KTM’s Nelson moves up standings to third

Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM’s Jessy Nelson catapulted up the 250 Class points standings with a solid fourth-place overall ride, pushing him from seventh to third in the championship.

Battling the extremely rutted and constantly changing track conditions, team-mate Shane McElrath rounded out the top 10 with a 12-9 moto result, while Mitchell Oldenburg improved his second moto result to finish 13th overall with a 17-11.

Nelson made sure he had plenty of clear track to work with as he nearly grabbed another holeshot award in Moto 1. He stayed close to the front most of the race and ultimately came across the finish in third.

Again in Moto 2, Nelson shot his KTM 250 SX-F machine to the front, eventually finishing seventh. His 3-7 for fourth overall, along with a strong showing at Glen Helen continued to move Nelson up the standings where he now sits third.

“I don’t know if the elevation got to me, or that I’m not quite back to 100 per cent fitness-wise, but I am just happy to come away healthy because this track was brutal,” said Nelson. “We saw so many weird crashes. I was definitely close to the podium and I’m really looking to get back up there next weekend in Tennessee.”

Like Nelson, McElrath also climbed the points standings after finishing a solid 10th overall. Following his 12-9 moto effort in the thin air outside Denver, Colorado, McElrath moved from ninth to eighth in the standings, just seven points back of the top-five.

“Not the result I really wanted, but I know we are building every weekend,” said McElrath. “It was a tough track and the elevation was a factor. Overall I’m really looking forward to going east next week. The track is less than three hours from where I grew up so I know I’ll have the hometown support.”

With limited time on the Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM as the newest member of the team, Oldenburg has still been putting together solid motos all season long. He overcame a rough first moto finishing 17th to bounce back and finish 11th in Moto 2 for 13th overall.

The riders will head to the tri-cities area of Tennessee to Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee on June 6.