250 Class Moto 1
Fresh off his dominant 1-1 performance at Glen Helen, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger entered Thunder Valley with a share of the red plate alongside defending champion Zach Osborne. Unfortunately, neither Plessinger nor Osborne would be factors in the race at Thunder Valley, and neither was able maintain their hold of the red plate when all was said and done.
In Plessinger’s absence, rookie Justin Cooper carried the torch for Monster Energy in the 250 Class. The Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha rider grabbed the holeshot to start Moto 1 and stormed out to the early lead ahead of fellow Monster Energy rider Joey Savatgy, who entered as the defending back-to-back winner at Thunder Valley for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki.
Cooper and Savatgy were able to open a significant gap on the rest of the field and went at one another for more than half of the moto. Savatgy’s veteran experience helped give him the upper hand with just under 10 minutes left in the moto. From there the Kawasaki rider was able to put some distance between himself and Cooper, and he appeared to be on his on his way to a potential third straight Colorado win. Unfortunately for Savatgy, his race came to a halt with just three laps to go when he lost power on his motorcycle and was forced to pull off to the side of the track. His hopes at victory came to a gut-wrenching end.
Cooper assumed control of the lead after Savatgy’s heartbreaking demise and stormed to his first career moto victory by 4.2 seconds over Jeremy Martin. Alex Martin finished third. Plessinger followed in sixth, with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner in seventh and his rookie teammate Garrett Marchbanks in eighth.
250 Class Moto 2
As the field came around the first turn to start Moto 2 it was Alex Martin who earned the holeshot ahead of his brother, Jeremy, and Cooper. However, all eyes were on the side of the track where Savatgy and Osborne came together and ignited a massive crash that took out several riders. Savatgy was able to get going and started in 30th, while the defending champ found himself dead last.
Out front, the Martin brothers started to distance themselves from Cooper and the rest of the field. Cooper soon dropped out of podium position and then battled Forkner for fourth. Plessinger also found his way into this battle, running sixth. Eventually, both Forkner and Plessinger found their way to the lead group.
Jeremy Martin was able to get around his brother just prior to the halfway point of the moto and went on to take the win for a Martin brothers 1-2. Forkner stormed all the way into third to put Monster Energy on the podium, with Plessinger right behind in fourth. Cooper fell to eighth, while Marchbanks was 11th. Savatgy made an impressive climb up to 12th, while Osborne could do no better than 20th.
Martin secured the overall victory, his first of the season, with his brother grabbing the runner-up spot. Cooper captured his first career overall podium result in third, with Forkner narrowly missing out in fourth. Plessinger brought it home in sixth, with Marchbanks ninth. Savatgy’s tough afternoon ended with a 17th-place finish.
Plessinger leads the way for Monster Energy in the championship standings, just eight points out of the lead in second.
250 Class Results
1. Jeremy Martin, Honda (2-1)
2. Alex Martin, KTM (3-2)
3. Justin Cooper, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha (1-8)
4. Austin Forkner, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki (7-3)
5. Jordon Smith, KTM (4-5)
6. Aaron Plessinger, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha (6-4)
9. Garrett Marchbanks, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki (7-10)
17. Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki (6-4)
250 Class Standings
1. Jeremy Martin, Honda – 129
2. Aaron Plessinger, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 121
3. Alex Martin, KTM – 116
4. Zach Osborne, Husqvarna – 105
5. Justin Cooper, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 98
8. Austin Forkner, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 75
9. Garrett Marchbanks, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 72
11. Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 68