Sixth for Craig at Muddy Loretta Lynn’s 2 MX, Sexton Finishes 13th

Round 2 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship experienced heavy rain, which created muddy conditions for its second race in a row at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. It was an up-and-down day for Team Honda HRC, with Christian Craig posting a sixth-place overall result, while teammate Chase Sexton wasn’t able to ride to his potential in the second 450MX moto and finished 13th overall.

Craig charged the tough track conditions in the first moto, running in the top three before suffering a series of falls that eventually landed him in 10th. He showed good speed in the second outing, battling to a sixth-place finish and earning that position overall. Meanwhile, Sexton enjoyed a decent start in the first moto, completing lap one in third place. He then advanced to second, butl a crash put him in sixth at the finish. Moto two saw Sexton held up after a fall in the first turn, but he gained momentum and moved up to 15th place before experiencing mechanical issues on the last lap and netting a 20th-place finish for 13th overall, and ready to apply the lessons learned. 

NOTES

• Round 2 was the second AMA Pro National ever held at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. These two rounds also represented the second of back-to-back National rounds ever hosted in the history of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. 

• While most Team Honda HRC members made their way back to Tennessee on Friday evening, the mechanics arrived on Wednesday to perform some final minor prep work on the bikes. Having spent 11 days at the Ranch, the trucks leave Monday morning for round three.

• MX Sports Pro Racing and AMA officials reported being impressed by the positivity everyone exhibited at the first two rounds, with officials praising the teams for faithfully following the COVID-19-related guidelines.

• For round two, those guidelines again included social distancing at the team work pods (a setback line was painted six feet away from each pod), wearing masks properly at all times (except riders when wearing a helmet), making hand sanitizer available on tables, and providing designated “drop off” tables adjacent to work pods for delivery/pick-up of gear, goggles, helmets and tires. Only essential personnel were permitted in the team pods, including riders, crew members and immediate family members, as approved by the team managers. Those deemed not essential (industry support personnel, private doctors, agents, media, etc.) were prohibited from entering team pods. As at the last round, only 5,000 fans were admitted to the facility. While autograph sessions have been suspended for the season, teams provided pre-signed posters to MX Sports for fans. Rules regarding rider assistance were updated for round two, with each rider permitted to have one team representative, one personal support person and one mechanic at the podium area.

• Chapel Service was conducted Saturday morning at the MX Sports Pro Semi for those who wanted to attend.

• Due to rain and the resulting track conditions, the first set of practices were canceled, as were start practices and consolation races, giving each group only five minutes of free practice and 15 minutes timed practice. 

• The top three riders per class, as well as several other requested riders, participated in a virtual post-race press conference Saturday evening. 

• Sexton posted the sixth-fastest lap in the single practice session, at 2’00.912”. Craig finished the session with a ninth-best time of 2’01.352”.

• GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin enjoyed a solid ride in the 250 class, with 3-2 moto results placing him the overall victory. Though Martin risked bike issues toward the end of the second moto, he persevered and finished second behind his brother, Alex Martin. Jeremy’s teammate Carson Mumford was also competitive, earning 10th overall, with Jett Lawrence, Jo Shimoda and Hunter Lawrence earning 12th, 19th and 25th overall, respectively.

• With two of the nine AMA Pro Motocross rounds now in the books, round three is set to run this Saturday in Crawfordsville, Indiana.