Cycle News

Cooper, successfully minimiz- ing the damage of that first-turn crash. Ferrandis holds on to the red plate he's held since the opener by four points on Martin. Red Bull KTM's Marvin Mus- quin, second in the points com- ing into the round, was some- thing of a surprise winner in the first 450 moto. "I feel amazing," said Mus- quin, who only returned for the late-starting outdoor series after missing all of the 2020 Super- cross tour while recovering from a knee injury he suffered last fall. "I put in a lot of work and a year without racing is not normal for me. I've been racing every year and haven't missed a lot of time. To miss a whole year was tough." VOLUME 57 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 P65 Adam Cianciarulo ended up third overall for the second week in a row, though he was in a position for the overall win while leading the early stages of the second moto, but then admit- tedly tired. Like Musquin, he too was recovering from injury. As for the points leader Os- borne, his day started off badly with a collision with a lapper while running third. He admitted that was his mistake and that he had some arm pump later on in the moto. As for the other red-plate hold- er, 26-year-old Ferrandis, his day started out fantastic. He used the fast inside starting gate to grab the holeshot in the first 250 moto and then flat-out disappeared with as much as a 30-second lead. Unfortunately, that same gate didn't work out so well the second time as he was pinched off by McElrath, then ran into the back of his teammate as he slid sideways exiting the first turn and went down, along with several others. Once he got going, he put his head down and just never stopped moving forward until the checkered flag fell. Finishing third overall on the day for the first time in a 250 Pro Motocross event was Troy Lee Designs KTM rider Brandon Har- tranft, a native of New Jersey who now lives in California. Hartranft went 3-4 on the day, holding off stubborn pressure from 17-year- old Jett Lawrence throughout both motos. "I've been looking for this day," said Hartranft, who DNF'd both motos at Loretta Lynn's 2 last UNDER THE WEATHER The Ironman has been a regular stop on the Lucas Oil Pro Moto- cross schedule since 2014, often beset by rain. This time the weather cooperated, which was quite a relief for the riders and race teams following two wet weekends in Ten- nessee. According to Indiana state regulations a 50% capacity rule was in place for spectators, so ticket sales were capped at 6000. And besides a heavy, pre-dawn shower on Saturday, the track came around by the start of the first motos. ANSTIE SUCKER PUNCHED Max Anstie (HEP Motorsports Suzuki) was slow to his feet after a hard crash in the second 450MX moto. It was initially feared that he had suffered a broken jaw, but tests proved negative. He hopes to be back for Friday's race at RedBud. "Just feels like Connor McGregor gave me a left hook," the English- man said. HARDWARE ISSUES Jason Anderson did not line up for the second 450MX moto after pull- ing out of the first moto. Anderson, who won the very first moto of the year at Loretta Lynn's, is suffering hardware issues with a plate that was inserted to his left hand/wrist from a previous injury. His return to racing in the near future looks doubtful. THE IRONMAN The Ironman National followed back-to-back opening rounds at Loretta Lynn's Ranch. It was the only round on the original 12-race Briefly... (Top) Osborne struggled in the first moto despite getting a good start. Small mistakes added up and he lost his rhythm and dropped to sixth. He rode well in the second moto but a third wasn't what he was looking for. Overall, it wasn't a great day for the rider who won the first two rounds. Max Anstie (103) rode well again but a hard crash in the second moto resulted in a sore jaw and a DNF. (Bottom) At one point, Adam Cianciarulo was in a position to win the overall but suddenly found himself fighting just to get on the podium. He again showed he has good speed but admitted he got tired while leading the second moto. Still, he got on the podium in third for the second race in a row.

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