Torrance, CA: Round 11 of the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing was hosted this past Saturday at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, PA. Fans lined the fence this Labor Day weekend to see Muscle Milk-sponsored GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac put together a commanding performance, grabbing the overall win with 1-1 finishes. Teammate Justin Barcia also had a solid ride aboard his CRF250R, taking home third overall with 2-3 scores.
The Race
Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton rode his way to a 10th-place finish overall with 12-10 scores. In moto one, Brayton got a mid-pack start and maintained his position the majority of the race to finish 12th. In the second race, he grabbed a better start and was running in the top five heading into the first turn. After surrendering a few positions within the first couple laps, Brayton went down and fell back to 10th.
In the 250 class the Muscle Milk-sponsored GEICO Honda squad had another impressive showing with Tomac wrapping up another overall win and Barcia rounding out the podium in third. In moto one, Barcia took the early lead and ran up front the majority of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race until being passed by Tomac with three laps remaining. Tomac secured the win, followed by Barcia in second place. In the second moto, Tomac launched to a good start, quickly overtaking the lead and opening up a nice gap in front of the rest of the pack. He rode well the entire race to take the moto win and the overall victory. The day’s efforts allowed him to cut his points deficit in half, so he now sits in second place a mere 14 points behind the points leader heading into the final round at Lake Elsinore. Barcia also put together a solid performance, riding in third the entire race to finish third overall with his 2-3 scores.
“I am so pumped right now,” said Tomac. “It is a great feeling to finally have all your hard work pay off and everything come together to get back on the top of the podium. To cut Baggett’s lead in half in one day is really encouraging and if we can do the same thing next weekend we have a shot at pulling this thing off.”
“I had a chance to really make a move but couldn’t quite put it together,” said Barcia. “It was pretty hot and humid in the first moto and then it rained and was extremely slippery in the second moto. All I can do is ride the best I can and finish strong, which is what I have been trying to do so it’s a little frustrating that I haven’t been able to put it all together. With all of us so close in points now next weekend is going to be a wild race.”
The Focus: DID
D.I.D has been a longtime Honda racing team sponsor and puts what it learns in competition into the OE products it supplies to Honda and other manufacturers. Spokes, rims and drive chains take an unbelievable beating in the world of professional motocross, which is why the Honda team puts its trust in D.I.D to provide components that can take the constant abuse.