Yeah, two more left in the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, people! Lots to talk about when it comes to Denver including… Are ET3’s championship hopes really done? Really?
We were back at Denver for the first time since 1996 and I think the race, like Nashville last week, was well received. Fans seemed to be into it, it was a good crowd, and I like how when it was snowing in practice, none of the people seemed to care. Living in Denver, they knew it was just a blip on the radar and no big deal. Sure enough, the sun came out a little while later and we had a perfect race track. Yes, it was weird but it’s perfectly Colorado, I guess.
We’ve seen some big whoops in Seattle and Nashville, they’ve been game changers for many of the riders out there, both good and bad, and very interesting to watch play out. It’s been a real litmus test for the riders and teams to try and figure out and overall, I like it. I mean four-strokes go through whoops way better than the two-strokes and we saw way more, in my opinion, tougher whoop sections in the two-stroke days.
This weekend though, we saw little baby whoops. Like, baby shark-type whoops. I was talking to someone (not a rider) who said that the Feld guys were sweating the track builders about the big whoops we’ve had lately and hence, here’s what we got. I mean, I kind of get it because we’ve had crashes and you want the riders to be healthy but when you hear things like that you can’t help but continue to believe the always there rumors that KTM guys complain when whoops are big and legit. I mean, why else would anyone from Feld care about the size of the whoops? Big whoops make for good racing because of the variance of time to get through them. Great racing equals excited fans and excited fans equal ticket sales. I know this is boiling it down to a basic level but there’s something there if this rumor that the track builders were getting heat for the size of whoops lately is true.
Let’s take a look at the results, shall we?
250SX Results
1ST | #92 ADAM CIANCIARULO | NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL| KAWASAKI KX250
“Clutch” ride by Adam to take the win after two straight losses to Dylan Ferrandis. He once again really sold out on the start and it’s impressive how hard he charges into the turn. He also got the jump on DF and hung a left which is cool to do. I was wondering if he, in the race to get by Michael Mosiman on a track that wasn’t easy to pass on, would push the issue and make a mistake to cause him, or both of them, to go down. Adam told me after the race he did think of that and reminded himself to have some patience. He did and eventually got by. From there he was flawless on a track that was probably pretty easy for him.
2ND | #34 DYLAN FERRANDIS | MURRIETA, CA | YAMAHA YZ250F
It was all the start. Dylan was fast but he didn’t get it and Cianciarulo did. That was all she wrote. I didn’t like Ferrandis’s gate pick there on the inside in case you’re wondering. He’s now eight back with one race to go. It’s going to be tough for him to claim this title.
3RD | #39 COLT NICHOLS | MUSKOGEE, OK | YAMAHA YZ250F
Nichols didn’t get a chance to this weekend but I wonder if Vegas is here and he’s got Ferrandis behind him, does he move over or make it really easy to get passed? Or if you’re Colt, screw it and go for the win?
4RD | #31 RJ HAMPSHIRE WESLEY | CHAPEL, FL | HONDA CRF250R
Hampshire rode well to charge up but he’s not going to catch and pass the two Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha guys when he gives them a bit of a head start. By the way, rumors are strong that Hampshire is going to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna next year with a two-year deal.
5TH | #36 MICHAEL MOSIMAN | MENIFEE, CA | HUSQVARNA FC 250
Mosiman has been spicy lately in qualifying and in the main events. Maybe there’s something here after all? He led some laps (I think the first SX ones of his career?) and hung in tough the whole race. He’s been much improved lately.
6TH | #44 CAMERON MCADOO | CHESTERFIELD, SC | HONDA CRF250R
“RAM IT” sort of followed his teammate Hampshire through the back after so-so starts. Cam doesn’t have anything lined up for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship but has talked to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki about a fill-in spot if they need one (which they will because I don’t think there’s any chance Austin Forkner rides Pro Motocross).
7TH | #64 JAMES DECOTIS | PEABODY, MA | SUZUKI RM-Z250
Not a good race for Jimmy DDDDD who was putting a tiny bit of heat on AC and Mosiman early on in the race while in third. Then he made some mistakes in the whoops I guess, got “tight,” and dropped back. Guarantee he’s not stoked with this finish.
8TH | #60 JUSTIN STARLING | DELAND, FL | HUSQVARNA FC 250
Starling’s consistently one of the guys that puts in solid finishes and you don’t really notice him. He’s the Chiz of 250SX. Also, this is a reminder to watch out for Zombie Chris Blose when he’s changing up in the truck.
9TH | #54 DYLAN MERRIAM | CORONA, CA | HUSQVARNA FC 250
Career-best finish in SX for Merriam who’s had an up and down season while battling injuries. He’s going to ride the 450 Class in Pro Motocross, which I think he’ll have more success on.
10TH | #67 ENZO LOPES | WILDOMAR, CA | SUZUKI RM-Z250
Oh, man, I don’t think Lopes is 100 percent from an injury so to crash out in the heat while in qualifying position isn’t good. But Enzo made it happen in the LCQ and put in a good result in the main. I have heard that JGR will be taking Alex Martin and Kyle Peters outdoors, but will also support Lopes with bikes and parts to do his own thing.
11TH | #72 MARTIN CASTELO | MURRIETA, CA | HUSQVARNA FC 250
Castelo and Jerry Robin had a good race going for a while out there as the two battled for top privateer in the main event—a battle that Castelo won.
12TH | #40 SEAN CANTRELL | MURRIETA, CA | KTM 250 SX-F
I’d be polishing up my resume if I was Cantrell because with Derek Drake coming on the TLD/Red Bull KTM team for Pro Motocross, Shane McElrath, Mitchell Falk, and Jordon Smith with contracts for 2020, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he’ll be somewhere else next year.
13TH | #141 ROBBIE WAGEMAN | NEWHALL, CA | HONDA CRF250R
Wageman is Jerry with a little less speed but more consistency.
14TH | #83 KILLIAN AUBERSON | WINCHESTER, CA | KTM 250 SX-F
15TH | #111 CHRIS BLOSE | PHOENIX, AZ | HUSQVARNA FC 250
Blose rag-dolled himself out there and I just figured he was out of this one. Then like some sort of zombie, he rose from the dead and started to un-lap himself! Seriously, it was bizarre and shows you the heart he has because A LOT of riders would’ve called it a night. It was a bad crash. Anyway, my condolences to Chris’s family and friends because now “Zombie” Chris Blose might try to eat them.
16TH | #471 LOGAN KARNOW | VERMILION, OH | KAWASAKI KX250
Karnow is just a main event guy now, he’s been good lately.
17TH | #321 BRADLEY LIONNET | MENIFEE, CA | YAMAHA YZ250F
Was Lionnet hurt early on in the year or something? I don’t remember seeing him in the series to start but he’s been back for a few races and back into the mains.
18TH | #255 JOHNNY GARCIA | MORIARTY, NM | HONDA CRF250R
I don’t know anything about Johnny Garcia other than Johnny Garcia is a sweet-ass name to have.
19TH | #194 JERRY ROBIN | CORCORAN, MN | KTM 250 SX-F
Jerry’s out of a van by himself in the back forty. He’s determined to make some noise as a total privateer and he does that most weekends. Seriously, you look at the guys that he beats in lap times and look at what he’s got and it’s impressive. Jerry’s got talent but Jerry’s also got “Jerry” things that happen to him like a tire issue this week that caused him to be forced to roll around out there. Bummer for Jerry.
20TH | #122 CHRIS HOWELL | SPOKANE VALLEY, WA | HUSQVARNA FC 250
Howell’s been much better than last year, I know that. I was starting to lose some faith in him but he’s back.
21st | #446 Blaine Silveira | Lemoore, CA | Honda CRF 250R
I don’t know anything about Silveria but good job to him out there in getting into the main event.
22nd | #61 Garrett Marchbanks | Coalville, UT | Kawasaki KX250
Marchbanks went down early in the main and had to call it a night. He looked seriously hurt but social media reported that he will be okay.
450SX Results
1st | #3 Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX 450
Tomac rode great in his home state and for those that said it wasn’t his home race to me on Twitter after I said that a few times, maybe you didn’t hear the crowd freaking out over his rides? Sure seemed like a home race to me. Anyway, I was shocked at how fast he caught Marvin Musquin out front but it was typical ET3 balls-out riding. He was on fire and clearly the best rider this week, he busted out the three-in three-on easier than anyone else, and it seemed like there were no whoops there at all for him. Is it too little too late for Tomac? First time he’s won two in a row all year long and don’t be surprised if it’s four but no title when this thing is all over. Don’t tell me that he’s riding well because he doesn’t have any pressure on him either. I’m not having it. This is a rider that’s won three national championships. He understands pressure.
2nd | #2 Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | KTM 450 SX-F
Another great ride from Webb who didn’t have his A game all day in qualifying but made it work with starts in the heat and then in the main worked hard to make up a lot of ground on his teammate and make the pass. As usual with Coop, lots of heart out there and he’s laying it all out there. Tomac was better than him, there’s no doubt about that, but he kept the loss of points to three. Great ride out there and just two more for Webb.
3rd | #25 Marvin Musquin | Corona, CA | KTM 450 SX-F
April 13, 2019 — RIP Marv’s 2019 SX title chances. Cause of death: Getting passed by Tomac and Webb while he had the lead in Denver.
4th | #19 Justin Bogle | Cushing, OK | KTM 450 SX-F
This is a really cool story here, folks. Bogle won a heat. I repeat, Bogle won a heat. He told us on Monday on the PulpMX Show that he was definitely close to hanging it up when he was getting hurt last year with JGR. Last year wasn’t pretty. But he got a break when Benny Bloss got hurt and he’s been okay all season (outside of San Diego) and that would have been fine. He needed a rebuilding year. Don’t look now but Bogle has been riding very well lately, he’s been on the board in qualifying, jumping triples first, and so on. This week he won a heat and then came out on top of a fierce battle with Savatgy and Blake Baggett for most of the second half of the main. He told us also that he’s going to do the first three or four motocross races as well while Bloss gets healthy.
5th | #17 Joey Savatgy | Tallahassee, FL | Kawasaki KX450
Joey rode well considering he hurt his shoulder in Nashville. You know it wasn’t easy to get this finish.
6th | #4 Blake Baggett | Grand Terrace, CA | KTM 450 SX-F
Baggett was sluggish early on but then maintained his times though the race and was on it with other riders dropping off. But the damage, and an easy track, did him in by then.
7th | #94 Ken Roczen | Clermont, FL | Honda CRF450R
Roczen didn’t have a good night, never looked like the “Nashville Ken,” and then said on social media afterward that he’s still battling some stuff and trying to find out what’s up with him. I hate to tell Roczen this but there’s 12 Pro Motocross rounds coming up and if he’s not physically right, it’s not going to be fun.
8th | #16 Zach Osborne | Abingdon, VA | Husqvarna FC 450
I don’t know, Zacho lost some spots late and I didn’t know what happened. I figured he tipped over or something but he told he did not, that he just rode poorly after the red cross came out. So there’s that.
9th | #33 Joshua Grant | Wildomar, CA | Yamaha YZ450F
Well, here it is! In his fourth week back JG put in his first solid ride, stayed on two wheels and just did what everyone knows he can do. Of course I’m super bitter because I couldn’t pick him in PulpMX Fantasy and he maxed out this week in points. Don’t mind me…
10th | #46 Justin Hill | Yoncalla, OR | Suzuki RM-Z450
Hill rode better this week, one after he DNF’d at Nashville with a back injury. He showed fight out there and got his second top 10 finish of the year.
11th | #43 Tyler Bowers | Lake Elsinore, CA | Kawasaki KX450
Bowers rode his KX500 last week, he’s riding it this week, and yet somehow is still doing well in 450SX? I wouldn’t think that’s the ideal program to have but hey, what do I know?
12th | #41 Ben LaMay | Anchorage, AK | Honda CRF450R
Want proof of a bike helping out? Chiz beat LaMay six out of the seven races before Ben got on the factory Showa suspended/Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda and since LaMay got the ride, he’s beaten Chiz in three out of the four races. This isn’t to shit on Chiz, but with a better bike, with people on a team helping him out, Ben’s been better.
13th | #11 Kyle Chisholm | Valrico, FL | Suzuki RM-Z450
Chiz is gonna Chiz and although he says he’s not doing the outdoors, wanna bet he shows up in a van with Gare-Bear spinning the wrenches? He’s a racer.
14th | #86 Ryan Breece | Athol, ID | Yamaha | YZ450F
Breece YANKED a start! That was cool to see, that was probably an eye-opener for him, and he got shuffled back quick. Still, this was a season-best for him and that’s cool to see. A start like his WILL do that to a guy.
15th | #62 Alex Ray | Milan, TN | Suzuki RM-Z450
I hate to say this but A-Ray crashed more than a few times in practice and I thought it was gonna be a rough day for our guy. Instead, he held it together in the main for his season-best finish—yes, he did crash in that race also.
16th | #805 Carlen Gardner | Paso Robles, CA | Honda CRF450R
Gardner’s gonna drop a lot of digits in 2020. It won’t be as drastic as Mike Kiedrowski going from #762 to #1 but it’ll be close.
17th | #63 John Short | Pilot Point, TX | Honda CRF250R
Hey, look at that! In just his second 450SX ever, Short puts it into the main event which is cool. Keefer didn’t like the gold rims on his Honda but I think it looks good. RJ, Bailey, etc. won 450 races with gold rims on a Honda, so that’s good enough for me.
18th | #224 Charles Lefrancois | Folligny, France | Suzuki RM-Z450
We need to get Chuck some boots, he had to use Decotis’ boots this weekend and seems to be in a big need of some Gaerne’s. Can anyone hook this dude up with boots?
19TH | #14 Cole Seely | Newbury Park, CA | Honda CRF450R
Seely won a heat which is awesome and good to see. Who had Bogle and Seely winning the two 450SX heats? Exactly. The bad news is he got some spokes broken at some point and had to pull into the mechanics’ area for a new front wheel.
20th | #15 Dean Wilson | Clermont, FL | Husqvarna FC450
Oh, man! Dean-O’s subframe broke when he landed off a jump, pulled the ECU apart (or something to cause his bike to die), and he nosedived into the next jump. It was bad and reminds us all that sometimes, shit happens when these bikes are subjected to crazy forces. Sounds like he avoided a real serious injury to his shoulder but he’s out for rest of SX.
21st | #99 Austin Politelli | Murrieta, CA | Honda CRF450R
Politelli’s gonna lower that #99 for 2020. Too bad because I always have a soft spot for this number. #Gretzky
22nd | #800 Mike Alessi | Hilliard, FL | Honda CRF450R
Mike wasn’t feeling well before the main and didn’t start. He was feeling the effects of the altitude is what the team said.
Thanks for reading, we’re onto… a week off! Yay for us that go to all the races. Seriously, it’s great. Want to email me? Email matthes@racerxonline.com and we can chat.
