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MARVIN MUSQUIN
450 MX / 3RD
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Marvin Musquin did all he could last weekend in the mud to keep his title hopes within reach. He did not gain any ground on points leader Eli Tomac, but he did not lose ground either. The two swapped moto wins
and second place nishes in the two motos and it was Musquin who would claim the overall victory after win- ning the second moto. It was big win for Musquin because it gave him a little momentum and he was able to show the French Federation, the group who selects the MxDN team for France, what they were missing when they very surprisingly didn’t choose him to be on the team this year. Musquin was frustrated by the decision
so winning last weekend staying right in the thick of the championship chase had to feel a little bit sweeter. Musquin looked quick and smooth in the morning qualifying practice sessions at Budds Creek. He threw down the second fastest lap time of the day and was less than a half a second off the fastest time set by his title rival, Tomac. He was ready to go out and try to chip away at the points lead in the motos that lay ahead. Musquin got out to a perfect start in moto one. He ripped the holeshot and was in prime position to make up points because Tomac was buried in the eld. Ken Roczen however, had different plans. Roczen would play spoiler and slice up the inside of Musquin a few laps into the race and take the lead. This dropped Musquin to second, but he didn’t panic. He settled in and kept Roczen right there in front of him while also pulling away from the rest of the eld. Musquin stalked Roczen the entire rst half of the moto but could not get close enough for a solid pass attempt. That changed in the second half. Musquin found another gear and applied some serious heat to Roczen. The two riders fought tooth and nail for several laps and were side by side at various times. It looked like Musquin would eventually pass him, but it never happened. Roczen rode well and Musquin fell off the
pace with two laps remaining. He drifted back thirteen seconds off the lead by the time the race ended. It was
a tough ending to the moto, but he did manage to chip away two championship points on Tomac. The points lead was down to thirteen heading into moto two. Musquin got out to another fast start in moto two by ripping another holeshot. The French rider made sure he held it this time as he fought off a ferocious Justin Barcia
on the rst lap. This battle would then continue for the next few laps as Ken Roczen would pressure Barcia pushing the three of them together. They would be wheel to wheel in some areas but eventually Musquin would break free of Barcia. But unfortunately, not Roczen too. Roczen began applying pressure and leapt to the in- side of Musquin before the mechanic’s area and Musquin would lose the drag race down the straightaway and would lose the lead. He lost some ground right away but then managed to stabilize it midway through the race. It looked like he would have second place held pretty easily but his worst nightmare would happen. Eli Tomac found another one of his non-human charges and gobble up the eleven second lead Musquin held over him in just three laps. Tomac would pass Musquin on lap ten. Musquin did not fret because if they ended where they were, the points on the day would be a wash again but a few laps later, Blake Baggett, also on a wild charge, would pass his fellow KTM rider pushing him back to fourth. Musquin would hold on the rest of the way to nish right there. His 2-4 moto scores earned him fourth overall but Tomac would go on to win the moto and extend the points lead from fteen to twenty. With one round to go, it is still very much within reach, but Musquin will most de nitely hope Tomac runs into some trouble during those last two motos.
38 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 19, 2018