Round three of the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, took place last Saturday in Blountville, Tennessee, and the inaugural event presented first-time specialty award winners in each category.
The Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program recognizes the 450 and 250 Class riders who lay down the quickest lap time of the day in timed practice. In the 450 Class, it was Toyota/JGR/Yamaha’s Josh Grant who slated the number one qualifying position with a time of 2:03.4. This marks Grant’s first time winning the Oakley Bomb Award this season. Likewise, in the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen claimed his first Oakley Bomb Award after posting a lap time of 2:02.0 to top both the 450 and 250 Class lap times of the day.
Each rider was awarded the one-of-a-kind Oakley Bomb trophy and now has one point towards the season tally that determines an overall winner in the Fastest Lap Program at series end.
The Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award is given each round to a racer who embodies a never-give-up mentality, despite any setbacks that may occur during the race. GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle began Moto 1 of the 250 Class on a good note, grabbing the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot, but an early crash left Bogle crossing the finish line at the end of the opening lap in 28th position. By the end of the first moto, Bogle had passed his way through to the field to secure a 12th place finish. Bogle furthered his persistent attitude as he bounced back especially well in Moto 2, finishing sixth place to give him seventh overall for the day.
The Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot Championship is brand new to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross this season, courtesy of Motorcycle-Superstore.com. Championship points are tallied over the course of 12 rounds in both the 450 and 250 Class, where each Moto 1 holeshot winner gets one point and the Moto 2 holeshot winner gets two points. If the same rider holeshots both motos of the day, that rider would get an additional bonus point for a total of four points, thus creating a mini-championship inside the series championship. The final payoff will be a $25,000 check for the 450 Class winner and $15,000 for the 250 Class winner.
In the 450 Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto claimed his first Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot of the season in the opening moto, where he eventually went on to secure the Moto 1 win. In Moto 2, it was Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia who shot out of the gate to earn two more points in the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot Championship. After three rounds, Barcia leads the chase with six points, while Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart holds four points over Villopoto’s one.
In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle grabbed his first Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot of the season in Moto 1, where he rode on to a 12th place finish. His GEICO Honda teammate Eli Tomac grabbed the Moto 2 holeshot, gaining two more points in the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot Championship. With six different holeshot winners already this season, the early point standings are highly competitive for the championship payoff.
Round four of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads to Mt. Morris, Pa. this Saturday, June 8, for the GEICO High Point National.
