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250SX: Musquin Dominates Daytona
Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin registered a flawless ride to claim his first-career 250SX victory on Saturday night at Daytona.
Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin (Photo: Simon Cudby)
Frenchman Marvin Musquin put forth a dominant effort to claim his first-career 250SX victory in style under the lights at Daytona International Speedway.
Musquin stole the holeshot with an absolutely blistering launch, timing the drop of the gates to near-perfection. The Red Bull KTM ace took full advantage of his quick reaction, blasting out front and putting his head down with clear track ahead to work through the deep Daytona ruts.
Desperate to get back on top of the podium after being defeated by Eastern Regional 250SX Class title rival Wil Hahn in consecutive weeks coming into Daytona, Dean Wilson hammered by GEICO Honda's Zach Bell to move into second on lap 2 of 15. Bell didn't come away from the clash unscathed, however, as the young rider found himself on the dirt when his bar was hit and his bike knocked out from underneath him as the Kawasaki man made the tight outside maneuver.
Wilson was on the charge, slashing Musquin's 2.6 second lead to one of just a half second with a torrid run on the race's fourth lap, but the Frenchman upped his pace in response. Soon enough Wilson found himself increasingly under fire from rival Hahn after making a couple mistakes in pursuit of the escaping Musquin.
By mid-distance Musquin had effectively cleared off, secure with a seven-second advantage in hand, while Wilson and Hahn were stacked up in a battle for second place.
Hahn made his move with five to go on the strength of a well-timed triple. Wilson immediately countered, but Hahn struck right back again and took hold of the runner-up spot. Again, the Kawasaki man had to focus behind him as the charging Jeremy Martin was the next to challenge for his position.
Martin moved into third with four to go and -- similar to the melee with Hahn -- Wilson made an aggressive bid to retain the spot, but ultimately found himself displaced.
Up front, Musquin took the checkered flag with no challengers anywhere in sight. In doing so, he became the 88th winner in the class' history. He said, "I had so much fun riding the track. Dean Wilson was right behind me, and I knew he was going to be really fast, but I just tried to have fun and stay calm. I just started to pull away. I was looking back and I was pulling away every lap. I stayed so relaxed. I don't want to say it was easy, but I had so much fun."
WATCH: Musquin Earns First Win
Hahn opened up his title lead with a strong second-place effort after again beating Wilson in head-to-head competition. "That was a tough main event," he said. "Daytona is always brutal -- it's rough. I'm happy to do with it for GEICO Honda team; we've got the red plate and we'll roll to Indy."
WATCH: Hahn Takes Heat 1
Rookie Martin held on for a very impressive third, while Wilson finished in fourth, one spot ahead of Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Blake Wharton.
WATCH: Wilson Wins Heat 2
Martin said of his podium result, "It means a lot. The dirt is kind of like riding at Millville by my home in Minnesota. I know I'm in good shape and I have good people behind me... It's definitely a confidence booster."
Wilson's Pro Circuit teammate, Justin Hill, finished sixth, with a foursome of Honda riders, Kyle Peters, Zack Freeberg, Cole Thompson, and Vince Friese, completing the top ten.
Hahn will carry a 5-point advantage into next weekend's showdown in Indianapolis.
Musquin stole the holeshot with an absolutely blistering launch, timing the drop of the gates to near-perfection. The Red Bull KTM ace took full advantage of his quick reaction, blasting out front and putting his head down with clear track ahead to work through the deep Daytona ruts.
Desperate to get back on top of the podium after being defeated by Eastern Regional 250SX Class title rival Wil Hahn in consecutive weeks coming into Daytona, Dean Wilson hammered by GEICO Honda's Zach Bell to move into second on lap 2 of 15. Bell didn't come away from the clash unscathed, however, as the young rider found himself on the dirt when his bar was hit and his bike knocked out from underneath him as the Kawasaki man made the tight outside maneuver.
Wilson was on the charge, slashing Musquin's 2.6 second lead to one of just a half second with a torrid run on the race's fourth lap, but the Frenchman upped his pace in response. Soon enough Wilson found himself increasingly under fire from rival Hahn after making a couple mistakes in pursuit of the escaping Musquin.
By mid-distance Musquin had effectively cleared off, secure with a seven-second advantage in hand, while Wilson and Hahn were stacked up in a battle for second place.
Hahn made his move with five to go on the strength of a well-timed triple. Wilson immediately countered, but Hahn struck right back again and took hold of the runner-up spot. Again, the Kawasaki man had to focus behind him as the charging Jeremy Martin was the next to challenge for his position.
Martin moved into third with four to go and -- similar to the melee with Hahn -- Wilson made an aggressive bid to retain the spot, but ultimately found himself displaced.
Up front, Musquin took the checkered flag with no challengers anywhere in sight. In doing so, he became the 88th winner in the class' history. He said, "I had so much fun riding the track. Dean Wilson was right behind me, and I knew he was going to be really fast, but I just tried to have fun and stay calm. I just started to pull away. I was looking back and I was pulling away every lap. I stayed so relaxed. I don't want to say it was easy, but I had so much fun."
WATCH: Musquin Earns First Win
Hahn opened up his title lead with a strong second-place effort after again beating Wilson in head-to-head competition. "That was a tough main event," he said. "Daytona is always brutal -- it's rough. I'm happy to do with it for GEICO Honda team; we've got the red plate and we'll roll to Indy."
WATCH: Hahn Takes Heat 1
Rookie Martin held on for a very impressive third, while Wilson finished in fourth, one spot ahead of Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Blake Wharton.
WATCH: Wilson Wins Heat 2
Martin said of his podium result, "It means a lot. The dirt is kind of like riding at Millville by my home in Minnesota. I know I'm in good shape and I have good people behind me... It's definitely a confidence booster."
Wilson's Pro Circuit teammate, Justin Hill, finished sixth, with a foursome of Honda riders, Kyle Peters, Zack Freeberg, Cole Thompson, and Vince Friese, completing the top ten.
Hahn will carry a 5-point advantage into next weekend's showdown in Indianapolis.
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