 | Tyler Stepek | 21 | 14 | 7 | 18 |
19 | 57 | Justin Rodbell | 18 | 17 | 7 | 40 |
20 | 97 | Ben LaMay | 22 | 15 | 6 | 33 |
21 | 270 | Jacob Runkles | 19 | 18 | 5 | 10 |
22 | 209 | Jeremy Smith | 24 | 19 | 2 | 2 |
23 | 441 | Scott Meshey | 20 | 25 | 1 | 12 |
24 | 280 | William Clason | 23 | 21 | 0 | 5 |
25 | 489 | Ricci Randanella | 27 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
26 | 794 | Bryce Backaus | 29 | 23 | 0 | 1 |
27 | 139 | Nathen LaPorte | 26 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
28 | 647 | Matthew Hubert | 28 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
29 | 315 | Cody Groves | 25 | 35 | 0 | 3 |
30 | 144 | Nicolas Rolando | 34 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
31 | 148 | Bryce Hansen | 31 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
32 | 931 | Brandon Gregoire | 36 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
33 | 483 | Bryton Carroll | 33 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
34 | 577 | Felix Lopez | 40 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
35 | 746 | Trevor Schmidt | 32 | 38 | 0 | 0 |
36 | 391 | Rody Schroyer | 37 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
37 | 247 | Brock Papi | 39 | 39 | 0 | 0 |
38 | 464 | Dominique Thury | 30 | DNF | 0 | 0 |
39 | 281 | Cory Carsten | DNF | 31 | 0 | 0 |
40 | 925 | Jonah Geistler | DNF | 33 | 0 | 0 |
41 | 507 | Thomas Lanphear | DNF | 34 | 0 | 0 |
42 | 637 | Robert Piazza | 35 | DNF | 0 | 3 |
43 | 7 | Aaron Plessinger | 38 | DNS | 0 | 217 |
250MX Report
Moto 1
Watching Justin Cooper barrel down the track with the holeshot was reminiscent of the last several 250MX races and was quite similar to Roczen’s dominating ride in the first 450 moto. Like Roczen, Cooper held onto his lead for the entirety of the moto, scoring some serious points for the day.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
Cooper wasn’t the only rider exhibiting speed, however, and his win didn’t come as easily as Roczen’s. Jett Lawrence was on the gas in second place and spent the whole moto trying to find his way around Cooper. Although he wasn’t able to make a pass stick, Lawrence continued to assert himself as a serious title competitor.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
Along with Cooper and Lawrence, Jeremy Martin was on the throttle for the whole moto. He stayed close to the duo, but not close enough to ever contend for a better podium position. Behind him, RJ Hampshire, Max Vohland, Hunter Lawrence, Garret Marchbanks, and Pierce Brown all shifted around the field. Marchbanks struggled with bike problems and Brown crashed in the same spot as Plessinger did in the first 450 moto. The top 5 by the end of the race were Cooper, Jett Lawrence, Martin, Hampshire, and Hunter Lawrence.
Moto 2
Cooper kicked off the second 250 moto with another holeshot, but this time, he didn’t hold onto the lead. Martin passed Cooper with ease, leaving the points leader to fend off Jett Lawrence. Hampshire was in the mix as well, adding extra pressure to Lawrence. Soon, Lawrence was around Cooper, and it was clear Martin was next to be picked off. After a few laps, Lawrence made his move, overtaking the lead in a sweeping jump and fast corner.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
As Martin fell back into 2nd, Cooper fell back into 4th courtesy of a pass by Hampshire. Seth Hammaker, Preston Kilroy, Levi Kitchen, and Vohland were closing in from the back of the top 10, adding pressure to Cooper. In the end, the pressure kept Cooper right inside of the top 5. He crossed the finish line in 4th, led by Lawrence, Martin, and Hampshire.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
The overall podium for the day was Lawrence, Cooper, and Martin, with Hampshire and Vohland rounding out the top 5.
250MX Results
Pos. | No. | Name | M1 | M2 | Points | Overall |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 18 | Jett Lawrence | 2 | 1 | 47 | 320 |
2 | 32 | Justin Cooper | 1 | 4 | 43 | 324 |
3 | 6 | Jeremy Martin | 3 | 2 | 42 | 262 |
4 | 24 | RJ Hampshire | 4 | 3 | 38 | 243 |
5 | 115 | Maximus Vohland | 6 | 5 | 31 | 151 |
6 | 41 | Hunter Lawrence | 5 | 11 | 26 | 263 |
7 | 47 | Jalek Swoll | 8 | 9 | 25 | 173 |
8 | 147 | Levi Kitchen | 12 | 7 | 23 | 37 |
9 | 59 | Jarret Frye | 13 | 8 | 21 | 105 |
10 | 75 | Ty Masterpool | 11 | 14 | 17 | 84 |
11 | 39 | Carson Mumford | 10 | 15 | 17 | 110 |
12 | 380 | Preston Kilroy | 16 | 10 | 16 | 16 |
13 | 38 | Austin Forkner | 39 | 6 | 15 | 152 |
14 | 90 | Dilan Schwartz | 15 | 12 | 15 | 116 |
15 | 241 | Joshua Varize | 14 | 13 | 15 | 56 |
16 | 30 | Jo Shimoda | 7 | 36 | 14 | 192 |
17 | 150 | Seth Hammaker | 9 | 21 | 12 | 22 |
18 | 48 | Garrett Marchbanks | 40 | 16 | 5 | 146 |
19 | 67 | Stilez Robertson | 17 | DNF | 4 | 90 |
20 | 112 | Xylian Ramella | 24 | 17 | 4 | 8 |
21 | 995 | Christopher Prebula | 22 | 18 | 3 | 7 |
22 | 26 | Alex Martin | 18 | 38 | 3 | 19 |
23 | 778 | James Harrington | 21 | 19 | 2 | 7 |
24 | 77 | Jerry Robin | 19 | 37 | 2 | 4 |
25 | 443 | Luke Renzland | 28 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
26 | 437 | Vincent Luhovey | 23 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
27 | 742 | TJ Uselman | 20 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
28 | 242 | Garrett Hoffman | 26 | 23 | 0 | 1 |
29 | 172 | Tommy Rios | 27 | 28 | 0 | 0 |
30 | 162 | Maxwell Sanford | 33 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
31 | 412 | Jared Lesher | 31 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
32 | 962 | Joseph Tait | 32 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
33 | 195 | Blake Ashley | 30 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
34 | 874 | Zack Williams | 25 | 39 | 0 | 5 |
35 | 544 | Noah Willbrandt | 34 | 31 | 0 | 0 |
36 | 45 | Pierce Brown | 29 | 40 | 0 | 126 |
37 | 157 | Hunter Calle | 38 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
38 | 153 | Stephen Hooker | 35 | 35 | 0 | 0 |
39 | 491 | Gabe Gutierres | DNF | 24 | 0 | 0 |
40 | 366 | Blaze Cremaldi | DNF | 29 | 0 | 0 |
41 | 486 | Dennis Gritzmacher | DNF | 33 | 0 | 0 |
42 | 73 | Derek Kelley | 36 | DNF | 0 | 25 |
43 | 220 | Ramyller Alves | 37 | DNF | 0 | 31 |
Dylan Ferrandis is still leading the 450MX class by 39 points, but Ken Roczen’s 1-1 has narrowed his lead slightly. For the 250s, Justin Cooper’s lead over Jett Lawrence has been cut to only 4 points.
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Photo Credit for All Gallery Images: Kardy Photo