Tomac and Musquin Dominate at Glen Helen MX

Part of this story

Ken Roczen

German legend Ken Roczen has won pretty much all there is to win in the motocross world and overcame terrible injuries to return to the top of the sport.

Germany

Marvin Musquin

French supercross star Marvin Musquin is not just known for his grit and determination, but also for his incredibly smooth riding style.

France

Off and running at Glen Helen
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

Glen Helen is a motocross track on steroids. Everything about the race is designed to be a wonderful example of excessive moto exaggeration. The start is too long; the first turn is too massive; the hills are too tall and too steep; the bumps are too big. That’s why we love Glen Helen — it’s just too much motocross, and you can never have too much motocross.

Eli Tomac is unstoppable so far in the outdoors
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

450s:

Eli Tomac’s riding has reached new heights. In the first four motos of the season, we have seen glimpses of James Stewart in ’08, and Ricky Carmichael in ’02 & ’04, which is to say, glimpses of perfection. Tomac is riding with absolute confidence — he knows that he is the fastest rider on the track, and by a wide margin. If all systems are go, a start in the top 10 is essentially a win for Tomac. But the script is not always that variety of fairy tale in motocross.

Dungey gets low at GH
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

According to the books, Ryan Dungey is the only competition for Eli Tomac right now. Dungey has had three second-place finishes in four motos, and his only finish outside of second came as a result of the bike being finicky with the electronics. Dungey stalled twice in moto one at Glen Helen: once to lose the lead to Tomac and once more on the last lap of the race. That stall allowed four riders to ride around him and throw the No. 5 Red Bull KTM back to sixth.

But even though Dungey’s points are not much shy of Tomac’s, the Dunge needs to find something else in the speed department to beat Tomac. He had basically nothing for him in either moto at Glen Helen. But Dungey knows how to win the war and is not one to let emotion get the best of him. Dungey may not enjoy a second place finish, but being a champion is knowing when to accept a second place.

Roczen on his way to third in moto two
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

Ken Roczen was nearly back to form at Glen Helen. The No. 1 plate often weighs heavy for returning champs, and Roczen unfortunately has not had the storybook series in 2015 that he saw in 2014. But a third place in moto two was a huge result for Roczen who is still on the mend after a back injury just over a week ago. Reaching Dungey and Tomac is a massive step to take, but as Roczen recovers, he will make progress. He was right on their pace in 2014, we know that much.

Here's how the top five broke down at Glen Helen in the 450 class:

1. Eli Tomac (Honda): 1-1

2. Justin Barcia (Yamaha): 2-4

3. Ryan Dungey (KTM): 6-2

4. Ken Roczen (Suzuki): 8-3

5. Weston Peick (Yamaha): 5-6

Marvin Musquin was unstoppable at GH
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

250s:

Marvin Musquin owned Glen Helen. Two decisive moto wins at the race put him in the driver’s seat of the 250 championship, as he now has three wins in four motos. After tying with the defending champ Jeremy Martin at Hangtown, Musquin stamped his name as the favorite for this No. 1 plate at Glen Helen, where Martin had a comparatively rough go, taking 5-6 motos after being forced to pass through the entire field in each.

Justin Hill was finally on form at Glen Helen
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

We finally saw Justin Hill riding the way we know he can ride. Motocross can be a fickle mistress, even for the pros, and all too often riders mentally block themselves from riding to their true potential on the racetrack. Hill has not been where he and everyone around him knows he can finish all year, but at Glen Helen he put the pieces together. A decent start in moto one saw him climb up to second past Jessy Nelson. Then moto two, where Hill came from barely cracking the top 15 in moto one to fifth, securing second overall in his career-best national. As always, the key takeaway from this race is to keep the momentum going. Hill knows he can finish up front now, and the season is still very young. He could still be a factor in this championship.

Jessy Nelson snagged a podium at Glen Helen
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

Jessy Nelson completed an all-KTM and all-Red Bull podium at Glen Helen. Early in moto one, he rocketed out front, and actually gave Musquin a serious run for his money. But Nelson faded and ultimately gave way to Hill's charge and even the Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider on the move, Joey Savatgy. But consistency is key in the Outdoor Nationals, and a fourth in moto two put Nelson on the podium with a 4-4, meaning that the top three at Glen Helen in the 250 class — Musquin, Hill, Nelson — matched the top three in the 250 class at Red Bull Straight Rhythm. That's your fun fact of the day.

Here's the full 250 top five from GH:

1. Marvin Musquin (KTM): 1-1

2. Justin Hill (KTM): 2-5

3. Jessy Nelson (KTM): 4-4

4. Joey Savatgy (Kawasaki): 3-7

5. Alex Martin (Yamaha): 11-2

For more moto news, follow Red Bull Moto Spy on Twitter.

Sign up for our newsletter to get our top stories delivered right to your inbox.