Cycle News

Cycle News 2021 Issue 37 September 14

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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P72 MOTOCROSS I LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 12 / SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 PRAIRIE CITY SVRA / RANCHO CORDOVA, CALIFORNIA quickly, racing back around Craig, who was then shuffled back by both Webb and Tomac, the latter of whom was motivated to win in what was his last ride for the Kawasaki team. Tomac was soon going a second-and- a-half faster than both Roczen and Ferrandis and seemed like he was headed to the front. But no sooner had Eli put his head down than he lost the front end of his bike on a steep off-camber and went down. "I was starting to get into a flow, I found some good lines, and I had a solid pace going until I crashed in the off-camber corner at the bottom of the hill," Tomac said. "I tweaked my thumb in the crash but regrouped to still finish fourth in that moto and reset for the second one." With Tomac out of the picture, Ferrandis focused his efforts on displacing Roczen for the lead. After several attempts and com- ing up just short, Ferrandis shot to the inside of a sweeper lined with rolling whoops. Roczen had no defense against the move, and Ferrandis rode off with an- other moto win. "I think I can ride without pres- sure now and can just have fun on the bike," said Ferrandis. "I was chasing Ken and not trying to push so hard, and I had some better lines and found a way to pass. I was just having fun out there on the track." Roczen finished second, followed by Webb, Tomac and "Oh my goodness, it's a good day in the end," said the relieved Lawrence on the podium. "I think that's the worst I've ridden in a while, but I still got the title. It feels so great, as we've been working quite a while to get this." The Hangtown event, hosted by the Dirt Diggers North Motor- cycle Club, is the oldest race on the AMA circuit, dating back to the late 1960s, but it did not run at all in 2020 due to Covid-19. It returned to the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross schedule, only this time it was at the end of the schedule, rather than its tradi- tional spot as the opener. No matter, a massive crowd turned out on a relatively mild day and were treated to four excellent motos, as well as a challenging and unusually fast track at the Prairie City SVRA. With the 450 title already wrapped, MX Sports Pro Racing and NBC television ran the big- ger bikes first, saving the drama of the 250 title fight for last. Fer- randis and Honda factory rider Ken Roczen crossed the hole- shot line side-by-side, though Roczen was given the nod. Ferrandis then made an early mistake, running off the track and turning the second spot over to his teammate Christian Craig, with Red Bull KTM's Coo- per Webb and Monster Energy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac, winner of the past two rounds, in tow. As Roczen tried to make a breakaway from the field, Fer- randis got back up to speed 24 RJ HAMPSHIRE 3RD (2-6) 250MX "It was a good day to finish the season off," said Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's RJ Hampshire who was suffering from an illness all day. "I s ll don't feel that great, but we managed through the day and saved what I could in that first moto. In the second moto, I got a decent start again and ran into the back of someone first lap and went pre y far back. I knew a podium was in the cards, so I dug deep at the end. It's a good way to end the season off on the podium, so I'm stoked on that." 241 JOSH VARIZE 8TH (7-11) 250MX Josh Varize made the best of his fill-in role on the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Team the last two races with some eye-catching performances, especially at Hangtown, where he led a por on of the second 250MX moto. "It was an amazing day at Hangtown," Varize said. "The highlight of today was ge ng the holeshot in moto two and not having to worry about anything in front of you. I'm super stoked that I led a lap, but then I just dropped the anchor and fell back to 11th. I saw a couple guys behind me, and I found a bit more energy to push and stay in that spot." MYOWNRACE

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