Page 15 - MPG-JUNE-2018

THEROOKIES Pala in the 250 Pro class and he earned the number one plate in the 250 Pro
division, in addition to his second place result in the 450 Pro class. Lopes only won a single race throughout the entire weekend, but his consistent results placed him on top at the end of the day and his fiery pace throughout his ama- teur career earned him a call-up to the JGR Suzuki team for the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season. It will be challenging to switch brands only a couple weeks away from his pro debut at Hangtown, but someone as determined and driven as Lopes will make the most of the opportunity and come out swinging at the season opener.
Marchbanks probably faced the highest amount of expectation from any of
the three as the pressure was most likely weighing down on him prior to the first gate drop. The Utah native managed a top ten start in the opening moto and rode well within his capabilities to battle up front in the early laps before throwing a way a top ten finish with a slight mistake. Nonetheless, he was able to regroup and work his way back to twelfth overall. Meanwhile, Lopes and Bailey were not far behind as they started the race within the top fifteen and finished within a points paying position. Lopes battled tirelessly until crossing the line in thirteenth position and Bailey earned one of the last points avail- able in nineteenth place. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider found himself in the same exact position at the checkered flag in the second moto, finishing the day with another nineteenth position as Lopes collected another fifteenth position. Although, the most impressive ride of the day came from Marchbanks in the second moto as he trudged onward to an eventual sixth place finish. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider put the first moto behind him and limited his mistakes, setting one on of the best lap times of the race on his way to a sixth place result.
The battle within the battle will be taking place throughout the season as these three top rookies look to find their feet in the professional ranks and they’ll surely be finding one another on track. It seems as though it’s common for the rookies to make an impact at the opening round of the season, as exempli- fied by Eli Tomac winning his Pro Motocross debut back in 2010, or Justin Barcia running up front in his debut back in 2009. Austin Forkner and Tristan Charboneau both ran inside the top ten during their professional debuts at the Sacramento based circuit and as recently as last year Sean Cantrell scored
a top ten result as well. There’s no predicting where these three will end up when the championship is done and dusted, but their long list of accolades and accomplishments will undoubtedly dictate their expectations, as well as everyone else’s.
WWW.MOTOPLAYGROUND.COM
15
I GOT NEXT