View From The Infield: Turning Up The Heat

The first 450 moto didn't get off to an ideal start due to a big first turn pileup. Toshiki Tomita is out of the frame to the right, and it looked like Blake Baggett and Ken Roczen both got taken down in the ensuing melee, and guys like Phil Nicoletti and Weston Peick got balled up in it, too.

Eli Tomac and Marvin Musquin got away cleanly, as did Cody Cooper and Justin Barcia.

Justin Barcia slipped into second spot early in moto one, but after a little jockeying back and forth, Marvin Musquin got by.

Once he and Marv settled their pecking order in moto one, Justin Barcia had a relatively quiet day on his way to third overall.

It's always interesting to see who steps up in this season of opportunity in the 450 class. Cody Cooper was eighth overall here.

Blake Baggett had set the fastest time in practice and looked set for a good day at High Point. After the first turn body surfing session, he made his way back to fifth and was seventh in moto two. Definitely not the day he wanted, but as a whole, both of the KTM squads looked like they were more dialed here than earlier in the season.

Marvin Musquin had the advantage of being able to watch Eli Tomac for a portion of the first moto. Late in the race he reeled Eli in and went by for a moto win. Eli was having a minor issue with the adjuster on his pants throughout the moto, but didn't use it as an excuse, saying that it was more of an issue with line selection and comfort than anything to do with the pants.

Phil Nicoletti bounced back in the second moto with a ninth. Not bad for his first race on the Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna squad.

The crash at the start of moto one seemed to take it out of Ken Roczen a little bit. He grabbed the holeshot in moto two and eventually slipped back to third. The lead duo were on another level here.

Benny Bloss airing it out over the big hilltop jump on the way to eighth overall.

Justin Hill was in the right place at the right time when all the first turn madness was happening in moto one, and jumped into fourth. He was sixth in moto two, and was fifth overall for the day. Not bad at all for his first 450 National.

A couple weeks ago, Kyle Cunningham said that if he cracked the top ten that we had to show him some love. Done!

Marvin Musquin had the pressure on Eli Tomac late in the moto, and actually took the lead for a second, but he couldn't make it stick. Watching these two battle? Awesome.

Well, the chance (and pressure) of a potential perfect season is out the window, but Eli Tomac's still four for four on the season for overalls.

Marvin was going down the row, and sharing his champagne with some of the High Point crazies.

Father's Day weekend is always a good time to see the dads come out to play.

Yep, the outdoors are for the hardcores...but they get up close and personal, and get to sweat right along with the riders in a way that they can't in Supercross.

WFO toward the first turn in moto one, with Aaron Plessinger and Justin Cooper holding it down out front.

Brandon Hartranft cracked the top ten at High Point.

Jordon Smith was fifth in moto one, but tenth in moto two. That put him seventh overall.

Welcome to the big leagues, Carson Brown. High Point was his first taste of the outdoors.

Joey Savatgy was sixth in moto one of 250 action, but a crash in moto two resulted in another DNF.

The course at High Point throws some unique challenges at the guys, with unusual jumps like the one here, where they're also turning. A few guys were opting to roll it, but nearly all the top guys were jumping it. Chase Sexton was looking way better than his 16th overall would suggest. A DNF in moto two moved him way down the standings.

Justin Cooper was third in moto one, fourth in moto two and third overall. We wouldn't be shocked to see him grab either a moto win or an overall this season.

Details matter. A mechanic like Billy Hartle will do whatever it takes to help their guy out, like here, where he's cleaning between all the knobs by hand before the gate dropped.

Launching off the line for 250 moto two.

Things were looking great for Jeremy Martin...right up until they weren't. He was leading moto two and was in the right spot for the overall when his bike when quiet. Teams are always a bit reluctant to tell you exactly what went wrong when there's an issue...especially while the sting is still fresh. "A mechanical issue," for was as specific as they wanted to get.

We saw a few guys get close to the inside of this corner, but maybe none as close as Dylan Ferrandis. He was third in moto two, and fourth overall in his return to action after a long layoff for a broken arm.

A pair of seventh-place finishes was good enough to nab fifth overall for RJ Hampshire.

Austin Forkner's 4-2 score was good for second overall.

This could have ended badly, but Alex Martin seems fairly catlike in the way he gets out of some of his crashes. Luckily Justin Cooper was on his game, too, and dodged both Alex's bike and body.

A wheel problem in moto one hampered him, but it was good to see Cameron McAdoo back in action after a long time off with a broken hand.

Aaron Plessinger was pumped on his overall win, but he was maybe even more pumped about taking over the points lead again.

The Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha guys went home happy, and some of the rest of the teams? Maybe not so much. Talking with some of the riders and teams, they feel like the Yamahas are the bike to beat right now.

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View From The Infield: Turning Up The Heat 3

The move east to High Point brought out much different track conditions, as well as a boost in the heat and humidity. The results, however, looked pretty familiar.

View replies to: View From The Infield: Turning Up The Heat

View From The Infield: Turning Up The Heat 3

The move east to High Point brought out much different track conditions, as well as a boost in the heat and humidity. The results, however, looked pretty familiar.

View replies to: View From The Infield: Turning Up The Heat

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