Thunder Valley MX Race Recap

Round Three – Thunder Valley MX (Lakewood, CO) 6/2/12

At a stormy Round 3 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Thunder Valley MX in Lakewood, Colo., Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett held onto the coveted red plate for another weekend and extended his points lead with a 3-1 moto result to secure second overall.

Since the Hangtown National, Baggett has been working hard to ensure the coveted red plate stays where it began the season, under the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki tent. In the first moto, Baggett had a rough start and found himself at the back of the pack rounding the first turn. However, he was able to work some magic on his KX™250F and passed more than 25 racers on the first lap. Baggett eventually charged all the way up to third before the checkered flag dropped. In Moto 2, he got a much better start and moved into the lead by the seventh lap of the race. He put a gap on the field and completed the remaining 10 laps uncontested. The moto win left him with second overall and extended his points lead to 16.

“You really have to fight your hardest every moto because you never know what is going to happen out there and every point matters,” said Baggett. “In the first moto, I got a good pop off the gate and went to shift to second, but ended up in neutral and lost all my momentum. Even though I was pretty much in last place coming around the first turn, I knew I needed every point I could get so I just started clicking off laps and picking off riders. In the second moto I was able to get a good start and came around the first lap in fifth. A couple laps later I moved into third and it was (Justin) Barcia, (Ken) Roczen, Me and Eli (Tomac) all riding very close and battling it out for the lead. That lasted a few laps, but I was able to get around all of them to take over the lead. I thought I was going to take the overall, with Roczen in second and Barcia in third on the last lap, but a couple turns before the finish Roczen went down which left me with second overall. I’m happy to leave the event with the red plate, it’s really important to hang onto that thing to keep a mental advantage over everyone else.”

Next weekend, the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship heads to Round 4 of the series at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pa., on Saturday, June 9. Racers dub the event “Mud Morris” due to the fact that it frequently rains during the event. Catch the first motos live on FUEL TV at 1:00 p.m. EST and the second motos on NBC Sports Network at 5:00 p.m. EST.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

250 Class Championship Standings
1. BLAKE BAGGETT, GRAND TERRACE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI, 139
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda, 123
3. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 120
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 117
5. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM, 84
6. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki, 82
7. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 71
8. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha, 65
9. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda, 62
10. IVAN TEDESCO, ALBURQUERQUE, N.M., MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI, 61