Chance Hymas Sweeps Motos to Capture Victory
at Scouting Moto Combine Gathering
from Ironman Raceway

Maiden Combine Triumph Punches Ticket for Team Honda HRC Rider
to Make Pro Motocross Championship Debut Next Weekend

The 2022 MX Sports Pro Racing Scouting Moto Combine, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, hosted its second gathering on Friday at Indiana’s Ironman Raceway, on the eve of the 11th and penultimate round of the 50th Anniversary of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. A total of 23 riders composed arguably the most talented field of amateur prospects to date for the program, where a pair of motos were contested in front of a captive audience of key industry figureheads. At the end of a busy day that featured practice and classroom-style education sessions in addition to the motos, Team Honda HRC’s Chance Hymas, coached by Michael Byrne, put forth a dominant performance with a 1-1 effort that resulted in his first victory at the Scouting Moto Combine.

The combine journey at Ironman got underway with morning practices, which were interwoven by education sessions surrounding training, fitness and nutrition, as well as multiple facets of media engagement. Riders were broken up into four groups, assigned to one of four esteemed coaches–Byrne, Broc Glover, Chad Reed, and Broc Tickle–who provided mentorship throughout the day. A pair of 25-minute-plus-two lap motos served as the culmination of the afternoon.

Scouting Moto Combine - Ironman National

Moto 1

The key to Hymas’ success all afternoon centered on the start, where Hymas put his Honda out front early ahead of NSA Yamaha Factory Amateur Team’s Evan Ferry, who made his first combine appearance. These two riders were able to open a gap on the field in the opening laps and soon Hymas began to inch away from Ferry, who settled into second. A heated battled for third ensued between NSA Yamaha Factory Amateur Team’s Logan Best and Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Preston Boespflug, which soon saw Boespflug make the pass after a couple laps.

Back up front, Hymas quickly assumed firm control of the moto and enjoyed a multi-second advantage over Ferry. However, all that was erased when Hymas tipped over. He remounted and got rolling quickly, but the miscue allowed Ferry to assume the lead as Hymas resumed in second. The Honda rider quickly tracked down his Yamaha rival and reclaimed the top spot less than a lap later, while Boespflug saw his podium hopes slip away with a tip over of his own that moved a hard-charging Mark Fineis to overcome a seventh place start and take over third aboard his KTM Orange Brigade machine.

With the lead back in hand, Hymas methodically rebuilt the gap he established in the early stages of the moto. He went unchallenged through the remainder of the moto and cruised home to the Moto 1 victory by 7.2 seconds over Ferry, who maintained his strong hold of second the rest of the way, despite a late push by Fineis to close the gap from third. KTM Orange Brigade’s Daxton Bennick finished in a distant fourth, overcoming a 12th-place start, while Boespflug soldiered home in fifth.

Moto 2

Hymas was on point yet again as the gate dropped on Moto 2, storming out to the holeshot to seize early control of the moto that he’d never relinquish. Bennick enjoyed much better fortunes and easily slotted into second behind Hymas, while MJ Racing KTM’s Matti Jorgensen started third. After a strong runner-up effort in the first moto, Ferry faced an uphill battle on the outset of Moto 2 with a seventh-place start.

Much like the opening moto, it didn’t take long for Hymas to march away from the field. While he lost touch to the lead, Bennick was able to put a stranglehold on second as he did all he could to keep Hymas honest and potentially take advantage of any misfortune. Jorgensen’s hold of third saw him fend off early pressure from NSA Yamaha Factory Amateur Team’s Jayden Clough before EBR Performance Yamaha’s Julien Beaumer moved into fourth. Misfortune then struck Jorgensen just past the halfway point of the moto as he went down and ultimately retired from the race. That allowed Ferry, who methodically marched his way forward, to grab late control of third.

From there the top three remained unchanged as each rider rode to the finish without any sense of pressure. Hymas went wire-to-wire to take the Moto 2 win and complete the sweep 6.8 seconds ahead of Bennick, with Ferry a distant third.

Overall

Hymas’ maiden combine triumph came in emphatic fashion, with a 1-1 performance that was never in doubt over the course of both motos. The dominant outing was punctuated with confirmation that Team Honda HRC will reward Hymas by allowing him to take the next step of his budding career, where the Idaho native will make his pro debut at the final round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship next weekend.

The resilient rides by both Ferry and Bennick were rewarded in the overall standings, as Ferry secured the runner-up finish in his combine debut with a pair of moto podiums (2-3) and Bennick rounded out the overall podium in third (4-2).

Ironman Moto Combine Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (1-1 // 50)
2. Evan Ferry, Largo, Fla., Yamaha (2-3 // 42)
3. Daxton Bennick, Morganton, North Carolina, KTM (4-2 // 40)
4. Mark Fineis, Westfield, Indiana, KTM (3-4 // 38)
5. Enzo Temmerman, Visalia, California, Kawasaki (7-7 // 28)
6. Jayden Clough, Elko, Minnesota, Yamaha (11-5 // 26)
7. Drew Adams, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Kawasaki (6-10 // 26)
8. Trevor Colip, Bowling Green, Indiana, GASGAS (8-9 // 25)
9. Noah Stevens, Danbury, North Carolina, GASGAS (12-6 // 24)
10. Logan Best, North Port, Florida, Yamaha (13-8 // 21)

The 2022 MX Sports Pro Racing Scouting Moto Combine will host its final gathering in conjunction with the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship finale in one week, with a return to Southern California’s Fox Raceway at Pala. The action from the epicenter of the motocross industry will take place on Friday, September 2.

All photos courtesy Align Media.