Oops, he did it again! Just like round one at Hangtown, Eli Tomac came out blazing and overtook all challengers in both motos. He simply looks unbeatable and likely is. We saw more speed and improvement in several riders, but there isn't another rider in the field with the speed to challenge Tomac at the moment. Here is the finishing order and takeaways:
Finishing order
1. Eli Tomac (1/1) destroyed the field yet again. He led the entire second half of moto one after overtaking Ken Roczen for first. Halfway through moto two, he was in third behind Musquin; by the time he crossed the finish line, Musquin was 49 seconds in the rearview mirror.
Tomac only led the final two laps, but still won by a 16-second gap. This is Tomac at his most dominating. He was on this same trajectory in 2015 entering round three where he hadn't lost a single moto until his season-ending crash in moto two that cost him any chance at the championship that season.
Is it too early to crown him champ? As 2015 proved, anything can happen in motocross, but if Tomac keeps it on two wheels this time around, then this championship is in the bag. Injury poses a greater challenge than his fellow riders at this stage. Tomac could already sit out an entire moto without fear of losing his points-lead to anyone other than Musquin at this stage, and that's with only two rounds complete.
Prediction: injury won't strike again, and Tomac will sail to his second 450 outdoor title.
2. Marvin Musquin (2/3) was runner-up yet again, despite Jason Anderson dropping him to third place in moto two. He was second in moto one, but lost by 12 seconds, a substantial gap, but not nearly as bad as his 49-second gap in moto two.
There were some positives. Musquin only trails Tomac in championship points by 14 (third place is 27 points down). Musquin was the only rider on Saturday to post a 2:39 lap time (not even Tomac did that). He continues to start at or near the front and is consistent and fast, all while avoiding injury. He is riding strong. The problem is Tomac is just that much stronger.
3. Jason Anderson (4/2) found his pace. He led all but two laps of moto two and looked strong. This didn't help him much though once Tomac caught him and made quick work of the pass, but it was a marked improvement over his poorer showing in round one. His fastest lap times were nearly identical to Tomac. The difference was that Tomac was still cranking out those fast laps while the rest of the field faded down the stretch. Anderson always uses these setbacks as motivation to push harder, however, so despite the fact that he trails a distant third, he could present the best opportunity to reel Tomac back in in the coming weeks.
4. Justin Barcia (6/4) missed out on the podium in round two, but he was very close and remains tied for third in the overall points standings with Anderson.
He is still racing strong and maintaining pace better than he has in a while, however, his overall pace was a few seconds off the leaders. He is an experienced veteran and if he finishes in the top five this season, that's a feat worth celebrating, but he is slipping out of the title hunt.
5. Ken Roczen (3/8) was the surprise rider of the day. He found quite a bit more speed from round one to round two. That progression could spell trouble for the rest of the field. He led half of the first moto before succumbing to Tomac and then Musquin. In the second moto, he crashed on the opening lap and started near the back of the entire pack. Despite this, he made double-digit passes to work himself all the way back into the top 10.
His fast laps are still not equaling the top riders, but he is closing fast. Each week should see him get stronger, and if he finds the 2016 form that won him the championship that year, then the showdown at the front could get a whole lot more interesting.
Other notable riders
My surprise pick last week, Benny Bloss, had a decent week yet again. He just missed the top 10 overall, but did manage sixth in moto two after a disappointing 22nd in moto one.
Christian Craig pulled into the lead in moto one, looking like he was in store for a great day, but a crash ended his run early and he left moto one and took a DNS (did not start) for moto two.
Weston Peick was "Mr. Consistent" once again, with a solid 7/5 result, earning him sixth overall on the day.
Like Roczen, Blake Baggett took a fall on one of the very first turns while battling in the lead off the start. The crash was in a difficult spot on the track to restart the bike and move again. By the time Baggett got back in the saddle and moved forward, he was just about dead last. He rode extremely well to work into the top 10 before the race's end. Surprisingly, this was only four places removed from where he finished moto one without the crash. Still, as mentioned last week in the 450 recap for round one, this was another disappointment for a rider expecting to compete for the title, as he now finds himself 40 points down in the title chase to Tomac.
Round three
This upcoming Saturday, the series moves to Thunder Valley.
It is hard not to equate Tomac's current dominance with the same trajectory he was on in 2015 when Thunder Valley dashed all his championship hopes. This race is always an exciting one with many more questions to be answered. Can Tomac shake off the ghost of 2015 Thunder Valley past and continue his consecutive streak of moto wins? Can Musquin finally break through and steal a moto, or can Anderson, after making a noticeable leap from week one to two? Will Baggett begin to match preseason expectations, or will Barcia continue to thwart his efforts and hold him to fifth overall? Can Roczen make the next leap and turn leading races into winning them while returning to his former speed and 2016 outdoor form? One thing is for sure, Saturday will not disappoint!
Be sure to also keep an eye out for the 250 series, which may be the most competitive class this year with its mix of rookies and veterans.
