Teenage rookie Casey Cochran has claimed a spectacular first-career podium finish at the Spring Creek National, leading the majority of 250MX Moto 2 this afternoon on his way to a P2 finish, which resulted in third position overall in a breakout ride at Round 7 of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
After qualifying in ninth position, 18-year-old Cochran matched that result in the opening encounter on his Husqvarna FC 250 Rockstar Edition. It was another encouraging effort well inside the top 10, but his best was yet to come in Moto 2.
Following a serious amount of rainfall before gate-drop, it was the second outing that Cochran really made his mark in, leading for more than half race distance and eventually bringing it home in P2. That placed the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing revelation a well-earned third overall and he's now 11th in the point standings.
"I can't even explain the feelings right now!" Cochran said. "I got a great start, amazing first laps, got a good lead, and I was just shocked... I'm looking back, like, 'Where did everyone go?'. To cross the finish second, I was stoked, and then to come in third overall, it's an unreal feeling. All the hard work is paying off, so I'm ready to keep building and to keep progressing."
Both Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 450MX riders, Christian Craig and Malcolm Stewart, raced to top 10 finishes on their Husqvarna FC 450 Rockstar Edition machinery in Millville, led by Craig in P7 and Stewart in 10th place overall.
Craig was impressive throughout the weekend at the Spring Creek National, setting the sixth-fastest lap-time in qualifying. He started strongly in the races and managed seventh-place results across both motos, which placed him seventh overall. Craig is currently 10th in the premier class standings.
"Today started off good with my best qualifying all season," commented Craig. "All-in-all, I got better starts, was riding better all-round, and stayed off the ground. We put in two solid motos for my best finish of the season so far – I can't be mad, but we're always striving for more."
As for Stewart, he qualified eighth and then scored P8 in Moto 1, before having to settle for a 15th-place finish in the final race, which saw heavy rain arrive in the closing stages. The end result was 10th overall in his full-time return to the outdoors, still ranked eighth in the series with four rounds remaining.
"I actually had fun today," Stewart recalled. "First moto, I went down, but made a lot of passes for eighth and that was great. Second moto, not a terrible start, and then I got together with another rider. I put a hard charge on, went down again, and – I'll be honest – I kind of gassed myself out at that point. It's part of racing when you're on the edge and getting going again. We'll take what we got and learn, so I'm looking forward to getting back to Washougal next."
Next Race: July 20 – Washougal, Washington
Results 450MX Class – Spring Creek National
1. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
3. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha
4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
7. Christian Craig (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
10. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 7 of 11 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 310 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 297
3. Justin Cooper, 249
4. Aaron Plessinger, 239
8. Malcolm Stewart, 185
9. Justin Barcia, 148
10. Christian Craig, 136
Results 250MX Class – Spring Creek National
1. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
3. Casey Cochran (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
6. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
7. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
10. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
14. Pierce Brown (USA), GASGAS
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 7 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 314 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 263
3. Tom Vialle, 260
7. Pierce Brown, 162
10. Ryder DiFrancesco, 147
11. Casey Cochran, 137
12. Julien Beaumer, 128
