By Chase Stallo and Aaron Hansel
Red Bull KTM’s newest recruit, Justin Hill, made the most noise Saturday night in his 450 debut. In 2014, his second pro season with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, Hill won his first career 250SX West Region race at San Diego and the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas. He also had four podium appearances. It lead to a deal with Red Bull KTM for 2015, which will see Hill on orange for the first time since his 65cc days. On Saturday night, Hill challenged Trey Canard in the first two races before finishing second in both. The Oregon native had his chance at the overall entering the third main event, but a crash in the rhythm section led to an eighteenth-place finish—sixth overall on the night. “I am bummed that I had a poor last moto, but overall happy with my results,” Hill said in a press release. “I feel really comfortable on my new Red Bull KTM and I was happy to put the bike on the podium twice in my first real race aboard a 450. Now I will go back to the 250 and prepare for supercross season.”
In three previous years at the event, Ryan Dungey’s worst main-event finish was a sixth in the first main event in 2013, and that was the result of getting docked five positions for forgetting to take the Joker Lane (he should have finished second). That was the only time in nine MEC races that Dungey had finished outside the top three. That changed Saturday night as Dungey had his worst showing at the Monster Energy Cup in four years, going 8-5-3 for fourth overall. On a track where results relied heavily on starts, that may have been Dungey’s undoing, as his average position after lap one was seventh. The same could be said for Dungey’s teammate, Dean Wilson, who had an average start of 12.6. Wilson finished eleventh overall on the night.
Blake Baggett’s sizzling start to his 450 campaign came crumbling down in the third main as he tangled with Justin Barcia off the start. “We had a bit of a mishap in the third race, but all in all it was a good weekend. I learned a lot that I can use as we head into Anaheim 1,” Baggett said in a press release. Baggett finished tenth overall despite the DNF in the final main. Yoshimura Suzuki team manager Mike Webb was happy with the performance. “On the whole, we’re really happy with Blake’s performance,” he said in a press release. “He felt comfortable on the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and he was very competitive, which is pretty impressive considering he was racing a new bike, with a new team and stepping up to the 450 class—all in one event.”
Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson made his U.S. debut on the 450 Saturday. The 2014 250SX West Region Champion was the fastest qualifier on the day and showed real promise in the mains despite a crash in the first main. “In the third race I got the holeshot, then went back to 5th right away and then made my way back into 4th,” Anderson said in a press release. “I stayed right with those guys so that's kind of cool cause you know they've been the top guys the past few years. To ride with them was really cool." Anderson finished seventh on the night, including a fourth in the final main.
Chad Reed had little time on the bike entering the Monster Energy Cup. After the Motocross of Nations in September, Reed spent the next few weeks on vacation in Australia. At the pre-race press conference, Reed said that he wasn’t sure if he was even going to be able to race after suffering a leg injury at the MXoN. In the end, Reed decided to race but would later skip the last main event. He tweeted: “Shutting er [sic] down! .3 off in a one lap flier now time to go get ready for 20 of em. See y'all in January.”
The Monster Energy Cup provides the last chance for potential employers to see riders compete in an American race setting. Four high-profile names—Malcolm Stewart, Jake Weimer, Josh Hill, and Brett Metcalfe—entered the race without anything in place for 2015. Of the four, it was Stewart, on his Seven-backed Honda, that had the most success, finishing fifth overall behind 7-9-5 scores. Weimer, who got help from Pro Circuit for the race along with Hill, also finished inside the top ten in eighth. “I felt comfortable on the bike. I had fun and enjoyed it,” Weimer told Racer X after the race. “It seemed like I got better and better every time I was out there so it was fun.” Hill would finish fourteenth, while Metcalfe finished seventeenth.
Remember the name Dylan Ferrandis. The Frenchman could be racing in the United States as soon as 2016 if he meets certain performance clause. A member of the winning French MXoN team, Ferrandis made his U.S. debut at the Monster Energy Cup. Before the race, he said he wanted to use this experience to have fun and learn. He was fast in qualifying, finishing sixth fastest overall out of the B Group, but would have his troubles in the main, finishing eighteenth overall. Ferrandis will race the FIM World Motocross MX2 Championship next year and maybe in 2016 as well, depending on his performance. He will be racing in the U.S. by 2017 at the latest.
Fredrik Noren was expected to make his MEC debut Saturday night with help from American Honda. Unfortunately, Noren suffered a concussion in a crash before the event and had to sit the night out. Noren said on Instagram that he hopes to be back on the bike soon: “Went down hard a week ago and got a concussion. Went for an impact test and physical test a few days ago and failed both. Really bummed. But can't wait for the upcoming season. I'm hoping to be back on the bike later this week.”
Let's take a look at the lap charts!
Cup Main Event 1
Lap Rank | Rider | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Finish |
1 | Trey Canard | 1:10.409 | 8 | 1:11.913 | 1 |
2 | Justin Hill | 1:10.848 | 9 | 1:12.184 | 2 |
3 | Eli Tomac | 1:10.967 | 10 | 1:12.583 | 4 |
4 | Davi Millsaps | 1:11.162 | 8 | 1:12.553 | 3 |
5 | Blake Baggett | 1:11.318 | 9 | 1:12.951 | 5 |
6 | Justin Barcia | 1:11.336 | 4 | 1:13.501 | 6 |
7 | Ryan Dungey | 1:11.508 | 6 | 1:13.363 | 8 |
8 | Malcolm Stewart | 1:11.723 | 8 | 1:13.077 | 7 |
9 | Dylan Ferrandis | 1:12.158 | 8 | 1:16.153 | 19 |
10 | Jake Weimer | 1:12.281 | 9 | 1:14.508 | 10 |
Cup Main Event 2
Lap Rank | Rider | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Finish |
1 | Davi Millsaps | 1:09.541 9 | 9 | 1:11.930 | 4 |
2 | Eli Tomac | 1:10.011 | 4 | 1:11.454 | 3 |
3 | Trey Canard | 1:10.069 | 4 | 1:10.829 | 1 |
4 | Justin Hill | 1:10.109 | 6 | 1:11.090 | 2 |
5 | Jason Anderson | 1:10.479 | 5 | 1:12.300 | 7 |
6 | Ryan Dungey | 1:10.578 | 8 | 1:11.783 | 5 |
7 | Justin Barcia | 1:10.836 | 6 | 1:12.352 | 6 |
8 | Malcolm Stewart | 1:11.027 | 4 | 1:12.793 | 9 |
9 | Blake Baggett | 1:11.218 | 5 | 1:12.569 | 8 |
10 | Dean Wilson | 1:11.813 | 7 | 1:12.820 | 14 |
Cup Main event 3
Lap Rank | Rider | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Finish |
1 | Trey Canard | 1:09.509 | 3 | 1:12.636 | 8 |
2 | Eli Tomac | 1:09.705 | 7 | 1:10.818 | 2 |
3 | Davi Millsaps | 1:09.749 | 4 | 1:10.698 | 1 |
4 | Ryan Dungey | 1:09.850 | 6 | 1:10.952 | 3 |
5 | Jason Anderson | 1:09.919 | 10 | 1:11.295 | 4 |
6 | Malcolm Stewart | 1:10.992 | 6 | 1:11.992 | 5 |
7 | Jake Weimer | 1:11.009 | 4 | 1:12.195 | 6 |
8 | Brett Metcalfe | 1:11.122 | 9 | 1:12.574 | 9 |
9 | Weston Peick | 1:11.164 | 9 | 1:12.445 | 10 |
10 | Justin Hill | 1:11.410 | 10 | 1:12.376 | 18 |
Supermini Main event 1
Lap Rank | Rider | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Finish |
1 | Garett Marchbanks | 1:18.427 | 2 | 1:19.998 | 2 |
2 | Mitchell Falk | 1:18.443 | 2 | 1:20.020 | 1 |
3 | Derek Drake | 1:19.903 | 6 | 1:21.503 | 5 |
4 | Joey Crown | 1:19.990 | 6 | 1:22.931 | 10 |
5 | Chase Sexton | 1:20.010 | 6 | 1:20.630 | 4 |
6 | Carson Brown | 1:20.540 | 6 | 1:21.695 | 7 |
7 | Carson Mumford | 1:20.616 | 5 | 1:20.902 | 3 |
8 | Casey Keast | 1:21.096 | 2 | 1:22.070 | 6 |
9 | Kim Savaste | 1:21.981 | 4 | 1:24.959 | 12 |
10 | Brock Papi | 1:22.018 | 2 | 1:22.729 | 8 |
Supermini Main Event 2
Lap Rank | Rider | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Finish |
1 | Chase Sexton | 1:17.123 | 5 | 1:17.705 | 2 |
2 | Mitchell Falk | 1:17.203 | 6 | 1:17.716 | 1 |
3 | Casey Keast | 1:17.987 | 4 | 1:22.204 | 7 |
4 | Derek Drake | 1:18.138 | 4 | 1:19.873 | 6 |
5 | Carson Mumford | 1:18.180 | 4 | 1:19.155 | 5 |
6 | Brock Papi | 1:18.213 | 4 | 1:19.716 | 4 |
7 | Garrett Marchbanks | 1:18.697 | 4 | 1:19.451 | 3 |
8 | Carson Brown | 1:19.215 | 4 | 1:22.240 | 9 |
9 | Dylan Woodcoch | 1:20.046 | 5 | 1:20.964 | 18 |
10 | Caleb Grothues | 1:20.196 | 4 | 1:20.984 | 8 |
Amateur all-stars main event 1
Lap Rank | Rider | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Finish |
1 | Aaron Plessinger | 1:13.935 | 4 | 1:14.450 | 1 |
2 | Darian Sanayei | 1:14.518 | 3 | 1:15.263 | 2 |
3 | Bradley Taft | 1:14.536 | 2 | 1:15.022 | 16 |
4 | Benny Bloss | 1:14.564 | 4 | 1:15.686 | 3 |
5 | Robbie Wageman | 1:14.722 | 6 | 1:16.396 | 5 |
6 | Lorenzo Locurcio | 1:14.744 | 3 | 1:15.965 | 12 |
7 | Jordon Smith | 1:14.855 | 3 | 1:16.389 | 10 |
8 | Zach Commans | 1:15.420 | 6 | 1:16.388 | 11 |
9 | Marshal Weltin | 1:15.643 | 5 | 1:16.137 | 4 |
10 | Jon Ames | 1:15.682 | 3 | 1:20.206 | 17 |
Amateur all-stars main event 2
Lap Rank | Rider | Best Lap | In Lap | Avg Lap Time | Finish |
1 | Jordon Smith | 1:12.302 | 6 | 1:13.754 | 2 |
2 | Aaron Plessinger | 1:13.225 | 4 | 1:13.870 | 1 |
3 | Jon Ames | 1:13.762 | 6 | 1:15.717 | 6 |
4 | Darian Sanayei | 1:13.954 | 6 | 1:14.378 | 3 |
5 | Bradley Taft | 1:14.447 | 3 | 1:15.375 | 5 |
6 | Marshal Weltin | 1:14.451 | 2 | 1:16.681 | 15 |
7 | Robbie Wageman | 1:14.536 | 5 | 1:16.292 | 9 |
8 | Ryan Surratt | 1:14.815 | 5 | 1:17.056 | 11 |
9 | Rookie White | 1:15.031 | 3 | 1:15.809 | 7 |
10 | Chase Marquier | 1:15.406 | 6 | 1:16.266 | 8 |
More news and notes:
The action from the Super-Mini class probably didn't show how impressive it was in person. The jumps were big (especially the triple, which was really throwing the guys high in the air), but that didn't stop the super-minis from launching just about everything the big bikes hit. In fact, the only thing they didn't hit was the triple-triple-triple combo!
Speaking of super-minis, Hannah Hodges was in the mix on Saturday night. She looked good, too, clearing all the jumps and battling her way to tenth overall via 9-13 moto scores. Make no mistake, this girl is fast and it's not crazy to think that we might see her qualifying for a pro supercross race in the not-too-distant future. Top-ten in Super-Mini is no joke.
Cole Seely was slated to make his first appearance as an actual member of Team Honda (he'd put in several fill-in rides in the past with the team), but he crashed during practice, rung his bell, and pulled out for the night as a precautionary measure. "I just made a little bobble and mistimed it. I almost pulled it off, but I couldn’t keep it on two wheels and hit my head pretty good," he said in a press release. "At first I thought I’d be okay, but I got back to the truck and was feeling pretty dizzy. I talked it over with Dan [Betley, Team Manager] and we agreed that it would be best to sit this one out. It was just an unfortunate little incident, but the team’s been great and I felt really comfortable out there. We’ve got a good setup, and I’m really confident in it.”
Although Trey Canard fell short of the one-million-dollar grand prize, team manager Dan Betly felt the night was a success. “Of course we were hoping that Trey could get the million dollars and the overall win, but in the big picture, I’m extremely happy with the way the team has progressed over the last couple of months,” he said in a press release. “He was riding very well and our bike was working very well, which culminated into a great combination. The base settings of our bike were totally on point, so we didn’t have to make any changes to the bike all day.” Much was made of Canard’s switch from Showa to KYB forks late in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season and his instant improvement in results. Canard and Honda carried that momentum forward at the MEC, and in addition, Eli Tomac switched to KYB as well and liked it very much.
How stacked was the field Saturday night? Just look at all the top level riders that DIDN'T qualify: Matt Goerke, Kyle Chisholm, Mike Alessi, Michael Leib, Alex Martin, Ben LaMay, Mitchell Oldenburg, Chris Blose, Scott Champion, Jimmy Albertson, Kyle Swanson, Trevor Reis, Cody Gilmore, Nick Schmidt, Bracken Hall, Nick Wey, and Bobby Kiniry. That’s a lot of talent sitting in the stands.
Aaron Plessinger became the first rider to sweep the Amateur All-Star race on Saturday night with a 1-1 performance. This marked Plessinger’s final amateur race as he moves to Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha next year. Plessinger will not have to ride arenacross, as he completed Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross earlier in 2014. But GEICO Honda’s Jordon Smith will have to race arenacross before he makes his supercross debut. Smith was injured earlier this year and was unable to complete his requirements. Look for Smith, who finished fourth overall Saturday, to ride the East Region in 2015.
Team Green’s Daniel Sanayei’s second in the Amateur All-Star class was impressive, but not for the reasons you’re thinking. Sanayei crashed in practice and suffered a fractured hand and a broken front tooth. “Today was not easy for me, which makes this that much sweeter,” said Sanayei in a press release. “After crashing in practice, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to race but when your adrenaline kicks in, pain goes out the window. It’s safe to say my starts are on point, and I just didn’t have the rhythm section. The track was so fun and I’m alright with finishing second to Plessinger, since he will be turning pro and racing supercross this winter while I’ve got another year of amateur racing.”