Round five of the Monster Energy Supercross series, an FIM World Championship, saw things get a little nuttier in the 250SX Class while an veteran showed that he’s just getting better and better as the series goes longer.
But first the track and did you hear about the elevated start? That’s right, for the first time in a few years, the start was up and immediately dropped down a bit of a hill, and this was perhaps the highest one ever It was a cool visual and many riders said they liked it. There were two sections of whoops and it was a tricky, technical track with lots of tabletops. Try saying that a few times.
Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey came into the race as the new 450SX points leader and he put on a riding clinic to take his first win of the year. It was a great ride on a tricky track and afterward Dungey admitted that the fact he hadn’t won a race was sticking with him and he was determined to change that fact.
Second place was Honda’s Cole Seely as he grabbed a best-ever ride in 450SX and second podium of his career. Seely’s had two strong races in a row now and although he found himself with a ton of Eli Tomac in the rear view mirror at the end of the race, he held on for the runner-up spot.
Tomac took third on his GEICO Honda and said after the race that he may have waited too long to get going in the main event. Eli was using some different lines and keeping up his momentum to catch and pass Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s RCH Suzuki’s Kenny Roczen for the last spot on the box. They battled the whole way and Tomac finally got Roczen on the last lap. Seely’s teammate Trey Canard was third for a long time in the main event before tipping over in the sand and finishing fifth.
Team Discount Tire/TwoTwo’s Chad Reed, while unable to repeat his podium performance from last week, still rode very well to come from outside the top ten to sixth. His start was terrible and he made up a lot of ground. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Baggett holeshot the main and led for a while and then dropped a few positions but still had his best 450SX race this year in finishing seventh right ahead of JGR Yamaha’s Justin Barcia who nipped Rockstar Husky’s Jason Anderson late in the race.
Reed’s teammate Josh Grant won the semi to get into the main but then once again struggled and rode off the track after what we presume is a crash…After amazingly not qualifying for three straight main events Valli Yamaha’s Josh Hill rode like a changed man all day and night long to a strong tenth place finish at Anaheim…Mike Alessi was back after missing a race with a small knee surgery and put it into the main right out of his heat…his teammate Vince Friese once again rode hard in the main to finish thirteenth…Jake Weimer fell on the opening lap of the main and was so far back, it was ridiculous. Weimer got on his horse and rode well to get fifteenth…TPJ Privateer Nick Schmidt made his first main event of the year with a good ride in the semi race…BTOSports KTM’s Andrew Short had to go to the LCQ (which he won) to make the main and once there, he didn’t get a good start and had to fight his way up…Nick Wey, Kyle Partridge, Tevin Tapia, Freddie Noren and Killy Rusk were among the riders that didn’t qualify for the main event in a #deepfield
At the start of the 250SX race Rockstar Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne’s gate didn’t drop and he started last. The officials looked at the replays to make sure it wasn’t Osborne’s fault and decided to red flag the race five laps in to do a total re-start and a full 15 laps.
The leader when the red flag came out was Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb, the series points leader. Webb was pissed about having to go back and do it again, and on the restart, Lucas Oil Troy Lee Designs KTM’s Jessy Nelson got the early lead, with Webb right behind. Nelson ran well and held Webb at bay for half the race until Webb made the move, and then Nelson came back under him briefly before Webb squared him back up and made it stick for good. Webb’s been super fast lately, but Nelson rode well to hold him back for so long. From there, Webb ran away with yet another win and widened his series leading points total. Webb was terrific in both the abbreviated main and the new one.
Nelson finished second and benefitted from the re-start as he was around tenth when the red flag came out. It was a lucky break for him and he used it to his advantage.
Webb’s teammate and rookie supercrosser Aaron Plessinger dueled back and forth with Osborne to take third and get his first ever 250SX podium with Osborne fourth. We’ve been wondering what Plessinger could do with a good start, and now we know: he can podium.
GEICO Honda’s Matt Biseceglia made his return after mssing the last race due to injury and led a number of laps in the first start. Although he couldn’t repeat that feat in “main number two” he still finished a very respectable fifth place.
Last week’s winner Malcolm Stewart of the GEICO Honda team got a poor re-start and then fell twice to end up way back on the night…Alex Martin of the Cycle Trader Yamaha team couldn’t score another podium finish but he did ride well to a top ten finish…Red Bull KTM’s Justin Hill looked great all day but went down with Stewart in the first turn of the second start and was way back. From there he put in a great ride to make it all the way up to ninth in the main….privateer Cole Martinez scored his best finish of the year in getting a tenth place…Pro Circuit didn’t have the best night with Tyler Bowers crashing hard in the main and just limping it to the finish while teammate Chris Alldredge crashed again on his way to a fourteenth.
