Ironman

With three riders still battling for the 450MX championship, the 2017 finale was already teed up for an exciting spectacle between Eli Tomac, Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin, three riders who had all led the series at points in the season.

Then Jeffrey Herlings of The Netherlands, who was in his first season of MX1 competition that year, decided to show up in Indiana ahead of the USGP round in Florida. Riding the recently retired Trey Canard’s KTM 450SX-F, Herlings crashed the party, finishing 1-1 in his first ever (and only) Pro Motocross race.

Herlings, running #784, thwarted both Tomac (5-6) and Musquin (2-2) who each challenged him in moto 1. In moto two, Herlings went down early on lap one and restarted the race in 40th.

Musquin, who led the first 14 laps of moto two, still had a shot at the title but he had to win and needed Tomac to finish 20th or worse. Tomac ended the first lap in 12th and rode a conservative race to finish 6th.

Herlings slashed his way through the pack, passing Baggett on lap 14 of 16 to take over second. That same lap,  Musquin threw away his 10 second lead when he launched sideway over a double jump and was unable to save it as he awkwardly rode off the track and tipped over.

Musquin re-entered the track just as Herlings jetted by and finished 2.6 seconds behind, giving up the overall and (by this point, slim) chance at the championship.

Almost lost to Herlings’ brilliant 40th to first ride was Tomac winning his first ever 450MX championship with four wins and seven podiums in the 12 round series.

Adam Cianciarulo ended his 250 class career by clinching the championship after moto 1 at Ironman. The emotional moment followed years of injuries and heartbreaks and came only three months after a crushing unforced error cost him the 250SX West championship.

Cianciarulo started the MX season hot, winning five of the first six overalls, including the first four overalls. Even though AC landed on all 12 podiums, the title fight came down to the final round and, just like in Supercross that same year, against Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis who won four of the final six rounds.

Cianciarulo’s season average overall finish of 1.7 (against Ferrandis’ 2.6) was more than enough to give Kawasaki the crown.

The victory also marked a clean sweep of the outdoor titles by Kawasaki, as Eli Tomac claimed his third consecutive 450MX title one week earlier at Budds Creek. Tomac finished 3-1 for 1st overall at Ironamn.

This was the first Motocross championship sweep by Team Green in 8 years (Ryan Villopoto and Dean Wilson /2011)

In his rookie 450MX season, 20-year-old Jett Lawrence did the unthinkable. The Australian became the third rider in history to score a perfect season (22-0). He’s the youngest to do it and the first to do it as a class rookie.

Lawrence joined Ricky Carmichael (2002, 2004) and James Stewart (2008) in the illustrious perfect club. Lawrence was overcome with emotion after the race, holding off a determined Chase Sexton to secure his 11th straight 1-1 finish.

After crossing the finish line, Lawrence allowed his Honda CRF450R to roll on ahead without him in an iconic ‘walk-off’ image, as he celebrated an accomplishment many thought would never be achieved again.

Older brother Hunter Lawrence also had a big reason to celebrate when he wrapped up the 250MX championship by 20 points over Justin Cooper. 

Lawrence spent five seasons trying to win the title and he controlled the series the entire way. He won 7 of the 11 rounds and survived a mid-season slump where he scored zero points in two straight motos. His average overall finish was 3.4.