Redbud 2022 Pro National
Eli Tomac
Each 4th of July weekend motocross fans make their annual pilgrimage to Buchannan Michigan to watch the Redbud pro national race. It’s one of the most popular races and tracks for fans and riders and a can’t miss for any moto fans each year. The action never disappoints and the track is always excellent. The layout of the track offers plenty of places to watch the action from. There was even more excitement for this year’s event as there were special activities planned. This years racing in the 250 and 450 classes has been some of the most exciting to watch in years.
In opening ceremonies, we would get a few extra treats this year. We saw Jeff Stanton break out one of his old championship bikes for a parade lap that got the crowd pumped up. Then we saw Ricky Carmichael get inducted into the Redbud hall of fame. Ricky would then jump into the TV booth to do the color commentary for the race, always a treat to have Ricky call the race.
250 Class
The 250 class has been dominated by the Lawrence brothers with them exchanging race wins and overall points lead keeping all other riders at arm’s length. With Jett suffering a bike failure in the first moto we would see someone else on top of the box this week. That ended being Jo Shimoda, with Hunter in second and Stilez Robertson locking down third place with 3-5 moto finishes. Jo’s impressive ride shows his rapid improvement over the last few weeks and that he has the pace to contend for the lead. The only shame is that it took till mid-season to reach this point, or we would be enjoying a three-way battle for first place in the championship points race.
450 Class
Eli Tomac has been on a multi-moto win streak and only seems to be gaining momentum and confidence. Chase Sexton has been hot on his heels with steady second place finishes keeping the points close. These two just seem to be on another level this season and the rest of the field is fighting for a 3rd place finish at best. With all that, this is still one of the most exciting seasons in years that is keeping fans glued to the action.
With Tomac starting better the task of slowing him down is not getting any easier. Eli grabbed the holeshot in moto 1 and a close 2nd off the start in moto 2. Eli finished the day with 1-1 moto finishes and the top of the box again with Sexton getting second overall with 2-2 finishes and Barcia locking down 3rd overall for the first podium of the year. Joey Savatgy had an impressive 3rd place finish in moto one showing he is gaining back some of that old pace as he continues to recover from his injured knee.
Privateer News
Some of my favorite riders are the privateers as they truly are racing for the love of moto and you have to admire that. There were some impressive showings for several riders that should be noted. Jeff Walker placed 20-20 in the motos for 23rd overall, locking in some pro points for the popular rider. You can really see his improvement since last year. Marshal Weltin grabbed a 10th overall while Henry Miller, McElrath, Bloss, and Canning also had good showings.
On the 250 side, Ryder D. had a good showing for his first pro race with 14-12 finishes. He grabbed a good start in moto 2 and stayed up front for most of the race before fading late. With a big question on his future with team Kawasaki, he showed he has the skills to compete and will only improve with more time. Ty Masterpool had a great weekend running 8-8 for 6th overall after buying a used bike the week of the race and showing up and grabbing the hole shot in moto 2.