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Tomac wins third straight motocross with victory at Thunder Valley

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Friday, June 8, 2018 2:45 PM
Eli Tomac of Cortez captured his sixth straight moto victory and his third straight overall victory on Saturday at the Thunder Valley National 450MX in Lakewood, Colorado.

Eli Tomac of Cortez remained undefeated in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series on Saturday with a sweep at the 450MX Thunder Valley National in Lakewood.

It was his third straight overall victory in the outdoor motocross series, which started May 19. He has swept the motos at the three venues, for a 6-0 record, and stands alone at the top of the standings with a 28-point lead over rival Marvin Musquin and a 46-point lead over third-place Justin Barcia.

Tomac entered the second of two motos Saturday with a win over Ken Roczen in the first.

Tomac was third to the first turn, behind Barcia and Roczen as the leaders bunched up in the first two laps, less than a second apart. Barcia went down in Lap 3 and dropped to sixth. Blake Baggett slipped into second place behind Roczen after the crash, but Tomac moved past him into second in Lap 5. Tomac pursued Roczen for five laps, and passed him for the lead in Lap 10, his fastest lap of the race.

Tomac quickly stretched out a three-second lead and went on to win the 16-lap race by 11.430 seconds. Roczen finished second, followed by Baggett, Musquin and Benny Bloss.

After winning both motos on Saturday, Tomac was first overall. Roczen was second, with second-place finishes in both motos, and Blake Baggett was third, with two third-place finishes. Musquin and Bloss filled out the Top 5.

Tomac also won the first moto on Saturday, riding at the front of the pack throughout the race. He trailed Barcia in second for the first three laps, then Roczen for the next five. Tomac gradually closed the gap to Roczen, and as Roczen and Tomac ran their fastest laps of the race, passed him in Lap 10.

Tomac led the rest of the way, stretching out a 6.119-second lead in Lap 13 before backing off the gas and winning the 15-lap race by 4.707 seconds. Baggett was third, just 5.839 seconds behind Tomac. Musquin was fourth, a distant 31.869 seconds off the lead, and Barcia was fifth.

Tomac was the fastest rider in qualifying rounds at Thunder Valley, with a lap of 2 minutes and 5.848 seconds. Roczen was second, at 2 minutes and 6.697 seconds, followed by Barcia, Bloss and Musquin.

Jason Anderson, champion of the indoors Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, missed the Thunder Valley round after fracturing his right foot during May 31 during practice. According to reports, he collided with another rider who was attempting to help a downed rider on the track at Glen Helen Raceway. He likely will be out for several weeks.

The 12-race Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series next goes to High Point track in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, on June 16.

Motocross standings, June 2

1. Eli Tomac of Cortez (Kawasaki): 150

2. Marvin Musquin (KTM): 122

3. Justin Barcia (Yamaha): 104

4. Blake Baggett (KTM): 100

5. Ken Roczen (Honda): 97

6. Weston Peick (Suzuki): 88

7. Phillip Nicoletti (Suzuki): 75

8. Jason Anderson (Husqvarna): 73

9. Benny Bloss (KTM): 73

10. Dylan Merriam (Yamaha): 49

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