Round 2 of the 2018 AMA Pro Motocross Championship took place on Saturday at the always-challenging Glen Helen Raceway and KTM’s Factory Racing teams emerged with a pair of second-place finishes at the Glen Helen National.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin sustained his positive start to the season with second-overall in the 450MX class, while Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Alex Martin rode his way to a double-podium finish to earn second-overall on the day.
In 450MX Moto 1, Musquin got off to a top-ten start where he navigated his way through the chaos to settle into seventh on the opening lap. He put on an early charge to take over fourth by lap two, where he made his move into third by the halfway point. Musquin charged after the lead duo and eventually caught the second-place rider on lap 12 and once he overtook the second-place position, he never looked back.
“All the top guys were ahead of me off the start and it was really hard to pass,” Musquin said. “I settled a little bit behind Jason, then I got him and I fight hard to come back to Ken and Eli was gone by then, he was fast. It was a hard fight and it was pretty good considering the passes I had to make.”
In Moto 2, Musquin shot off the line to capture second off the start and he held a solid pace there for the first seven laps. He made a couple of mistakes that ultimately dropped him back to third in the second-half of the race and he maintained the final podium position all the way to the checkers. With a combined moto score of (2-3), Musquin earned a respectable second-overall from the rough and physically demanding Glen Helen round.
Musquin added: “It’s a good result but I always want better and to win. I finally got a decent start in the second moto – I was fighting for the lead and Jason was riding really well. I was right there, but missing a little bit of speed and after halfway I lost the momentum, the feeling; and on that track if you’re not on it, it will bite you.
“I had some sketchy moments and made some mistakes so I figured it was best to play it smart and safe toward the end. I’m a little disappointed finishing Moto 2 that way but I’m looking forward to the third round in the championship.”
250MX
It was a great day for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Alex Martin, who captured a pair of third-place finishes to claim second-overall at Glen Helen.
In Moto 1, Alex got off to a fourth-place start and he quickly charged his KTM 250 SX-F into third on lap two. From there, Martin maintained a solid position to finish third. In the second moto, he captured the holeshot and led the first four laps of the race. He engaged in an intense battle for second in the final laps of the race, ultimately finishing third in the moto and second-overall for the day.
“Today was fun, Martin said. “It felt really good to get the holeshot and get out front and lead some laps. Plessinger was riding really well. I saw Jeremy coming and I knew he was going to be strong but some of the lappers kind of made trouble for me. I’m really happy to come away with two podium-finishes here today and second-overall at Round 2.”
What’s next?
Thunder Valley National, Lakewood, Colorado – June 2, 2018.
