Torrance, CA: The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series made its eighth stop this past Saturday in Millville, MN, for the annual Spring Creek National, and Muscle Milk-supported GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac stole the show with a dominant 1-1 performance en route to his first career win in the premier 450 class. For the fourth consecutive week, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard put together two solid rides, landing just shy of the podium in fourth with 4-3 marks.
450 Race
During the day’s opening race, Canard launched his CRF450R off the line to a fourth-place start. The front-runners quickly separated themselves from the field, but Canard struggled in the tricky sand whoops and was unable to close the gap, taking the checkered in fourth. In the second moto, he got off the line in fifth place but dropped back in the pack. Luckily, the race was red flagged due to a start-gate malfunction, giving him another chance to get back up front.
When the gate dropped for the second time, he nabbed another great start inside the top five. While running fourth, he really found his rhythm and began methodically closing the gap on third. He made a pass stick on lap 12, which is where he finished. His 4-3 performance was not enough to secure him a spot on the podium, but he was happy overall with his progress.
Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Fredrik Noren posted his best result of the season with a ninth overall. In moto one, Noren nailed down a strong start and crossed the line in ninth on the opening lap. He relinquished two positions by the end of the 17-lap race, ultimately finishing 11th. He grabbed another solid start in moto two and ran a consistent race to finish 10th.
It was a stellar day for 450-class rookie Eli Tomac as he swept both motos, becoming the fourth different overall winner in the division this year. Tomac started moto one in third and quickly moved to second. From there he closed the gap on the leader, which started a heated head-to-head battle that raged on lap after lap, until he made a pass stick on lap 12. Tomac quickly checked out, taking the win with a 16-second advantage. He carried his momentum into the second moto, securing the holeshot and riding nearly unchallenged the entire 30-minute plus two-lap race to score his first career 450 victory. His 1-1 effort boosted him to ninth overall in the points standings, despite competing in only four rounds.
“Today was my first 450 overall, and it’s so cool,” said Tomac. “Not many guys get to say they’ve won a 450 outdoor national, so it’s cool to be there. And I did it in 1-1 fashion during only my fourth race, so that was awesome. I got good starts today. I just get along with this track because it’s a lot like my track at home, with a lot of sand and big rollers. It’s just a track that suits me, so I was comfortable all day.”
250 Race
It was a challenging day for the GEICO Honda 250 squad of Justin Bogle, Zach Bell and Matt Bisceglia. After finishing sixth in the day’s opening race, Bogle got off the line to a solid start in moto two and took over the lead halfway through the 30-minute plus two-lap event. Unfortunately, he went down hard late in the race and was unable to return to competition, leaving him 15th for the day with 6-32 scores. Bell put together two respectable rides aboard his CRF250R, scoring 11th overall with 10-12 marks, while teammate Bisceglia was unable to get comfortable on the tricky track, ultimately finishing 14th with 16-11 finishes.