Welcome to the Race Day Feed, coming to you from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the fifth round of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. From practice reports to the blow-by-blow from tonight’s program, you’ll find it all right here on the Racer X Race Day Feed. Updates are posted in chronological order, so be sure to scroll down for the latest info. For even more updates be sure to follow us on Twitter, @Racerxonline.
MORNING REPORT
So many stories to discuss heading into tonight's rare Tuesday supercross. In the 450 class, the heavy favorites are threatening a breakaway, as Ken Roczen, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac are now 1-2-3 in points and have won the last three races. They combined to win 15 of 17 races last year, and also hogged up the top three spots in the standings. Which one of those three is the best? That's very hard to decide at this early juncture. A question that can be answered quickly is this: Can anyone else go with them? Tonight's race could go a long way into answering that.
Zach Osborne, Dylan Ferrandis, Adam Cianciarulo and Marvin Musquin have shown speed this year, and Justin Barcia won the season opener. They've shown signs of doing it, but haven't executed like the lead trio. Tonight's track is set to get rutted and tough, and that's where riders such as Musquin and Osborne excel. If they can get off the gate well, they could change the narrative for the early season. Barcia, meanwhile, really needs a rebuild, as he was very quick at all three races in Houston but didn't look as good at the first Indy race on Saturday.
There are still plenty of other big names in the mix for the 450 class, and every race this season has offered some good racing. Heck, Eli Tomac was happy even finishing second here a few days ago, because his battle with Roczen was so fun!
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 388 |
2 | Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany | 353 |
3 | Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | 326 |
4 | Justin Barcia | Monroe, NY | 289 |
5 | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 264 |
In the 250s, Colt Nichols has taken control with back-to-back wins and, just as important, no drama. With contenders like RJ Hampshire and Austin Forkner out with injuries, 250SX East has turned into a Nichols vs. Christian Craig vs. Jett Lawrence title fight. Craig and Lawrence have run into some troubles here and there, while Nichols has been solid at every turn. It's still early enough for Craig and/or Lawrence to get back on top, though. Late in Saturday's race, while Nichols was cruising to the win, Lawrence caught Craig on the final lap in battle for second, then they tangled and cost themselves a chance at the podium. At first blush, it looked like Craig dirtied Lawrence, but after a few replays it was clear Craig bobbled and they collided and the rest is history. Lawrence wasn't mad at Craig, either.
Regardless, Nichols is on a roll and it's up to the rest of the 250 field to change that quickly.
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Colt Nichols | Muskogee, OK | 210 |
2 | Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan | 181 |
3 | Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 177 |
4 | Christian Craig | Temecula, CA | 158 |
5 | Michael Mosiman | Sebastopol, CA | 124 |
What's the track like? Let's send it to our guys Steve Matthes and Jason Thomas, who are stationed inside Lucas Oil Stadium:
Matthes: The track Indy 2 has undergone quite an extensive make-over compared to Indy 1, considering the quick turnaround. The Houston 1 and Houston 2 tracks were more similar to each other than this. The beloved over/under bridge is still here of course and the finish line location remains the same but there’s all new rhythm sections and a whole new 180-degree turn as well. The start moved from one side of the floor to the other. It remains to be seen if the dirt is harder than Indy 1, most of the riders would hope so as the ruts were bad for them at Indy 1.
As far as the whole program is concerned, we’re 30 minutes earlier than the first night and the post-race press conferences have been pushed until tomorrow, instead of after the race like usual. That's about it. Let’s go racing!
Thomas: This week’s track is similar but different. That’s terrible analysis yet still true. The start has been flipped to the other end of the stadium but many of the other characteristics remain. The finish line, over/under bridge, and rhythm sections are in the same general areas. The main change is in the drying of the soil. We are only 36 hours removed from round 4 but the dirt is much firmer already. What was a rutfest in both main events should be much more manageable tonight. Hopefully that will remove a few of the crashes we saw last Saturday and also allow the riders to raise their intensity levels.
The one question I have for tonight concerns passing opportunities. With several 90 degree corners and the 180’s with tight entry and exit, I am struggling to find an obvious place to make a pass. The most likely spot looks to be just past the finish line. There are two back-to-back 180’s, with the second turning back onto the start straightaway. It will require more aggression than desired but I don’t see any other way. Mistakes will always present opportunity but with a drier racetrack, we may see a few full-contact maneuvers tonight. Bring the chaos!
Free Practice
These times don't count for qualifying but we have 'em here as they happen.
First Timed Practice
A late charge put Max Miller on top of the 250 B group charts, ahead of Curren Thurman and Lane Shaw.
In 250 seeded, Christian Craig jumped to the top of the charts early, while Jett Lawrence cruised around toward the back before starting to put in hard laps. Once he did, though, he was on the gas and Lawrence went to the top with a big gap over Craig. Then Shimoda—who hasn’t done his best work in practice—moved to second.
This track looks fast. Riders were launching through a rhythm on the far end of the track, going table-over-two and then triple at one point, even on 250s. Then next big move was a quad (or table over two) and then triple in the rhythm after they under the bridge.
Nichols then put in a good lap to move to second, but Lawrence still had a big gap. Then Nichols put in an even better lap and went to the top of the board and top the session.
"Actually the track s a little harder and more slick than the first round, I’m not exactly sure what’s causing that," said Nichols. "I think they more they work it the stickier it will get. You’ve got to be patient, if you get on the gas too hard the back end will come around. One of those tracks where you have to go slower to go faster. I like the bike—we haven’t touched anything in a week or so."
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 46.1860 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | ||
2 | Eli Tomac | 46.3160 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
3 | Adam Cianciarulo | 46.5080 | Port Orange, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
4 | Joey Savatgy | 46.7770 | Thomasville, GA | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
5 | Malcolm Stewart | 46.7860 | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F |
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 46.1860 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | ||
2 | Eli Tomac | 46.3160 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
3 | Adam Cianciarulo | 46.5080 | Port Orange, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
4 | Joey Savatgy | 46.7770 | Thomasville, GA | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
5 | Malcolm Stewart | 46.7860 | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F |
Cianciarulo was fastest early in this session, then Roczen put in a heater and moved to second over Webb, Davalos and Malcolm Stewart. A few riders were experimenting with an even bigger leap, they were either attempting a five after a table or they just overjumped the quad (table over two) .They cased, and it hurt. We hear Zach Osborne and Adam Cianciarulo hit their chin on the bike, and Jason Anderson cased hard enough to pull out of the session, and he did not return.
Meanwhile, Roczen took the top time away, until Tomac moved ahead of that.
"Right now the track has more of a base, it's drying out," said Tomac. "The track has more speed, the (jumps) angles aren’t as steep. So, more miles an hour."
It's notable how different the rhythms are built compared to Saturday. The super-steep angles and hangtime from Saturday are replaced with faster, flatter jumps.
In the 450 B group, Alex Ray led this session for awhile, but Justin Starling, who is struggling with an ankle injury, looked strong and moved to the top spot in the session. Also, Nick Schmidt, who has been quiet so far this season and hasn’t made a main event, looked much improved this time and was third fastest.
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 46.1860 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | ||
2 | Eli Tomac | 46.3160 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
3 | Adam Cianciarulo | 46.5080 | Port Orange, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
4 | Joey Savatgy | 46.7770 | Thomasville, GA | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
5 | Malcolm Stewart | 46.7860 | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F |
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 46.1860 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | ||
2 | Eli Tomac | 46.3160 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
3 | Adam Cianciarulo | 46.5080 | Port Orange, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
4 | Joey Savatgy | 46.7770 | Thomasville, GA | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
5 | Malcolm Stewart | 46.7860 | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F |
Final Timed Practice
Max Miller topped the 250 B group for the second time today. The rookie has shown some speed this year but has also had some crashes. At least in this session his crash was a minor washout in a flat turn. His time was also good enough for an impressive seventh overall.
Lawrence was fast immediately again in 250 A group, but Nichols answered to come on back to the top. Lawrence then made a few mistakes, first a tip over, then nearly lost the front, and then he went down in the whoops. It appeared he suffered some sort of injury to his face, maybe a bloody nose, and he walked back to the pits and didn’t complete his laps. It doesn’t appear to be a bad injury and won't keep him out of action tonight, but he did lose some track time.
Nichols once again topped the session, Lawrence’s early fast lap was still enough for second, then it was Mosiman, Craig, Shimoda. Nichols is firing away in every aspect right now, but he's trying not to get ahead of himself.
"We’re trying to keep expectations low," said Nichols. "I don’t have much on my mind besides getting a good start and finding my lines. I’m honestly just enjoying myself, it’s really fun when you’re in the flow. I feel like I can put my Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha wherever I want."
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 250SX East Group B Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Max Miller | 48.7560 | Springfield, OR | KTM 250 SX-F | ||
2 | Curren Thurman | 48.9530 | Rosharon, TX | KTM 250 SX-F | ||
3 | Luke Neese | 49.4510 | Jamestown, NC | Kawasaki KX250 | ||
4 | Robert Piazza | 49.6590 | Easton, PA | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
5 | Lane Shaw | 49.7300 | Alvin, TX | KTM 250 SX-F |
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 250SX East Group A Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Colt Nichols | 46.6240 | Muskogee, OK | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
2 | Jett Lawrence | 46.8570 | Landsborough, Australia | Honda CRF250R | ||
3 | Michael Mosiman | 47.0380 | Sebastopol, CA | GasGas MC 250F | ||
4 | Christian Craig | 47.0880 | Temecula, CA | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
5 | Jo Shimoda | 47.5060 | Suzuka, Japan | Kawasaki KX250 |
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 250SX East Combined Qualifying
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Colt Nichols | 46.6240 | Muskogee, OK | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
2 | Jett Lawrence | 46.8570 | Landsborough, Australia | Honda CRF250R | ||
3 | Michael Mosiman | 47.0380 | Sebastopol, CA | GasGas MC 250F | ||
4 | Christian Craig | 47.0880 | Temecula, CA | Yamaha YZ250F | ||
5 | Jo Shimoda | 47.5060 | Suzuka, Japan | Kawasaki KX250 |
Once again it was Tomac and Roczen batting for top spot in the 450 A group, so the more things change, the more they stay the same. Tomac topped the first session but Roczen got the second one here.
“It will be tricky,” said Ken Roczen. “Same as last race, track will get rutted. But I’m having fun out there, I need to bring the same intensity on Saturday. But I feel like I ride the best when I enjoy myself—just enjoy the process. Even when the track gets tricky like that, just try to race the track turn by turn. When you’re in the moment like that, racing is so much more fun.”
Jason Anderson cased a jump and dislocated a finger in the previous session, he came back out for this one but then went back to the pits. We will check his status for tonight. Also of concern is Justin Barcia, who has not brought his Houston speed to Indianapolis so far. He was 15th in this final session. On the positive side, Joey Savatgy looks to pick up the momentum from a good ride on Saturday. He was third fastest for much of this session and ended up fourth when it was finished. Joey used to be quite impressive in qualifying, and he might be getting some of his old tricks back.
In 450 B, Starling looks good again here, it took a long time to get in a good lap but once he did he went to the top of the charts. Schmidt, again much improved compared to previous rounds, was second ahead of Ray. Austin Politelli, who has been a main event guy lately, went down hard in this session and took a long time to get up. Not sure of Politelli's status but it did not look good seeing him spend several laps on the side of the track, sitting up but talking to the medics.
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 46.1860 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | ||
2 | Eli Tomac | 46.3160 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
3 | Adam Cianciarulo | 46.5080 | Port Orange, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
4 | Joey Savatgy | 46.7770 | Thomasville, GA | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
5 | Malcolm Stewart | 46.7860 | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F |
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Group B Qualifying 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Justin Starling | 48.9790 | Deland, FL | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
2 | Nick Schmidt | 49.4000 | Maryville, WA | Husqvarna FC 450 | ||
3 | Alex Ray | 49.4290 | Jackson, TN | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
4 | Carlen Gardner | 50.0220 | Paso Robles, CA | Honda CRF450R | ||
5 | Cade Clason | 50.0980 | Arcadia, OH | Kawasaki KX450 |
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Combined Qualifying
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 46.1860 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | ||
2 | Eli Tomac | 46.3160 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
3 | Adam Cianciarulo | 46.5080 | Port Orange, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | ||
4 | Joey Savatgy | 46.7770 | Thomasville, GA | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
5 | Malcolm Stewart | 46.7860 | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F |
250 Heat RaceS
Christian Craig was battling Lane Shaw for the holeshot in 250 Heat 1, but Shaw slipped and crashed, and took Jett Lawrence with him. Lawrence then crashed again soon after, landing off the side of the track on the tough blocks, bouncing and hitting the dirt hard. He was shaken up but eventually able to stand—he’ll have to be tough to get up for the LCQ. Second place was Mitchell Oldenburg but he crashed hard when his bike locked up on a jump. Then came privateer city, with Grant Harlan, Kevin Moranz, Josh Osby, Josh Varize coming in net. Then the ever-reliable John Short, Curren Thurman, Luke Neese and Davin Harriman rounded out the top nine, Mason Kerr was just short.
"You’ve just gotta ride smart," said Craig. "This track comes up and bites you. The track was smooth and brand new, then three laps in you’re in the cross ruts. I’m bummed about losing the points on Saturday with that incident with Jett."
Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Christian Craig | 9 Laps | 0:46.769 | Temecula, CA | Yamaha YZ250F | |
2 | Grant Harlan | +22.758 | 0:49.282 | Justin, TX | Honda CRF250R | |
3 | Kevin Moranz | +26.849 | 0:49.484 | Topeka, KS | KTM 250 SX-F | |
4 | Josh Osby | +27.955 | 0:49.177 | Valparaiso, IN | Honda CRF250R | |
5 | Joshua Varize | +28.718 | 0:49.404 | Perris, CA | KTM 250 SX-F |
In heat two, no surprise, Colt Nichols got the holeshot and checked out from there. It was as simple as that. Jo Shimoda made a mistake on lap one, washing the front and plowing into Jeremy Hand. Both Hand and Shimoda went to work to try to get back into qualifying positions. Shimoda blew past riders in the whoops and climbed all the way to third, behind Michael Mosiman. Thomas Do, was fourth, Dylan Schlosser fifth and then Hand climbed up to sixth. Logan Karnow grabbed the final spot.
"I think the way the track is breaking down, just like you saw at the last race we did here, you keep going lower and lower and you’ve got to find a smooth line and find consistency," said Nichols. " So I’ve got to make sure I hit my lines and get that big rhythm on the one side."
Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Colt Nichols | 9 Laps | 0:46.991 | Muskogee, OK | Yamaha YZ250F | |
2 | Michael Mosiman | +05.653 | 0:47.229 | Sebastopol, CA | GasGas MC 250F | |
3 | Jo Shimoda | +33.224 | 0:49.292 | Suzuka, Japan | Kawasaki KX250 | |
4 | Thomas Do | +39.694 | 0:50.542 | France | KTM 250 SX-F | |
5 | Hunter Schlosser | +40.963 | 0:51.091 | El Paso, TX | Yamaha YZ250F |
450 Heat Races
Marvin Musquin grabbed a much-needed holeshot in this one. Marvin has been fast this year but has been mired in early-race trouble. This time he took on pressure from Eli Tomac until Tomac crashed in a slick left-hand turn. Justin Barcia--who also needs a good race tonight--moved up to second and kept the heat on Musquin to the end, but Musquin held on for the victory.
"I love Indy, I’ve won twice here on a 450 and this place is special for me," said Musquin. "I wish I had done better on Saturday, I was fast but I came back from dead last. Winning that heat race, it feels good. Running up front like that feels good, I haven’t done that in awhile. I knew if I was decent, clean in the whoops I don’t think they could pass me. I know it was only a six minute heat race, but I think I can do better in the main event, when it’s rougher."
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Heat 1
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Marvin Musquin | 9 Laps | 0:46.773 | La Reole, France | KTM 450 SX-F | |
2 | Justin Barcia | +01.981 | 0:47.005 | Monroe, NY | GasGas MC 450F | |
3 | Justin Brayton | +03.145 | 0:47.180 | Fort Dodge, IA | Honda CRF450R | |
4 | Eli Tomac | +08.321 | 0:46.617 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | |
5 | Martin Davalos | +15.430 | 0:47.650 | Quito, FL | KTM 450 SX-F |
Cooper Webb holeshot heat two while Ken Roczen and Adam Cianciarulo went at it on lap one. Roczen locked it down then went after Webb for the lead, even passing him by running low in a corner—but Webb carried the momentum around the top and blitzed back in front of Ken in the whoops. Two laps later, Webb got stuck on a tough block on the inside of a corner, and tipped over. Roczen took off with an easy win after that.
“In this heat race I was just searching for some lines,” said Roczen. “I only jumped that quad after the tunnel one time. I’m pumped I got the win here, sets me up with a good gate pick for the main event. It’s rutted and technical, already pretty chewed up.”
Cianciarulo hung on for second, and Malcolm Stewart pulled off a slick pass on his teammate Dylan Ferrandis to take third. Zach Osborne, Webb, Benny Bloss, Broc Tickle and Kyle Chisholm (Chiz is going to Chiz, always) rounded out the qualifiers. Brandon Hartranft had a good start but crashed out of qualifying position, he’ll be back for the LCQ.
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX Heat 2
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 8 Laps | 0:48.309 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | |
2 | Adam Cianciarulo | +02.546 | 0:48.411 | Port Orange, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | |
3 | Malcolm Stewart | +03.772 | 0:48.135 | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F | |
4 | Dylan Ferrandis | +04.379 | 0:48.295 | Avignon, FL | Yamaha YZ450F | |
5 | Zach Osborne | +07.266 | 0:48.723 | Abingdon, VA | Husqvarna FC 450 |
LCQs
In the 250 LCQ, Jett Lawrence showed up with a wounded shoulder, but gutted out a win to make the main. He was definitely not running at his normal pace after that big crash in his heat race…and that big crash in qualifying. Lane Shaw was solid for second. Hunter Sayles went down twice while battling in qualifying position, and he took Scott Meshey down with him. Lorenzo Camporese and Wilson Fleming rounded out the top four.
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 250SX East LCQ
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jett Lawrence | 7 Laps | 0:50.579 | Landsborough, Australia | Honda CRF250R | |
2 | Lane Shaw | +06.589 | 0:51.507 | Alvin, TX | KTM 250 SX-F | |
3 | Lorenzo Camporese | +09.564 | 0:51.709 | Campodarsego, Italy | Kawasaki KX250 | |
4 | Wilson Fleming | +10.359 | 0:51.565 | New Canaan, CT | Honda CRF250R | |
5 | Robert Piazza | +12.170 | 0:50.701 | Easton, PA | Yamaha YZ250F |
In the 450 LCQ, Carlen Gardner holeshot and ruled it, impressive ride for the Californian. Alex Ray got a rare good start and rode steady for second (also a rare steady ride for Send It A-Ray). Ray worked his way past Bubba Pauli to take second, then Pauli started getting heat from Brandon Hartranft, who went by, and then a battle loomed with Pauli, Cade Clason, Justin Starling and Adam Enticknap. Enticknap got tagged and went down, Clason and Starling got around Paulin. Starling made a big run late on Clason for the final spot, but he couldn’t get him. Clason makes his first main event in a long time.
Indianapolis 2 (East) - 450SX LCQ
February 2, 2021Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carlen Gardner | 7 Laps | 0:50.424 | Paso Robles, CA | Honda CRF450R | |
2 | Alex Ray | +02.751 | 0:50.096 | Jackson, TN | Kawasaki KX450 | |
3 | Brandon Hartranft | +06.225 | 0:50.682 | Brick, NJ | Suzuki RM-Z450 | |
4 | Cade Clason | +07.280 | 0:50.648 | Arcadia, OH | Kawasaki KX450 | |
5 | Justin Starling | +07.912 | 0:50.792 | Deland, FL | KTM 450 SX-F |
Jett Lawrence won the LCQ but elected not to line up for the main event while dealing with a shoulder injury. Somehow Mitchell Oldenburg was given his spot in the main. Oldenburg’s bike broke in his heat race and when he came down to the line for the LCQ he was turned away, apparently because the rule makers thought he had changed his frame. He had not. So they let him race the main and said he could start from the back row. When Lawrence decided not to race, Oldenburg was given his gate. That's a heartbreaker for Bobby Piazza, who finished fifth and just short in the LCQ.
Meanwhile, Michael Mosiman holeshot the race with Colt Nichols right behind him. Nichols has been the man to beat the last few weeks, but Mosiman was on fire and began to march away with the lead. He had the gap stretched to three seconds when he came into a rhythm lane with lapped riders in front of him. Max Miller then went down hard and left Mosiman in a bad spot, he got on the brakes and tried to move, but tagged Miller. Nichols sailed by to take the lead. Miller got hit pretty hard but it could have been worse, as Mosiman did a good job at least slowing down before impact.
Mosiman’s race went south, as Craig was able to displace him for second. Craig tried to make a run at Nichols but couldn’t quite get close enough. To add to the madness, the checkered flag came out a lap or two early, apparently, but Nichols sailed across with this third-straight victory. Craig was second. Mosiman looked at one point to have a win en route—but had to settle for third.
“I’m soaking it all in and loving this moment,” said Nichols of his win streak. “That’s what you want, you train really hard to do that and I believe in my abilities. I knew if I had a healthy off season I could come in healthy I would have a good shot. It’s been fun battling Christian, man that’s too bad that Jett is out. I’m just enjoying it day by day. I was sort of struggling there at the beginning of the main and Michael was able to get away. I cleaned that up and was able to get a win. I can’t complain, it’s going really good. One more on Saturday.”
“First off I got to stop Colt from getting on this role. He’s on a mission,” said Craig. “He puts himself in a good spot. I’ve got to out start him and get in front of him. He’s riding good, but I got up on to him mid way, then with three laps to go I made some mistakes and he got away. It was heating up to be a good battle, I think it will go down to the wire. I really want this. It feels good after Saturday to rebound with second, but it would have felt good to get that win. We’ve got Saturday to go to.”
“That was an awesome start, ripped out there, and I was ripping clean laps,” said Mosiman. “I busted out the triple-quad, hadn’t done that all day, felt good in the whoops. Man, a guy went down in the rhythm in front of me, it was just hectic and spooked me a little bit, I hit him pretty good. Lost a spot to Colt. Lost my mojo there mid way. I had such good lines out of the gate but as the track broke down I think I needed to move with it a little bit quicker. All in all, a good day and a step in the right direction.”
Shimoda was caught in a first-turn crash but fought back to fourth, privateer Grant Harlan took fullest advantage of the chaos of this class to net fifth.
Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Colt Nichols | 19 Laps | 0:47.389 | Muskogee, OK | Yamaha YZ250F | |
2 | Christian Craig | +05.798 | 0:47.545 | Temecula, CA | Yamaha YZ250F | |
3 | Michael Mosiman | +10.646 | 0:46.948 | Sebastopol, CA | GasGas MC 250F | |
4 | Jo Shimoda | +40.771 | 0:49.364 | Suzuka, Japan | Kawasaki KX250 | |
5 | Grant Harlan | 18 Laps | 0:50.158 | Justin, TX | Honda CRF250R |
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Colt Nichols | Muskogee, OK | 210 |
2 | Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan | 181 |
3 | Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 177 |
4 | Christian Craig | Temecula, CA | 158 |
5 | Michael Mosiman | Sebastopol, CA | 124 |
450 Main Event
Justin Barcia grabbed a much-needed holeshot to start the 450 main event, with Aaron Plessinger, Adam Cianciarulo and Ken Roczen right behind him. Roczen was on fire, wasting no time getting around Plessinger and then going after Barcia. Roczen made a quick pass and Barcia tried to get him back to no avail. Roczen was simply unstoppable.
After some first lap position swapping, it was Cianciarulo third, then Vince Friese, Plessinger, Martin Davalos and Eli Tomac next in line. With Friese getting a good start and fighting for position, several riders got bunched up behind him which allowed the top three to get away. Roczen left Barcia, and Barcia had a nice early advantage on Cianciarulo. Tomac managed to get past Friese in the whoops, then Malcolm Stewart, who was moving forward, took down Friese with a block pass.
Tomac then made an aggressive pass to get around Cianciarulo for third, and then started closing on Barcia. Cianciarulo was then under fire from Plessinger, who was followed by Stewart, Cooper Webb, Zach Osborne, Justin Brayton, Marvin Musquin and Joey Savatgy.
Just as Tomac caught Barcia for second, Cianciarulo made a huge mistake in the whoops and Plessinger and Stewart went by to take fourth and fifth. Then Webb followed them through. Webb was heating up, got around Stewart, and when Stewart tried to get him back in the whoops, he went sideways and crashed. On the final lap, Webb got Plessinger to salvage a fourth.
Late in the race, Tomac continued his attack on Barcia but then he got balked by a lapped RIDER before the whoops and lost a lot of ground. Barcia was able to hold him off for second, a much-needed momentum switch after a rough race on Saturday. Tomac was third, Webb fourth, and Plessinger logged his career-best 450 ride with fifth.
“I don’t know what to say, honestly,” said Roczen. “I haven’t gone back to back in a really long time. I had a blast out there. Luckily I could just ride my own race. That was really key with this kind of track, I had some really creative lines. I want to give it up to my wife and my son, we’ve really been having a blast, changing diapers between races. And my trainer, my brother-in-law Blake. He’s done a phenominal job getting me back to where I need to be. We’re working really hard to keep striving and thriving. I love my team, too. What an awesome night.”
“Last race was really tough,” said Barcia. “Tonight, just a good start. Kenny rode an amazing race, I tried to give him a good little battle at the beginning but that was all I had tonight. He had a great race. Can’t thank my team [enough]. They got me back up here, we’ve been searching a little hard on setup, but I’m feeling good and ready to get back to winning.”
“I was a little bit buried early there,” said Tomac. “I got to Justin and I was kinda’ stuck. We were riding the same pace, and I swear every time he made a mistake, I would make a mistake next to him and that would blow my chance of making a pass. Glad I was able to make it to the podium, just need to start a little further up next time.”
Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ken Roczen | 26 Laps | 0:46.637 | Mattstedt, Germany | Honda CRF450R | |
2 | Justin Barcia | +07.909 | 0:47.342 | Monroe, NY | GasGas MC 450F | |
3 | Eli Tomac | +10.798 | 0:47.029 | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | |
4 | Cooper Webb | +19.362 | 0:47.858 | Newport, NC | KTM 450 SX-F | |
5 | Aaron Plessinger | +21.554 | 0:47.337 | Hamilton, OH | Yamaha YZ450F |
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 388 |
2 | Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany | 353 |
3 | Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | 326 |
4 | Justin Barcia | Monroe, NY | 289 |
5 | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 264 |