Words: Dome
Photos: Skinny
The 2010 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships and MotoUSA WMX Series got underway today at the 42nd annual Hangtown National and the three major classes more than delivered some action. Close racing in every moto kept fans on their toes all day long. With several rookies making their outdoor debuts in the 250 class, such as Dean Wilson and Eli Tomac, the added talent pushed the pace of each moto. The 450 Class saw the return of its current champion leading the charge of perhaps one of the most stacked fields we have seen in years. All in all it was one heck of a day of racing in Northern California that has set a the bar for the rest of the series. Click through the three pages for the breakdown of the 250 Class, 450 Class, and WMX.
Wil Hahn grabs the holeshot in the second 250 moto.
250 Class
Moto 1
In a drag race to the first turn, Geico Powersports/Honda rider Trey Canard narrowly edged out Tommy Searle on aboard his FMF/KTM for the holeshot, but by the second turn Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel, who somehow managed to sneak by several riders in a matter of seconds, had edged his way into second. By the end of lap one, Pourcel had already managed to work into first place with Canard, Searle, Blake Baggett, Eli Tomac, and Jake Weimer in tow.
By the halfway mark, Pourcel had opened a huge gap on second, due in part to mistake by Canard that dropped him back to fourth. In third was the very impressive rookie making his pro debut and teammate, Eli Tomac, who had worked his way up from just inside the top ten. . Relentless, the freshman was in the middle of a five-way battle for second place with searle at the front.
In the final few laps, things got pretty exciting. Tomac had managed to work his way into second when a fall by Pourcel handed the lead to the young rookie. But the lead did not last long, as a mistake on his own part dropped him back to third and gave Searle the lead. A very intense battle ensued for the final three laps, as Pourcel hounded the British rider until he was able to find a weakness, which allow him to regain his first place position with only a few turns remaining.
Moto 2
Wil Hahn took the second moto restarted holeshot, just as he had the first time around before downed riders forced a red flag, and went on to lead the opening laps. But the Geico Powersports/Honda duo of Canard and Tomac were hot on his heels. In a sweeping move, Tomac claimed both Canard and Hahn to take over first by lap three.
At mid-moto the running order was Tomac, Canard, Wilson, Pourcel, Durham, and Tickle. Another pro MX rookie, Dean Wilson showed that he is ready to do battle with just about anyone, as he managed to hold off his Pro Circuit teammate for quite a long time, until the closing laps of the moto.
Crossing the finish, most in attendance could not believe what they were witnessing as Tomac crossed the line: the first true 250 rookie to win an overall in his very first try. His 1-3 moto finishes bested Pourcel’s 3-1.
1. Eli Tomac (3-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel (1-3)
3. Trey Canard (7-2)
4. Jake Weimer (4-8)
5. Justin Barcia (5-7)
6. Dean Wilson (10-4)
7. Broc Tickle (11-5)
8. Wil Hahn (13-6)
9. Tommy Searle (2-31)
10. Tyla Rattray (8-16)
450 Class on Page 2, WMX Page 3
TAGS: brett metcalfe, chad reed, Christophe Pourcel, davi millsaps, eli tomac, josh grant, Lucas Oils National MX Championship, Mike Alessi, mx, nationals, Race Report, ryan dungey, trey canard
