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SIX ROUNDS DOWN...
Meanwhile, the championship lead- er, Aaron Plessinger, didn’t have the most successful weekend, but he kept his title hopes alive with strong comeback rides and unrelenting determination. The 450 class was fairly processional as the usual suspects found themselves on the podium yet again -- Eli Tomac put together 1-3 scores for first overall and Justin Barcia’s consistent 2-2 finishes earned him second place while a second moto victory from Marvin Musquin gave him third on the rostrum. Tomac and Roczen battled briefly in the opening moto, but it wasn’t long until the Kawasaki rider overtook the lead and never looked back, comfortably cruising to the checkered flag. There was a bit more adversity in the second moto as he found himself well outside
the top ten on the opening lap, but his superior race craft and outright pace led him to a third place finish by the time the checkered flag was flown, keeping his overall win streak alive.
The halfway point of the 2018 Pro Motocross season took place at one of the defining rounds of the series -- the legendary Southwick Motocross 338. It’s the only sand track on the calendar and it often creates a race of his own, provid- ing a different perspective on the already established major players of the season. In addition, it can
also be responsible for bringing some new faces to the forefront of competition, providing sand special- ists or late season bloomers their time to shine. It seemed as though the confidence that Shane McElrath collected at Muddy Creek provided an extra boost out of the gate in the opening 250 race, propelling him to the holeshot ahead of local ripper, Jimmy Decotis. The New Eng- lander held up the rest of the field and allowed McElrath to accrue an eight second plus advantage, but as the halfway point of the race approached so did the chasing pack. Austin Forkner, Alex Martin, and Aaron Plessinger closed in on McElrath in the late stages of the moto and all three quickly made the move on the KTM rider, setting up
a titanic battle with only a couple of laps to go. Forkner was able to re- sist the charge from the duo of rid- ers behind him and hold on for his first moto win since Indiana 2016.
In the second moto, Forkner and Martin found themselves at the front yet again and the KTM rider decid- ed that he would not be denied. He made an overly aggressive move in the late stages of the race, forcing both riders to the ground and there- fore allowing Dylan Ferrandis and Shane McElrath into the top two positions. Both Martin and Forkner had the speed to win, but a lapse
of judgement left them both on
the ground, handing Ferrandis the
overall victory with 4-1 moto scores. Meanwhile, A Mart regrouped and claimed second overall with his teammate, McElrath, bringing up the rear in third. Although he didn’t land on the overall podium, a con- sistent ride from Aaron Plessinger left him with a twenty-three point lead heading into Red Bud, match- ing the number one the front of his YZ250F. The 450 class produced one of the most exciting battles of the year, pitting Musquin and Tomac against one another yet again. The two of them were leagues ahead of the rest of the field in the sands of Southwick, running lap times that were multiple seconds faster than the rest of the field. The first moto produced one of the most electric battles of the season with the two of them chopping and changing posi- tions in the waning laps, but Tomac forced Musquin into a mistake in order to take the checkered flag. It would have been the same story
in the second moto, but a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes from the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider in the second moto gifted the overall victory to Musquin, break- ing Tomac’s impressive five race streak. Nonetheless, the defending champion still maintains control of the championship, harnessing a thirty-two point lead in the series standings.
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