MOTOCROSS
LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS
ROUND 12 / AUGUST 26, 2017
CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA / IRONMAN MX
P56
very happy to be here."
And when asked about
whether he'd thought about team
tactics to help Musquin in the
championship chase, he had
this to say:
"I didn't read the pit board,
actually," the Dutchman said.
"I was just focused on my own
race."
But if that moto win was im-
pressive, Herlings' performance
in moto two was extraordinary—
almost super-human.
Herlings got a bad start in
point, only to fall back behind
again with one big mistake in a
corner that stalled his forward
momentum. Herlings won easily.
He was dominant, and wasn't
shy about pointing it out.
"I had the balls to come out
here and come to the Ameri-
cans' own soil, so not many do
that in Europe," Herlings said.
"Obviously, I had a chance to do
that, but I'm super-happy; first
attempt, first moto-win, so I hope
to have a good second moto and
finish off a good weekend. I'm
no championship pressure at the
AMA finale. If he won, cool. If he
didn't, that's fine. If he crashed
out—as long as he wasn't hurt—
that's fine, too. And it's this sort
of lack of pressure that allows a
racer to be loose, calm and very
fast.
Herlings was fastest in both
practices, and then went from
about fifth place to the lead
within four turns in the opening
moto. Tomac pressured him ear-
ly, then fell, and then Musquin
chased him down at the midway
Herlings passes Tomac
who tried getting him back
but crashed instead. After
that, he thought about the
championship.
