The TPJ Racing team made their way to Lakewood, CO where they would compete in the third round of the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
Sitting approximately 6,200 feet above sea level, Thunder Valley MX Park acts as the great equalizer race; where bikes and bodies operate outside the norm. To put it in perspective, most riders train at 20-830 feet elevation in Florida and California; that’s a HUGE difference. The lack of oxygen in the air wreaks havoc throughout the race track, and no rider is immune to this.
Dylan Merriam has been on fire this season, launching his Yamaha YZ450F off the line at the head of the pack each moto and crushing it for 30 minutes plus two laps to finish within the top 10 a few times so far. This weekend was no different, Merriam qualified 13th overall for the day and went 9/10 in moto 1 & 2 respectively. Dylan now sits 10th in points in the 450MX class.
The Alaskan Assassin, Ben Lamay left Lakewood, CO wishing his day at the races had ended differently. Lamay who finished 15th in moto 1, would DNF moto 2 due to bike problems. Luckily, the season has just begun and Lamay has 9 more rounds to accomplish his goal of having top 10 finishes.
This week Carson Tickle won the consolation race, securing him 37th gate pick for the main motos of the day. Tickle rode his KTM 450SX-F to two 36th places finishes, placing him 37th overall in the 450MX class for the day. Tickle, who has spent the past month in California with older brother Broc, is heading back east to continue his training. He hopes to secure some top 20 finishes in the coming rounds.
Jimmy Weeks bypassed the 250 Consolation race with his best lap time of 2.18.275; qualifying him for the days motos in 35th. Weeks would leave round three with a pair of 28th place moto finishes and 30th overall for the day.
Mason Wharton #767 showed improvements this weekend, and hopes to take what he’s learned so far this season and set him self up for qualifying this weekend at the High Point National.
Let’s get social, and check out some of our favorite Instagram posts from the weekend below.
Thank you to our team riders for the amazing weekend, and to our amazing sponsors; without you none of this would be possible. Special shout out to Pirelli and Lucas Oil for showing the TPJ Racing team some social media love this weekend. FLY Racing, Karcher Presure Washers, Lucas Oil, Boyce Excavating, Carl’s Cycle Sales, AllClear ID, Engine Ice, DSC Construction, Cometic Gaskets, Vertex, Hot Cams, Rekluse, Scott, Acerbis, Motool, Yoshimura, Mika, DT1 Filters, Magik Graphics, Galpher, Cylinder works, Bolt, MotoSeat, Pirelli Tires, Tokyo Mods, VP Racing Fuel, No Toil, and California Coast Plumbers, inc.
6 states, and nearly 1,500 miles later and the TPJ Racing team will be rolling into Mount Morris, PA and setting up camp at High Point Raceway in anticipation for next weekends race. We hope to see you there!
Photos By: BrownDogWilson
Words By: Kendra Keene
TPJ RACING 