2019 SOUTHWICK NATIONAL MX PREVIEW
This Saturday marks the sixth round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and it takes us to The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts. After having to battle the sweltering heat and humidity that the Florida national threw at them, the riders took some much needed time to recover this past week, but still only having just a few short days to recuperate before having to do it all over again this weekend. That weather at round five heavily affected a few of the riders’ performances, including first time 250 overall winner Justin Cooper, who appeared extremely dehydrated and delirious on the podium after the second moto. The temperatures shouldn’t be as bad at Southwick this weekend, so that’s something all the riders will be looking forward to. Here’s everything to watch out for this weekend at round six: (for extended coverage of the 2019 Southwick National MX, click here).
250 Class
Throughout the progression of the 2019 season, it has become easier and easier who has been doing their homework in their off time and who has just been sticking with the same tactics. Justin Cooper is definitely one of those riders that has continually attacked his weaknesses and put in 100% effort in order to succeed. All of that hard work finally paid off last weekend when he clinched his first 250 class overall win at the nationals. The win didn’t come easy, though, as he had to fight through the high temperatures and stay consistent in a field of other riders that didn’t. His 2-2 scores didn’t display the best performance from the young rider, but it was truly a testament to how hard he has been working and how far he is willing to push to get things done. Justin’s exceptional ride in Florida moved him closer toward the points lead, putting him 18 points back now from Adam Cianciarulo. Expect to see him back out front again this weekend.
Chase Sexton put on one heck of a ride in the first 250 class moto at round five last weekend, winning his first 250 class moto ever, but the intensity he put into that performance later became a bit overwhelming. The conditions at hand left him nauseous and stumbling on the podium, unable to compete in the second moto. The Geico Honda rider will be back, rested up and ready to tackle the New England sand in hopes of redemption this weekend.
Dylan Ferrandis is another rider that seemed to excel last weekend while others fell to the blistering heat in Florida. A fourth in moto one ended up putting him out of contention for the day’s overall, but winning the second moto was surely a good way to cap off his weekend. The moto win came after awhile, not winning another one since Unadilla last year, so hopefully it’ll be the push Dylan needs to carry that speed with him throughout the rest of the season. His finish at the WW Ranch still has him third in the championship, but only seven points behind second and 25 points from the lead.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo had a bit of a lackluster day in his home state, finishing off the podium in the first moto and barely edging Michael Mosiman out for third overall on the day. He may have lost a little bit of his points gap over Justin Cooper last weekend, but don’t expect Cianciarulo to just roll over now because of one “bad” finish.
After a string of excellent rides, Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna’s Michael Mosiman will unfortunately have to miss out on a weekend at The Wick 338 facility. A practice crash this week will leave him out of this weekend’s competition, but he stated on Instagram earlier that he’ll be lining up for Red Bud next week.
450 Class
It was starting to seem like we weren’t going to see much of the normal Marvin Musquin that we’ve seen in the past years, but he sure turned that around at round five last weekend, winning his first national since Unadilla in 2018. The Florida sand must be feeling like home for him, as he has been training there for a few years now at the Baker’s Factory. The Red Bull/KTM rider also moved himself up into third in the overall points standings, 30 points out of the lead.
I guess you could say that Eli Tomac had a bit stranger than normal day at the WW Ranch. The first moto just did not go his way, finishing seventh and almost a minute back behind Musquin in first. But, like he has done time and time again, he rebounded in his second moto to take the second race win. Unfortunately for him, this time it was only good for second overall. His ride, however, was better than that of his championship rival and red plate-holding counterpart Ken Roczen, who has more of a miserable day. The HRC Honda rider only scraped up a tenth in moto two after finishing second in moto one. The two’s finishes put Tomac back out front in the championship hunt with a six point lead over Roczen.
The rest of the local Floridian Baker’s Factory crew followed suit where they have been cycling around all year so far. Zach Osborne made great strides toward to front of the pack, especially so in the second moto, but still fell short of a moto win by just a few seconds. His teammate, Jason Anderson, continued riding as well as he has been all summer, having some epic battles for those top five positions in both motos, ending the day in fourth with 3-4 moto scores. Cooper Webb shared a similar story, only finishing once spot further back with his 4-5 moto scores for fifth overall. After coming into the Florida tied in points, Osborne and Anderson continue that trend onto Southwick, both sitting with 182 points in the championship standings.
After a standout performance in Florida last weekend, even passing Eli Tomac at one point during the motos, Swedish rider Freddy Noren has earned a spot on the JGR MX/Suzuki team for the remainder of the outdoor season. 9-8 moto scores kept Noren inside the top ten for the day’s overall last weekend, so now with a factory bike under him for Southwick, be sure to look for him toward the front of the pack again this weekend.
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