Just when it appeared that series point leaders Eli Tomac and Zach Osborne couldn’t be beaten, Marvin Musquin and Joey Savatgy put in outstanding rides and served notice that it isn’t over until it’s over with their victories in picturesque Millville, Minnesota.
For Musquin, the 450 win was his second of the championship and by far his best ride since injuring his knee before High Point. The Frenchman made the most of two great starts to sprint away from the field and pull out huge leads in both motos.
Rains before the event provided for technical track conditions as the soft soil quickly formed long, deep ruts. One of the more technical racers on the starting line, these conditions played directly into the wheelhouse of Musquin, who had one of the best days on the bike of his career. As for Tomac, a poor first moto start had the Monster Energy Kawasaki speedster slicing his way through the pack. By the time he made it to the front half of the field, Muqsuin was long gone. Tomac seemed poised to rebound in the second 450 moto, but experienced a violent crash on one of the track’s long, rough downhill sections and was sent cartwheeling down. He would remount and bring it home 5th, which was good enough for 3rd place overall. Earning second place honors in the 450 class was Dean Wilson, who had posted the first podium of his 450 class career the round previously at Southwick. It’s been a solid year for Wilson, who began 2017 as a privateer and raced his way on the Rockstar Husqvarna factory squad during the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.,
Meanwhile, in the 250 class, it was Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy charging to 1-2 scores and the overall victory. After narrowly losing out on the 250SX Eastern Region Supercross title on the last lap in May, it has been a rough summer for the class standout as he found himself nearly 100 points down to class rival and current 250 Pro Motocross point leader Zach Osborne.
Savatgy showed up in Millville, ready to race hard. As he sprinted away with the 250 moto 1 lead, he nearly received a bulk of points back on Osborne as the Husqvarna rider broke a radiator hose with several laps remaining. With smoke billowing out of his machine, Osborne nursed it home and was able to finish the moto in 8th spot. In 250 moto 2, it was all Osborne and his 8-1 scores were good enough for 3rd overall on the day. Finishing 2nd overall in the 250 class was hometown hero Alex Martin, who just couldn’t quite put together the victory on the track where he literally lives.
With eight motos remaining in the 2017 Pro Motocross Championship, Eli Tomac has a 20-point lead over Blake Baggett. In the 250 class, Osborne holds strong with a 43-point lead over Alex Martin.
Round 9 of the Pro Motocross Championship takes place this Saturday at Washougal, Washington.