Newly Crowned Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champions Roczen and Webb Chase Season Ending Triumphs at Ironman National

Courtesy of MX Sports


MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (August 22, 2016) – Following championship-clinching outings this past weekend, newly crowned 450 Class Champion Ken Roczen and 250 Class Champion Cooper Webb lead the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, into its final round of the 2016 season. The Third Annual Ironman National from Crawfordsville, Indiana’s Ironman Raceway brings the world’s most prestigious championship back to the motorsports crazed Indianapolis area this Saturday, August 27, with both Roczen and Webb seeking to cap off their memorable summers with one final victory.

Broadcast Coverage of the Ironman National:First Motos (250 & 450 Class) – LIVE on MAVTV at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ETSecond Motos (250 & 450 Class) – NBC Sports Network Tape Delay at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ETLIVE Coverage can also be streamed via ProMotocross.com and NBC Sports App.Ironman Highlight Show – September 1 at 11 p.m. PT / 2 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network

Race Highlights from the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National

RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing rider Roczen has been nothing short of dominant throughout the 2016 season. In 22 motos he has claimed 21 podium finishes, highlighted by 18 victories that ultimately vaulted him to eight overall wins and his second 450 Class title in three seasons. After starting the summer with a convincing win at the opening round from Hangtown the German rider never looked back, becoming just the third rider over the past 10 seasons to lead the championship standings wire-to-wire. Last weekend at Budds Creek, Roczen put his Suzuki out front on the opening lap in both motos and pulled away from the field to record his eighth moto sweep of the summer. It was more than enough to clinch the title one round early, giving Suzuki its first premier class championship since Ryan Dungey in 2010 and making the RCH Racing effort the first privately-owned 450 Class effort to win a Pro Motocross title.
Roczen entered the 2016 season with just six career overall wins. After earning five wins during his championship-winning 2014 campaign Roczen claimed just one victory last season, equaling the lowest win total during a title defense in series history. This season he rebounded in resounding fashion, clearly establishing himself as the rider to beat from the opening gate drop and continuing that torrid pace throughout the summer as many of his biggest challengers bowed out with injury. If not for a freak issue with his suspension at Glen Helen, which relegated him to a fourth-place finish, Roczen could very well have top three finishes in every moto this season. It’s been a banner year all around for Roczen and the RCH Racing effort, but its not over yet as they chase one final triumph in Crawfordsville.

After clinching his second 450 Class title this past weekend, Roczen will look to end a dominant 2016 season with his ninth victory of the summer.Photo: Simon Cudby 

While it’s been one of the single-most-dominant seasons in history for Roczen, it hasn’t come without some heavy pressure from Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac. One year after a heartbreaking crash ended his hopes of a title and left him with a pair of severely injured shoulders, Tomac has returned to elite form. He’s earned two wins this season and has been Roczen’s most consistent threat, particularly after defending champion Ryan Dungey was forced out of action with injury. Although it took him a few rounds to dial in his new Kawasaki and develop a consistency that has been bettered by only Roczen, Tomac soon got to the form that made him a dominant force at the start of the championship last season. He’s finished off the podium just five times in 22 motos, highlighted by a streak of 13 straight top-three finishes that came to an end this past weekend. With the runner-up spot in the championship locked up, Tomac heads to Ironman looking to cap off the year with a third win.
The battle for third in the final 450 Class standings will come down to the final round on Saturday afternoon, but it won’t take much for Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin to secure the position. Currently, the 450 Class rookie holds a 49-point lead over Autotrader/Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Justin Barcia, who finished third in the championship last season. Musquin will simply need to score just a single point at Ironman Raceway on Saturday, meaning a finish of 20^th or better in a single moto. Musquin has finished outside the top 20 just once this season and has stepped up in the absence of teammate Dungey to keep KTM at the forefront. For Barcia, he has virtually nothing to lose, sitting almost 100 points clear of fifth in the standings, which will surely add some excitement to the action on the track. He enters the finale fresh off his best result of the season and would like nothing more than to wrap up a summer filled with mixed results and emotions with a victory.

Tomac will look to cap off his runner-up finish in the championship with a third victory.Photo: Simon Cudby

Through the first half of the season in the 250 Class, Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha rider Webb went virtually unnoticed as he soldiered his way through a wrist injury that put his entire season in question. He quietly put himself in contention, even taking a moto win at Glen Helen, but never seriously factored into the battle for the overall. By the time the championship left the fourth round at High Point, Webb faced a 20-point deficit in the standings as Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy continued to assert himself as the rider to beat. However, once Webb was able to break through for his first overall win of the season at his home race from Tennessee’s Muddy Creek Raceway, the tides started to shift.
Over the ensuing four rounds Webb went on a tear, capturing three straight wins and missing out on a fourth consecutive victory only by virtue of a tiebreaker. Over that stretch of eight motos he took five wins, finishing no worse than second. As Webb surged to the top of the championship standings Savatgy suddenly struggled to stay in the hunt for podiums and quickly lost touch in the title fight. By the time the season reached its final break in action after Washougal, Webb had turned a 20-point deficit to a 51-point lead and was well on his way to the title.
This past weekend at Budds Creek, Webb was forced to endure through one of his toughest outings of the season as he looked to clinch the title. He crashed twice on the opening lap of the first moto and narrowly escaped another crash to start the second moto, each relegating him deep in the field. However, true to his nature this season Webb stormed through the field and to post 6-3 results, securing his first career national title. The ability to battle through the pack has defined Webb’s 2016 season, and in a lot of ways has defined the early part of his career. His undeterred spirit means he’s able to turn virtually any negative on the track into a positive and it’s why he’s passing an average of nearly five riders per moto. At Budds Creek alone, Webb improved a total of 20 positions from his starting spot in Moto 1 and 14 positions in Moto 2. His confidence this season has been unwavering, carrying him to a dominant second half of the season that resulted in a hard fought, well-earned title.

Webb will enjoy a victory lap of sorts at Ironman after clinching his first title with a resilient effort.
Photo: Simon Cudby

Behind Webb, the battle for the runner-up spot in the championship will come down to Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Alex Martin and Savatgy. Currently, Martin sits 23 points clear of Savatgy and is guaranteed to finish no worse than third, capping off a breakout year for the veteran in which he finally became an overall winner in his eighth full season of competition. It’s been a breakout season for Savatgy as well, controlling the championship throughout the first half of the season and earning a trio of overall wins. While he’s had to endure through a difficult second half, Savatgy has continued to make his presence felt and has fought valiantly to put himself in a position to earn another championship podium result. While rookie teammate Austin Forkner does head to Ironman with a chance a taking over third, currently sitting 31 points back, Savatgy is sure to leverage his experience and determination to end the season on a high note on Saturday. This trio of riders each enters the season finale with their own respective motivation, which will play out in a captivating battle on the track.

Martin has a career-best runner-up finish in the championship within reach, looking to put Star Yamaha 1-2 in the final standings.Photo: Simon Cudby

Event Schedule
Ironman NationalRound 12: Lucas Oil Pro Motocross ChampionshipAugust 27, 2016 – Crawfordsville, Indiana
Race Day Schedule: 
5:30 a.m. PT / 8:30 a.m. ET - Practice & Qualifying
9:30 p.m. PT / 12:30 p.m. ET - Opening Ceremonies
10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET - First Motos (250 Class & 450 Class)
12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET - Second Motos (250 Class & 450 Class)
Broadcast Schedule:
August 27 - 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET (LIVE) - MAVTV - First Motos (250 & 450 Class)August 27 - 3:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. ET - NBCSN - Second Motos (250 & 450 Class)
September 1 - 11:00 p.m. PT / 2:00 a.m. ET - NBC Sports - Network Highlight Show
**BOLD indicates live broadcast.***All times subject to change.
Previous Round Results 
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National
Budds Creek Motocross Park – Mechanicsville, Maryland
August 20, 2016
Round 11 of 12
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)

1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (1-1)
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (3-3)
3. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (2-4)
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (6-2)
5. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (4-6)
6. Dean Wilson, Scotland, KTM (5-5)
7. Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (8-7)
8. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (7-9)
9. Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM (11-10)
10. Anthony Rodriguez, Venezuela, Kawasaki (10-11) 

450 Class Championship Standings

1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki – 534
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 458
3. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 365
4. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 316
5. Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna – 217
6. Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM – 204
7. Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha – 201
8. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM – 189
9. Justin Brayton Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM – 173
10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 171 

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)

1. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (4-1)
2. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (1-4)
3. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (5-2)
4. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-5)
5. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (6-3)
6. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (8-6)
7. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., KTM (10-7)
8. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM (11-10)
9. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (3-34)
10. Chris Alldredge, Powell Butte, Ore., Kawasaki (12-11)

250 Class Championship Standings

1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 457
2. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha – 384
3. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 361
4. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 331
5. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha – 321
6. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 313
7. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 296
8. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 235
9. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM – 215
10. Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Kawasaki – 213

For information about the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, please visit ProMotocross.com and LIKE the Pro Motocross Facebook page and follow @ProMotocross on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content and additional information on the latest Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship news.
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, features the world’s fastest outdoor motocross racers, racing aboard the best bikes each factory offers, on the roughest, toughest tracks in the world. The 12-rounds series begins at Hangtown in May and ends at Indiana's Ironman Raceway in August. It includes stops at the premier motocross racing facilities in America, with events in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, New York and Indiana. The pro riders race on Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is managed by MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road power sports event production. The series is televised on NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV and streamed live on NBC Sports Live Extra.  Series partners include Lucas Oil (series title sponsor), Red Bull, GoPro, WPS, Fly Racing, GEICO Motorcycle, Kawasaki, Motorcycle Superstore, FRAM, KTM, Oakley, FMF, Deltran Battery Tender, Pirelli, Suzuki, Husqvarna, Pivot Works, Vertex, ProGrip, EBC Brakes, KMC Wheels, MotionPro, VP Racing Fuels, Acerbis and Racer X.  More information can be found at www.ProMotocross.com. 


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