Sexton wrestled back the o/a 450 point lead from Monster Energy’s Eli Tomac, reclaims the leaders’ red # plate; Monster Energy’s Justin Cooper 2nd in 250
CORONA, CA – August 15, 2022 – (
Motor Sports NewsWire) – Monster Energy’s
Chase Sexton (Honda) flat out took his rival
Eli Tomac (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) to task on Saturday at the famed Unadilla MX Raceway in upstate New York, catching and passing the overall Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship point leader – twice – in a 1-1 performance that shifts the premier class’ championship point race momentum back in favor of Sexton.
“I did what I could. Chase (Sexton) was really strong today,” said 2
nd (2-2) place Tomac.
Sexton, who’s now captured two-straight 450 class overall victories (Washougal, Wash., & Unadilla), looks to have overcome the crash gremlins that haunted him, and his path to victory, during both Monster Energy AMA Supercross season and earlier MX National rounds.
“I needed to catch Eli (Tomac) and I did. I needed to step up, and I did that at Washougal, then again today. Now I’ve got some confidence and I want to keep that going,” said Sexton, who leads Tomac by one point, 409-408, with three races remaining on the 2022 schedule.
Sexton and Tomac were joined on the Unadilla 450 podium by
Jason Anderson (Monster Energy/Kawasaki), who put in a great 3-3 run for 3
rd to complete the Monster Energy podium sweep.
And in 250 class racing Monster Energy’s
Jo Shimoda (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) backed a masterful opening moto victory with a strong 3
rd place finish in the second moto (1-3) at Unadilla to capture the overall victory – his second of the season. Joining Shimoda on the podium in 2
nd place was
Justin Cooper (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha), who overcame an opening moto crash – while leading – to place 5
th, then dominated the second moto for 2
nd overall (5-1).
450 class podium Monster Energy’s Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton and Jason Anderson
Here’s a look at what went down at Unadilla MX, beginning with the 450 class.
450 Moto 1 – Monster Energy’s Eli Tomac
Right out of the 450 Moto 1 starting gate it’s Monster Energy’s
Dylan Ferrandis (Star Racing/Yamaha), pulling the holeshot and leading in his first race back from a thumb injury suffered in practice the Tuesday before the MX Nationals started.
… Anderson got out in 3
rd place, but a bobble would allow Tomac to strike, taking 3
rd (with Sexton starting in 6
th place).
… Honda’s Ken Roczen, who had the fastest qualifying time, was out front of Ferrandis, with Tomac charging hard and taking 2
nd from the defending overall 2021 450 class series champion (Ferrandis) at the 25:10 mark.
… Tomac quickly put 1.5 seconds on Ferrandis as he began to reel in Roczen, with Sexton three seconds back of Tomac in 5
th place.
… At the 23:38 mark Tomac was onto Roczen’s rear wheel, passing for the moto lead with 22:23 remaining in the 30-minute plus two-lap moto.
… Sexton would catch and pass Ferrandis as the moto neared the halfway mark, still some five seconds (5.3) back of Tomac.
… Sexton would post the first of two blistering 2:16 laps on Lap 8, catching and passing Roczen and leading race announcer and former MX Nationals champion Jeff Emig to comment: “He’s (Sexton) on rails right now.”
… Anderson would come whipping in and also pass Roczen, setting the former champion up on the inside of the first turn area and securing 3
rd place.
… Having been some six seconds back at one point, Sexton made up the deficit on Tomac and passed the then 450 class overall point leader at the 7:07 mark – and quickly put 2.9 seconds between the two.
… Making a tough track look easy, Sexton continued to gap Tomac – and the rest of the field – winning Moto 1 by 10.35 seconds over 2
nd place Tomac. Anderson would place 3
rd, Ferrandis 4
th and
Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) in the top ten at 9
th.
Said Sexton: “I came from pretty far back at the start. I was eating so much roost that finally I just started to find some key lines and just went as fast as I could for as long as I could – and that worked out.”
Added Tomac: “I got off to a good attack, then – obviously – I got passed by Chase (Sexton). I gotta get a little bit better, gotta learn some stuff. He (Sexton) was really strong coming out of the turns. We’ve just got to keep fighting.”
Added Anderson: “I kind of came out a little notchy. Tried to keep making progress, getting closer to those front guys. I’ve missed two years of Outdoors and you kind of forget how gnarly it is.”
450 Moto 2 – Monster Energy’s Jason Anderson
Moto 2’s holeshot went to Tomac, determined, and with the early lead, while Sexton gets off the gate in 4
th.
… A Justin Barcia (Gas Gas) bobble allowed Sexton to easily move into 3
rd place, and was quickly on to KTM’s Aaron Plessinger for 2
nd (as Anderson moved past Barcia and into 3
rd).
… During this movement between 2
nd/3
rd and 4
th place, Tomac was able to build a 2.4 seconds lead. But Sexton would erase that quickly as he berzerked his Honda CRF450R out of Unadilla’s Gravity Cavity and made the massive, through-the-air pass on Tomac for the lead at 20:20 of Moto 2.
… At the moto’s halfway point Sexton was up 1.597 seconds on Tomac. But Tomac wouldn’t buckle, and kept pace, studying Sexton’s line selection.
… With Anderson holding off a late charge from Plessinger to keep 3
rd, the final 450 moto podium would be a carbon copy of the first – Sexton (1
st), Tomac (2
nd) and Anderson (3
rd) completing another Monster Energy sweep.
Said Anderson: “After you get 3
rd enough times… it’s kind of a bummer… But I’m still glad to be up here. Those guys in front (Sexton and Tomac) are ripping right now.” Anderson has a solid hold on 3
rd place in the overall 450 class point standings with 325 points, 21 points in front of 4
th place Roczen.
250 Moto 1 – Monster Energy’s Jo Shimoda
New York native
Nick Romano (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) was shot out of a cannon at the start, taking a brief lead before Cooper ripped past the Motosport.com holeshot chalk like – taking with him the holeshot and lead in a puff of white powder.
… Shimoda would quickly get past Romano for 2
nd, then inherited 1
st when Cooper spun out in some wet dirt, coming out of a corner too hot.
… Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammates
Seth Hammaker and
Ryder DiFrancesco were running near the front pack in 4
th and 5
th, as Cooper, back in 8
th place, began his fight back to the top five.
… Romano, returning from a knee injury that kept him sidelined for the Washougal round, was locked for several laps in a thrilling battle with 250 class point leader Jett Lawrence (Honda). The New Yorker (literally, Queens) who, curiously, had never raced Unadilla before Saturday, was riding so fast that Lawrence crashed trying to catch him.
… At the halfway mark of the opening 250 moto Shimoda led by six seconds over 2
nd place Romano, with Hammaker in 3
rd.
… By the 10:58 mark Shimoda was up by nine seconds, with DiFrancesco, Hammaker and RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) locked in a three-way battle for the final top five position. … Inside 10 minutes plus two laps remaining Jett Lawrence would go down again in an effort to catch up with Shimoda, leading Emig to say: “Jo Shimoda has been absolutely perfect this moto.”
… Romano would drop a couple spots late in the moto to Hunter Lawrence (Honda) and Hampshire, but it’d be Hammaker that blew out of top five contention with a spectacular crash – and subsequent medic cart ride back to the pro pits (including a wave to the crowd from a positive-looking upright/seated position).
… Cooper then got past DiFrancesco for 5
th, with Romano 4
th and Shimoda 1
st at the checkers, DiFrancesco (8th) and
Nate Thrasher (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) in 10
th to round out the top ten.
Said Shimoda: “I just focused on myself and got a good start, pushed as much as I could the first four laps. I kept pushing and pushing and didn’t even care what was going on behind me.”
250 Moto 2 – Monster Energy’s Justin Cooper
Cooper would pull a very angry and vengeful holeshot and took the early Moto 2 race lead, looking to make up for his opening moto lapse in judgement while leading.
… Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s
Cameron McAdoo, who placed 11
th in the opening moto, was running his first Outdoor National race of the season, having been banged up in Monster Energy AMA Supercross. McAdoo ripped a great start and was in 3
rd place behind Cooper. On the contrary, Moto 1 winner Shimoda got a poor start and had to fight his way into a respectable 7
th place at the end of Lap 1.
… Running well early and in 4
th place was Romano, but he’d soon have Shimoda on his tail at the 21:35 mark. … Cooper and Jett Lawrence would find each other and lock into battle as the race neared the 20-minute mark, about the same time Shimoda caught and passed Romano for 5
th. Shimoda would need 4
th place or better in Moto 2 to secure the overall. … Crazy situation next as Hunter Lawrence appeared to have some sort of mechanical issue going, raised his hand (as a caution to other racers the he was having bike issues as they closed the gap from behind him quickly). McAdoo and Shimoda would get past Lawrence, only to have Lawrence seemingly solve the issue (at this point) and pass Shimoda back.
… 2
nd place Jett Lawrence would crash again (third time on the day) and Monster Energy, at Moto 2’s halfway point, had three guys in on the overall podium – Cooper (1
st), McAdoo (2
nd) and Shimoda (3
rd).
… At the 5:19 mark a wild-riding Jett Lawrence had made his way back to 2
nd place, but was still 15.4 seconds back of leader Cooper.
… Shimoda would endure a couple feet-off-the-pegs moments late in the race himself, but kept it together to pass McAdoo on the last lap for 3
rd – and win the overall with a 1-3 score. Shimoda joined moto winner Cooper on the podium (3
rd), with McAdoo 4
th, Thrasher 7
th and Romano 9
th.
Said Shimoda on his 3rd place finish in Moto 2 to clinch the Unadilla 250 overall: “I was in an overall position already, but just kept going to get on the box again. Made it tough on myself again (with the poor start), and had to get after it.”
Added Cooper of his 14th career overall race victory: “I wanted to go 1-1 here today. Had that mistake in the first moto, went down with the lead. That was a bummer. Bike was pretty bent up so I did what I could and got back to 5
th. But the second moto was more like it.”
Overall 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, presented by Monster Energy, Points (Round 9 of 12)
450 class
Chase Sexton
1st – Sexton
2nd – Tomac
3rd – Anderson
5th – Craig
9th – Savatgy
250 class
Jo Shimoda
3rd – Shimoda
4th – Cooper
7th – Hammaker
8th – Kitchen
Up Next
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, presented by Monster Energy, returns to action this weekend, Aug. 20
th, for the annual running of the Budds Creek (Md.) MX National. For more information visit
www.promotocross.com
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at
www.monsterenergy.com
Source: Monster Energy Company
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