As the 450 class field exited the first turn to start Moto 2 it was once again Savatgy, who just narrowly edged out Musquin to sweep the holeshots for the afternoon. Musquin applied the pressure immediately and was able to get around Savatgy for the lead. Behind them, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates Zach Osborne and Dean Wilson got great starts as well, but they were soon challenged by Roczen, who was making several passes after starting outside the top five. Tomac was mired about mid pack in 15th.
Musquin completed the opening lap with the lead, with Savatgy, Osborne and Roczen in tow. The early pace from Roczen allowed him to pass both Osborne and Savatgy in one section and move into second. He didn’t let up and looked for a way around Musquin. The two went at it, but Musquin was able to withstand the early pressure and open up a lead of more than a second. Behind them, Tomac started to make his move through the field. He needed just a couple laps to break into the top 10, and he soon found himself knocking on the door of the top five behind Osborne.
As the moto neared its halfway point, Anderson made a controversial pass on Savatgy to move up to third, while Tomac made his way around Osborne for fifth shortly after that. Tomac then squared in on his teammate, and Savatgy didn’t put up too big of a fight as his teammate made the move for fourth.
Free of their slower competition, Anderson and Tomac picked up their pace to try and catch the leaders. An aggressive Tomac didn’t waste any time in trying to get by Anderson, and he took control of third coming down one of the track’s big downhills.
With about 14 minutes left in the moto, Tomac sat four seconds behind Musquin and Roczen. With 10 minutes to go, Tomac caught Roczen, which initiated a battle for second. The increased pace of this battle carried both riders to Musquin and soon the top three were all within two seconds of one another. Tomac found an opening as they reached the top of one of the track’s uphill sections and took it, which moved him into second. He distanced himself from Roczen almost immediately and put the pressure on Musquin.
The Frenchman was able to counter Tomac’s advances and run more defensive lines, which helped him hold Tomac at bay. However, Tomac’s patience was tested during this exchange and he didn’t relent in the next pass attempt. He forced his way to Musquin’s inside and took control of the moto with about three minutes to go. Musquin did well to keep Tomac within reach, but the Kawasaki started to inch away as the race wore on.
Tomac left his rivals behind in the final laps to complete the moto sweep by 11.9 seconds over Musquin. Roczen finished third.
Tomac’s class-leading fourth win of the season, and his second 1-1 sweep of the season, gives him sole possession of fifth on the all-time 450 Class wins list, with 21 victories, breaking a tie with James Stewart.
“On the bike [today] it was like perfection, other than the starts,” said Tomac. “The second moto was pretty much mistake free. Everything was in the right place, at the right time. It’s pretty cool when that happens. That was just a good day on a dirt bike.”
Ferrandis’ win in the 250 class was the fourth of his career, and continues a recent hot streak in which he’s won five of the past 10 motos. Both of the Frenchman’s victories in 2019 have come via 1-1 sweeps, and the Washougal victory couldn’t have come at a more important time in the championship battle.
“It was crazy [in the second moto], but I had a really good start. It was good to get two good starts today. AC [Cianciarulo] was right there with me and I knew we were going to see who is the best,” said Ferrandis. “We were both giving it everything, and the track was so crazy. I really enjoyed battling with AC throughout the moto. I’m going to have to watch this one. I’m just happy to get this win.”