Roczen and Cooper Lead the Way in Ironman Qualifying

The 12th and final round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is underway, and qualifying is complete for the STACYC Stability Cycle Ironman National. Perfect weather conditions, combined with the motivation for all riders to end the season on a high note resulted in an exciting pair of timed practice sessions, setting the stage for what is sure to be an epic afternoon of action at Ironman Raceway.

The strong late-season push from Team Honda HRC's Ken Roczen continued, as the German was able to pace the 450 Class time sheets for the third straight round. Roczen sits a mere five points from claiming the runner-up spot in the final championship standings, and he made it clear that he's ready to chase a fourth win this summer. Ironman Raceway has been one of Roczen's best tracks, and with the top qualifying spot he's poised to race to a third victory in Indiana. His time of 2:00.762 put him well ahead of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS' Benny Bloss at 2:01.561, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Marvin Musquin followed in third with a 2:01.859.

With the championship on the line in the 250 Class, neither Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo nor Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing's Dylan Ferrandis were able to sit atop the charts in qualifying. Instead, Ferrandis' Yamaha-mounted teammate Justin Cooper continued to show that no one in the class can lay down a heater like he can, earning his fifth fastest qualifier of the summer with a time of 2:01.844. That was more than a second quicker than Ferrandis, who followed in second with a 2:02.950. GEICO Honda's Chase Sexton rounded out the top three at 2:03.362. Cianciarulo ended up sixth, posting a time of 2:03.827.