Who’s the Dude: 450 B

Five years ago we could have rattled off the top 20 in every class at Loretta’s. Hell, we could have told you their hometown, where they trained and what their paw paw’s name was. We’re shaking off the cob webs in our grand return to amateur racing to do what we do best, find talent. And where better to do so than at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn Ranch.

The 450 B moto lined up second this morning and we knew Matthew LeBlanc was the dude. After all, you don’t rock a #1 plate at Loretta’s and go unnoticed. But after a 39th gate pick and an equally bad start from the outside, another group of talent began to emerge.

Honda’s Luke Kalaitzian ripped the holeshot and spent the first half of the race checking out harder than a Democrat at a Trump rally. This kid had a five second lead by the second lap and seemed to be building. But as we all know, Loretta’s isn’t a five lap local race and the door quickly opened for Kawasaki/MTF’s Luca Marsalisi. Luca was on our radar after watching him shred his way to a few wins at the Millcreek Summer Classic a few weeks ago, but it’s hard to judge a riders speed when they aren’t lining up against the nation’s fastest.

Being the chaser proved to play into his advantage as Kalaitzian admittedly got into some bad lines and gave up the moto win in the waning moments of the race.

But there’s more to the story. Lap times! Not only did LeBlanc lay down the quickest lap at nearly a 1:50 flat, he did it while working through the pack. It’s not like he had the luxury of getting out front and hitting his marks. He had to work. And work he did.

By mid-moto LeBlanc had worked his way into the top 10, then the top five. Not a sole in sight thought a podium was within reach at this point in the race. LeBlanc had other plans in mind, as he never seemed to tire, consistently ripping off fast lap after fast lap, besting the field by a second per lap. And then he looked kind of pissed on the podium, which is what you like to see out of a kid. The hunger to win at all cost and the confidence to back it up when he said “a 3-1-1 still wins the championship” during his podium speech. That’s gangster. 

It’s early in the week, but the next generation looks up to the task. We’ll be picking a few classes each day to spotlight the racers you need to know, and it all starts with Luka Maralisi, Luke Kalaitzian and Matt LeBlanc.

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Written by Bird Dog

Massive Gallery from Tuesday at the Ranch

Raw Footage: 450 B Moto 1