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/697689
MOTOCROSS LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 5 / JUNE 25, 2016 BLOUNTVILLE, TENNESSEE / MUDDY CREEK RACEWAY P76 finish since 2012, so it's been a long time coming. I felt awesome on the track today. I feel like I've been gaining momentum since I got hurt and came back in super- cross. It seems like when I get hurt, I get more motivated to come back and be better. It felt awesome to lead; I haven't led [a race] since supercross 2011; it gave me a lot of confidence and made me feel like I can do this every weekend." 19 JUSTIN BOGLE 10TH 450MX (13-10) After a promising ride last week at High Point, GEICO Honda's Justin Bogle wasn't able to ride the wave of momentum at Muddy Creek, and a first-moto fall didn't help his cause any. He ended up with 13-10 finishes for 10th overall. "I really didn't have a good day, struggled with bike setup and with the track, honestly," said Bogle. "I kept having little falls all day and it was just super frustrating. So I ended the day with a 10th. It's back to the drawing board because I'm better than what I did today." 37 JOEY SAVATGY 2ND 250MX (1-7) A couple of small crashes in the second moto prevented red-plate holder Joey Savatgy from a possible win in the 250MX class. "My first moto was great and I'm very happy with the result," the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Ka- wasaki Team rider said. "In the second moto I made a couple minor mistakes that ended up costing me more than I'd like. I tipped it over two times and both times I spent a lot of energy trying to make sure I didn't stall the bike. I could say I made these mistakes because of this or that, but at the end of the day, I'm riding; it's my fault. I shouldn't have made those mistakes. I should've been mindful and a little bit more aware of what was going on, mindful of the track and the deteriorating conditions. No one to blame but me." 30 SHANE MCELRATH 3RD 250MX (5-2) TLD/Red Bull/KTM's Shane McElrath had a great day, pulling the holeshot in the second moto and finishing second. He ended the day on the podium with a 5-2. "This is what I expect from myself," McElrath said. "After the first moto, it was hot, and I knew guys were going to kind of fall off a little bit, so I put it on myself to get a good start [in the second moto]; I focused on sprinting the first few laps and then just fighting for it, which is what I've been lacking a little bit. At first, the first few laps, it was a little nerve-racking [leading]. I saw on my pit board that I had a second [on second place] and told myself to 'sprint, sprint.' A few laps and a few mistakes on my part, I felt like I should've had that. It was a matter of just finding the best and fastest lines… and try to limit the mistakes." 39 JORDON SMITH 4TH 250MX (4-6) GEICO Honda's Jor- don Smith finally put together two solid rides to land one of the best overall finishes of his career. "Oh man it feels so good, especially after the last few races; they've been tough," said Smith. "We've been doing some testing to try to figure things out. It feels good to have two good motos and to run up front both times. I led four or five laps there in the first moto. The only time I'd ever been in the lead outdoors was at Utah last year, and that time I was a little freaked out. This time I felt really comfortable up there and it was fun. I ended up getting a little bit of arm pump so I kind of had to salvage a fourth there. [Getting] arm pump in both of the motos kind of hurt, but it feels good to run up front. I feel like that's where I belong." 44 ADAM CIANCIARULO 16TH 250MX (11-22) After being the top quali- fier in the 250MX class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo was not pleased with his results. He obviously has the speed but struggles with small crashes and put- ting everything together for an entire moto. "Being fastest in qualifying was great," said Cianciarulo. "In the first moto I had the holeshot and was able to lead a few laps. The speed, the confidence and all the other pieces are coming into place and it feels good. In the second moto I was taken out pretty bad by another rider and fought as hard as I could for the rest of the race. I ended up 11-22 on the day for 16th, which isn't what we wanted, but I didn't give up today and I'm proud of that." My Own Race: