By The Numbers
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner became the first 250SX rider to get two wins this year as the 21-year-old took the overall after finishing 1-1-3. Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha’s Justin Cooper, who went down in both of the first two races, rebounded to win the final race. His finishes of 17-9-1 resulted in ninth overall and the New York native will maintain the points lead (86 points) as he’s up three points on his teammate Dylan Ferrandis (83 points).
Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen won his 13th premier class supercross event on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona, which moved him into sole possession of 16th all-time. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne led the 450SX class early but was unable to complete a full lap while in the lead in the first race, meaning Roczen led all 39 laps on the evening. Roczen won his first Triple Crown overall and it was also the first ever Triple Crown sweep in the 450SX Class. Roczen became the first 450SX rider to two wins this year and will maintain the points lead in Oakland this coming weekend. Roczen (92 points) leads Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac by eight points (84 points). Last year 11 points separated the top five riders after four rounds but this year the gap to fifth place is 20. There's also a 20-point gap from Cooper to fifth place in the 250SX West Region (Alex Martin with 66 points).
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Michal Mosiman earned his first career supercross podium Saturday after finishing 4-4-6 (Mosiman earned his first career podium in the 250 Class of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the 2019 Thunder Valley National). In the 450SX Class, Mosiman’s teammate Jason Anderson finished 5-3-2 for third overall. Anderson has recorded finishes of 5-3-5-3 to start the year. When was the last time Husqvarna riders podiumed in both the 250SX and the 450SX classes? April 21, 2018—644 days ago—in Foxborough when Anderson finished third in the 450SX Class and Zach Osborne won the 250SX East Region main event.
Gas Monkey Energy/AJE Motorsports’ Jacob Hayes finished 6-5-5 for fifth overall, tying his career best from the 2019 Oakland Supercross. Penrite Honda's Mitchell Oldenburg finished 7-7-7 for sixth overall. Oldenburg has recorded finishes of 16-9-7-6 through the first four rounds.
Quotes From Around The Paddock
Cooper Webb | 8-5-4 for 4th overall in 450SX
“It was a good day. It’s kind of crazy, we had a bunch of red flags so we ended up with a lot of starts tonight. I feel like I finally figured out my starts by the end and I was up front and able to run with the lead group but I just didn’t quite have it tonight. It was a good turnaround from the first Main Event but we’ve still got some stuff to work on and we’ll keep plugging away and try to improve this week before heading into Oakland.”
Justin Barcia | 6-8-7 for 5th overall in 450SX
“It was a difficult day right off the bat. The track changed as the night went on and I struggled with turning a little bit and in the whoops, but it was the starts that really hurt me. I had to fight a lot tonight to get up to where I was able to finish, but with such short races like this, it’s difficult. The track was very one-lined, and it was very difficult to pass. Triple crowns are gnarly. Everyone’s so fast. If you don’t get a good start it’s just difficult to put yourself in a good position. There were guys flying around everywhere tonight and crashing, so I’m glad to be getting out of here healthy. I’m a smarter, more mature rider than I have been in the past, so I’ll take what I can get tonight like I did last week. It’s only round four. We’re still in a decent spot and just need to keep plugging away.”
Justin Brayton | 7-7-9 for 6th overall in 450SX
“The night went pretty good, but I had a lot of bad starts for some reason. I really struggled with track position at the beginning of the race, and I came from the back pretty much all three races. I’m a little disappointed in that because I felt like with my lap times, a better track position could have given me a top-five finish. But to end up sixth is nothing to hang our heads for at all. It was a positive night, awesome to see Kenny get the win, and the team’s just jelling really well right now; everyone’s doing an amazing job, and I keep getting better and better every weekend. I hope to keep this momentum rolling and be in the top five next week.”
Said Brayton’s Honda HRC mechanic Brent Duffe:
“The first Triple Crown of the year went really well. Practice started out slow—Justin just wasn’t feeling very spunky this morning—but when it came to race time, he was ready to go. Sixth overall is something to be proud of, as we’ve improved every week. We need to get a little more consistent with the starts and put him in a better position, but at least he’s good at fighting through. There are a lot of positives to take away from the night, and I’m happy with the progress.”
Malcolm Stewart | 4-14-6 for 7th overall in 450SX
“The Triple Crown format is quite different and to be honest, I don’t know if I had ever raced one. It’s different but it’s cool. The track was pretty cool, but it got really slick tonight, and everyone was fighting for traction. The format keeps the racing tight and I almost got the holeshot in the first one, that was the best start that I’ve had! I was like, ‘Man, there’s nobody next to me. I’m feeling good!’ And then I blew the corner. [Laughs] The cool thing about the Triple Crown is that it’s almost like a throwaway race, so I am happy with that and to get out of here in one piece, especially after everything that happened to me here last year.”
Adam Cianciarulo | 3-6-17 for 8th overall in 450SX
“That was definitely not how we wanted to finish the night and although this is part of racing, it’s always a tough pill to swallow. We kicked off the day qualifying fastest again and honestly, I was feeling good all day. I made some mistakes out there and that last one cost me. I’m sore and a bit frustrated but I have a great team behind me, who continue to remind me there are a lot more races left to go in this premier class. We’ll take the week to recuperate and look to come out strong in Oakland.”
Aaron Plessinger | 11-9-8 for 9th overall in 450SX
“The first Triple Crown of the year, Glendale, was pretty good. I qualified 15th which wasn’t great. In the first Main I got a mid-pack start and worked up to seventh in the first half of the race, but in the second half it kind of fell apart. I started hitting the whoops bad, so yeah, we struggled a little bit in the second half. Then the second Main I got a really good start. I was running up there with the boys, but I just couldn’t figure out the whoops. I was fast everywhere except the whoops. I got another good start in the third Main, not as good as the second one, but I just charged and tried to put myself in a good position and I got a pretty good finish. Overall it’s my best finish this season. We have to go back and do some more work. I can’t wait until Oakland next week.”
Justin Hill | 9-13-10 for 12th overall in 450SX
“My first race felt okay, the first three corners were really good, and I tightened up at the end. The second one was just mediocre all around, and in the third, I was sluggish at the start and loosened up at the end. I’ll chalk it up to not liking the track too much, so hopefully next week is better. I feel like my fitness is there and I felt good in the whoops, where a lot of guys were complaining tonight, and there were a couple of positives. But it’s just frustrating to be back there, because I know I am capable of so much more. Every Monday and Tuesday I think about how I can get up there, but that’s just the game right now. There are 17 or 18 really good guys.”
Said SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda’s team manager Tony Alessi:
“Justin Hill was 12th overall and he had a couple of moments where he was close to one of the fastest riders on the track but had a couple of crashes and that held him back.”
Vince Friese | 13-12-12 for 14th overall in 450SX
“It was up and down. The first race didn’t go my way and I turned it around in the second one. There was a quad into a turn that was a little sketchy that I finally started to jump and that changed my night because I started to ride a lot better. The red flags messed me up because I was in second place during one race that got red-flagged and fifth in the other. In the last race, I was in 10th place when I was about to get the white flag but had a crash in the whoops that cost me a good overall position.”
Alex Martin | 8-8-9 for 7th overall in 250SX
"Glendale was a tough race for me. A mid-week crash really hurt my chances of being competitive for a podium. I managed to stay consistent enough to grab seventh overall in the Triple Crown format. I'm happy to move on from this one and I'm looking toward making some changes this week with the team. We'll come out swinging in Oakland.”
Said JGRMX/Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s team manager Jeremy Albrecht:
"It was great to see Alex getting good starts and pushing through his best after crashing hard on Wednesday in practice. It’s all part of racing and we’re happy to see improvements each week even being banged up. Alex is coming to our test facility this week to improve his whoop speed and test some new parts. I believe in Alex and our team to get up on the box soon. Alex busted out the quad in the race, something not many 250 riders were able to do. He tried his best, but he struggled in right hand turns due to his sore leg. Next week he will be in better shape and I expect better results."
Justin Cooper | 17-9-1 for 9th overall in 250SX
“It was a roller coaster night in Glendale. The track conditions were really tricky and traction was very hard to maintain. I was able to come back with the win in the third Main and hold onto the points lead. We’re going take the positives and learn from the mistakes and move on to next weekend and go for the win again.”
Said Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha’s team manager Wil Hahn:
“It wasn’t the night we were hoping for, with Justin getting ninth overall, but I think we salvaged what we could out of it. Dylan rode really well and gained some points in the championship. Justin came around in the final Main and showed what he was capable of and was able to keep the points lead. It’s plain and simple—there are some things that we have to work on, but I think it was a positive night overall.”
Christian Craig | 3-22-22 for 17th overall in 250SX
“I was super excited to be back in Glendale. It’s where I won a few years ago and I just love the dirt, stadium and fans there. The whoops were pretty good, too, and didn’t break down much which suits me well. I really felt like it was my night to at least podium if not better. The first main was pretty good. I got the holeshot then [Austin] Forkner shot me off the track. I was able to make my way up to third from probably seventh or eighth after going off the track. I was pumped on my riding that first main. Second main I got a mid-pack start and made my way to probably sixth pretty quickly in the first lap. A bunch of us were going into a corner after the sand and I grabbed my brake a little too hard. So it was just one thing after another."
Injury Updates
Benny Bloss
Bloss went down during qualifying and did not start the night show. The team confirmed he has suffered a concussion but otherwise he "escaped from the crash without any serious injuries," and that he will return to racing upon being cleared.
Adam Cianciarulo
Cianciarulo, who had a big crash in the whoops in the final race and was unable to finish the night, posted to Instagram Sunday that he “got checked out and it’s nothing serious.”
“Great night of racing until the last few laps!” Cianciarulo captioned his post. “Had a weird kick in the whoops and the rest was history. I got checked out and it’s nothing serious—so I’m pumped on that. Really sore to say the least, though. I appreciate everyone reaching out! Good times ahead."
Due to several riders not starting the final race of the night, Cianciarulo finished 17th (last of those that started the restart). He finished eighth overall and sits sixth in points through the first four rounds of the championship.
Justin Bogle
Bogle got caught in a gnarly first-turn crash and suffered a concussion. He's gone in for more evaluations, and look for more news on his recovery timetable later in the week.
Christian Craig
Craig went down in the second race in Glendale and suffered a cut near his eye. While getting looked at the medical team realized his hand was damaged as well, with fractures suspected in his hand and pinkie. He will miss the next two 250SX West Region rounds in Oakland and San Diego.
Chris Blose
Chaparral/FXR Honda Racing’s Chris Blose suffered a crash and an arm injury in the whoops early in the final 450SX race. The back end of Blose’ bike went sideways and the Arizona native was tossed off his Honda CRF450 hard.
The team posted an update on Blose on their Instagram:
“Chris is waiting to undergo surgery on his arm/wrist and his other injuries should heal without any further intervention. From what his initial injury list looked like to now is definitely a positive, but our team Captain is going to be down for a little bit.”
Blose finished 17-17-19 for 18th overall on the night. On top racing the 250SX East Region Championship, Blose was racing the opposite coast rounds in the 450SX Class. He sits 18th in the 450SX standings through four rounds of the championship but there is no timetable on his return to racing.
Other random notes
Birthday boy Aaron Plessinger turned 24 on Saturday and finished ninth overall in the 450SX, his first time inside the top-ten this year. Luckily for us, it looks like year 24 will be no different than the other 23!
With the event taking place at the home of the Arizona Cardinals, several riders repped Cardinals-themed gear, including Malcolm Stewart, who rode out during opening ceremonies with defensive lineman Rodney Gunter, Jr.’s jersey on.
And privateer Robbie Wageman and the Nuclear Blast Rockwell Yamaha Racing team had Cardinals bike and gear on display in the pits.