As Round 2 of the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship wrapped up last weekend in Lakewood an all-new set of specialty award winners conquered at the Rockwell Watches Thunder Valley National.
The 12-round specialty awards program consists of the Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program, the Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award and the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot Program.
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 Thunder Valley overall winner Ryan Villopoto who slated the number one qualifying position with a time of 2:03.4 aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki. In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac set the fastest lap time for the second straight week, with a time of 2:03.7, before claiming his first overall victory of the season in his home state of Colorado.
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. After securing a fifth place finish in Moto 1, Rockstar Energy Racing’s Jason Anderson began the 250 Class Moto 2 in an almost dead last position, crossing the line in 38th place on the opening lap. However, Anderson made the charge early in the race where he would eventually finish 12th in the second moto. Anderson’s perseverance not only earned the New Mexico native eighth overall for the day, but also landed him the second Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award of the 2013 season.
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.
In the 450 Class, Team Muscle Milk Honda’s Justin Barcia secured the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot in both motos of the day, where he eventually finished third overall at Thunder Valley. Barcia’s clean sweep earned him an extra bonus point-totaling four for the day-in the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot Championship.
In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda’s Zach Osborne shot out of the gate to grab the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot in Moto 1. Osborne used the opportunity to gain momentum in the next moto as well, where the Virginia native captured a career-best third place overall. In Moto 2 of the 250 Class, MyPlash Yamaha/Metal Mulisha’s Jeremy Martin grabbed his first-ever Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot in front of a stacked field of riders. With an (8-6) score, Martin secured a sixth place overall finish in Colorado.
At the end of the season, the rider with the most points in each class will be the winner. The final payoff will be a $25,000 check for the 450 Class winner and $15,000 for the 250 Class winner.
Round 3 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads to Blountville, Tennessee this Saturday, June 1, for the Built Ford Tough Tennessee National.
