Moto X racing took a small hiatus in the X Games schedule, but ESPN decided to revive their “Supercross-ish” event for 2013, and fortunately so; the racing was undoubtedly the best in X Games history!
The night kicked off with the six fastest Adaptive racers in the world going at it for their shot at X Games gold. The pack rockets out of the gate here during the finals. Garth Milan Eventual Adaptive winner Mike Schultz chases down Chris Ridgeway, with Todd Thompson in tow. Garth Milan Todd Thompson leads Ridgeway during the finals to secure the silver medal in the Adaptive division of Moto X racing. Garth Milan With several medals in his collection, Mike Schultz relishes in taking yet another win at the final Los Angeles X Games. Garth Milan The first Men’s heat race takes off from the gate and heads down what could quite possibly be the world’s smallest start stretch… Garth Milan Josh Hill grabbed the holeshot in his first qualifier, but it wasn’t long before Weston Peick began challenging Hill for the lead. Garth Milan Rockstar Suzuki teammates Ryan Sipes and Jason Anderson came all the way out to L.A. for an attempt at the gold medal and the big prize money that comes with it on their weekend off from the MX Nationals. Garth Milan The pack heads down the start straight following the drop of the gate for the second Men’s qualifying heat. Garth Milan It didn’t take Reed long at all to open up a decent-sized lead in the qualifier, which he went on to easily win. Garth Milan The Women’s Moto X Finals gets underway with Italian rider Kiara Fontanesi grabbing the holeshot and leading the 12-rider pack down the first rhythm section. Garth Milan Eventual winner Vicki Golden was forced to pass several riders on her way to the front, including Jessica Patterson who she is behind here. Garth Milan Australian rider Meghan Rutledge had the win in the bag until right after this one-handed celebration jump. Upon landing, Rutledge lost control of her Kawasaki, crashing one turn before the finish line and ultimately handing the lead over to Vicki Golden. Garth Milan Upon taking the lead over in the turn before the checkers, Golden flew through the whoops and past the finish line to claim a completely unexpected victory just ahead of Rutledge. Garth Milan A tiny track with an even tinier start straight wound up spelling chaos for Chad Reed and others as the pack swung wide in the first turn. Josh Hill seized the opportunity and dove under them all to grab the all-important holeshot. Garth Milan With a clear track ahead and Chad Reed busy trying to get back on the track well behind him, Hill suddenly found himself in the driver’s seat of the main event. Garth Milan It didn’t take JGR’s Justin Brayton long to mount a charge towards the front and begin a race-long, cat-and-mouse dual with Hill. Garth Milan As Brayton and Hill began battling one another, Chris Blose quietly snuck his way into the mix, making for a three-way dogfight for the lead spot. Behind the trio, Reedy was slowly making up ground as well in fourth. Garth Milan It became fairly obvious that Brayton would make the pass on Hill, but the question was when and where. With an extremely tight track and little to no room for passing, there was no question that contact would be made. Luckily for both riders, the pass was fairly gentle, and with that, Brayton held on to take the win in an absolutely incredible and exciting main event. Garth Milan Brayton was all smiles after the hard-fought battle with Hill paid off with a big win. Justin had two silvers from previous X Games racing events, but this was his very first gold. Garth Milan When the dust settled on Saturday night’s main event, Justin Brayton stood atop the podium, with Hill holding on for a close second and Blose in third. Reedy was fourth, and Kyle Regal rounded out the top-five. Garth Milan JB shows off his chunk of X Games gold after a well-deserved win. Garth Milan