With several rookies making their outdoor debuts in the 250 class, such as Dean Wilson and Eli Tomac, the added talent pushed the pace of each moto. The 450 Class saw the return of its current champion leading the charge of perhaps one of the most stacked fields we have seen in years. All in all it was one heck of a day of racing in Northern California that has set a the bar for the rest of the series. Click through the three pages for the breakdown of the 250 Class, 450 Class, and WMX.

250 Class

Moto 1
In a drag race to the first turn, Geico Powersports/Honda rider Trey Canard narrowly edged out Tommy Searle on aboard his FMF/KTM for the holeshot, but by the second turn Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel, who somehow managed to sneak by several riders in a matter of seconds, had edged his way into second. By the end of lap one, Pourcel had already managed to work into first place with Canard, Searle, Blake Baggett, Eli Tomac, and Jake Weimer in tow.

By the halfway mark, Pourcel had opened a huge gap on second, due in part to mistake by Canard that dropped him back to fourth. In third was the very impressive rookie making his pro debut and teammate, Eli Tomac, who had worked his way up from just inside the top ten. . Relentless, the freshman was in the middle of a five-way battle for second place with searle at the front.

In the final few laps, things got pretty exciting. Tomac had managed to work his way into second when a fall by Pourcel handed the lead to the young rookie. But the lead did not last long, as a mistake on his own part dropped him back to third and gave Searle the lead. A very intense battle ensued for the final three laps, as Pourcel hounded the British rider until he was able to find a weakness, which allow him to regain his first place position with only a few turns remaining.

At mid-moto the running order was Tomac, Canard, Wilson, Pourcel, Durham, and Tickle. Another pro MX rookie, Dean Wilson showed that he is ready to do battle with just about anyone, as he managed to hold off his Pro Circuit teammate for quite a long time, until the closing laps of the moto.

Crossing the finish, most in attendance could not believe what they were witnessing as Tomac crossed the line: the first true 250 rookie to win an overall in his very first try. His 1-3 moto finishes bested Pourcel’s 3-1.

1. Eli Tomac (3-1)
2. Christophe Pourcel (1-3)
3. Trey Canard (7-2)
4. Jake Weimer (4-8)
5. Justin Barcia (5-7)
6. Dean Wilson (10-4)
7. Broc Tickle (11-5)
8. Wil Hahn (13-6)
9. Tommy Searle (2-31)
10. Tyla Rattray (8-16)

450 Class

Moto 1
Chad Reed took the opening moto holeshot on his Monster Energy Kawasaki followed closely by Honda Red Bull Racing’s Davi Millsaps and Jagermeister/KTM’s lone rider Mike Alessi. It did not take long, however for Reed to show that he has not missed a beat since his Supercross injuries, as he began to open a significant gap over the rest of the pack. Alessi likely opened a few eyes, as he seemed to be doing just fine aboard his new 350 four-stroke machine, but Josh Grant was out to prove that the 450 is a better option. By mid-moto, the two rivals had been no more than a half second apart, with the number 800 leading the charge.

As the laps wore on, Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, who had suffered a terrible start, had worked his way into the top ten, just behind the Rockstar/Suzuki of Tommy Hahn. Out front though, the story began to get interesting, as Alessi and Grant were closing in on Millsaps, with the crowd going wild the entire way around the track. While Alessi attempted the pass, Grant snuck by just before the white flag came out. But he didn’t stop there, passing Millsaps only a few turns later. Crossing the checkers first however, was the defending champ himself, Chad Reed.

With the moto wearing on, Townley had worked his way into second but that position was short lived when a costly mistake allowed Millsaps, Reed, and Metcalfe to sneak by. Reed perhaps had one of the better comebacks of the race, as he began around 10th place and was able to work his way up to third at the finish. At finish line, it was the number 800 KTM 350SX-F taking the moto win, perhaps showing that the new bike is a good option for the premier class.

1. Chad Reed  (1-3)
2. Mike Alessi (4-1)
3. Davi Millsaps (3-2)
4. Brett Metcalfe (5-4)
5. Josh Grant (2-10)
6. Ben Townley (6-7)
7. Ryan Sipes (7-8)
8. Ryan Dungey (10-6)
9. Ken DeDycker (8-11)
10. Andrew Short (15-5)