The newly crowned Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450MX Champion Dylan Ferrandis closed out a stellar season with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team by claiming the overall win (1-3) at yesterday’s Hangtown National in Rancho Cordova, California. Teammate Christian Craig also had a top result at the season finale, scoring his best overall finish of the year in fourth (5-4).
Ferrandis qualified well in fourth, and as the first gate dropped, he nearly had the holeshot. As he tried to avoid some chaos in the first few turns his teammate was able to get by, but when the riders saw the green flag at the end of the first lap, the Frenchman was back into second. As the laps ticked off, he put his sights on the leader, and by halfway, he was right up on his rear wheel. Ferrandis made the pass with seven minutes remaining in the moto and went on to enjoy his eighth moto win of the season by a 12-second margin.
The second moto was a culmination of the grit and determination that Ferrandis showcased all year long. After being collected in the first turn, the premier class champion was forced to come from outside the top 30. While the overall looked out of reach, Ferrandis was undeterred and used the entire moto to make it up to third place, awarding him the overall victory.
Teammate Craig had his starts dialed in at Hangtown. He was third on Lap 1 of the first moto and was able to maintain a good speed to finish fifth. The Californian backed up his Moto 1 start by nearly earning the holeshot in Moto 2 and made his way into the lead just a few turns in. Craig held onto the front spot for four laps before dropping to third. For most of the moto, he was in the podium position until his hard-charging teammate made his way through in the final laps. Craig crossed the line fourth to end the day fourth overall for his best result in the 450 class this season.
The final round of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the Hangtown National marked the end of an incredible year for the team in the premier class. In addition to the 450MX Championship, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. earned Manufacturer of the Year honors, and the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team was named Team of the Year. The series also awarded Jeremy Coker Team Manager of the Year and the 450 Mechanic of the Year went to Ferrandis’ mechanic, Alex Campbell.
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team Manager
“What a day! Both of our guys rode great. Dylan had two great motos and had another epic chargeback through the pack after the crash at the start of Moto 2 to take the overall win. Christian had two great starts and his best ride of the season in the second moto. I’m so proud of both of them and our whole team.
“Coming into the year, we had high expectations and set big goals and wanted the championship, but it’s racing, and we were not sure how it would turn out. Our whole team put in the work and had the same vision of winning. I knew if we all put our efforts towards those goals and believed in ourselves, we could do it, and we did it. We had the right guy leading the way for the team. No one else has the heart that Dylan has, that want to win, and he proved that today.”
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It was a crazy day at Hangtown! Coming into the weekend, I felt fresh and relaxed with no championship pressure. I knew it was the last time this year to do something, so I told myself I would give it everything that I had, and that’s what I did. I won the first moto and had a small issue at the start of Moto 2, but I managed to come back to third for first overall. I have the best team behind me. It was an awesome way to end the season!”
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It was a solid day at Hangtown. I was able to run up front and finally lead some laps in Moto 2, and I put in two solid finishes to end up with fourth overall. I’m happy to finish out the season strong and look to bring that momentum to 2022!”
