Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1119655
MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 1 / MAY 18, 2019 RANCHO CORDOVA, CALIFORNIA / PRAIRIE CITY OHV PARK P62 iii My Own Race: 26 ALEX MARTIN 8TH (23-2) 250MX Alex Martin had a disastrous start to the 2019 outdoor season after he went down on the opening lap with Jordon Smith and could only manage 23rd, scoring no points in the opener. But he recovered to nail down second place in the second moto to salvage eighth overall on the day. "[It was] disappointing," Martin said. "I felt really good coming into the season, and then I didn't even score points in the first moto. It was absolutely embarrassing. That's probably the worst first moto I've ever had at Hangtown. So, honestly, it felt really good to get some redemption there that second moto and just show people that the JGR/Yoshimura Suzuki's a good bike and it's capable of wins and podiums. We got her in second, so I'm thankful we were able to salvage a good position and some points in the champi- onship. It's a long season..." 94 KEN ROCZEN 1ST (1-2) 450MX "I'm absolutely stoked," Roczen said. "All day, we were on it; qualifying was great, got the first moto win and then the overall. I honestly didn't think it would go that well because I felt like I had more in the tank, and it's hard to gauge where you'll be at the first round. What we did today was very important to me, the team, and our journey. I didn't get the best start in the first moto but was able to make some moves early to get out front and have a clear track. The second moto was tough and those types of conditions can backfire on you so quickly. Eli and I had a good battle in the beginning. We kind of yo-yoed back and forth. I had some sloppy parts out there though, so I just took it extra easy toward the end and didn't want to push the envelope to risk a mistake and miss the overall." 1 ELI TOMAC 2ND (4-1) 450MX "The first moto was disappointing," said Tomac. "The first moto was kind of dis- appointing. I was kind of off the pace and made a good charge up to the halfway point there; I was kind of shot out the back in that first moto there. I'm like, 'Man, what do I have to do?' So, we made a few changes, but at the same time, it was almost a whole different track condition in moto two." 21 JASON ANDERSON 3RD (2-5) MX "The first moto was pretty good," said Jason Anderson. "I was up front, but I was kind of just getting my race-pace under me, and I was able to make a charge at the end, which was re- ally good. And then the second moto, man, I was so sketchy out there. Almost crashing. All in all, it was a good day, and I'm just pumped to be back at the races." 16 ZACH OSBORNE 4TH (5-3) 450MX Zach Osborne turned some heads with his Hangtown 450MX outdoor debut. He battled with defending champ Eli Tomac for much of the first moto, then he came from way behind to take third in moto two. "Overall, it was a good start to my 450 outdoor career," Osborne said. "I had a silly mistake in the first moto that cost me an overall podium, but it was still a good weekend. I started off solid in the motos, and I had an epic second moto from basically last to third, so I'm really happy with that, and I'm pumped for next weekend and the rest of the series."