By The Numbers
Michael Mosiman led the first four laps of the 250SX main event before Austin Forkner and Dylan Ferrandis went at it again for the second time in a row. Eventually, Ferrandis made a pass for the lead and didn’t look back. Ferrandis took his third win of the championship and the sixth of his career. The finishing order was Ferrandis, Forkner, and Justin Cooper, respectively, for the second straight week in a row. It was Forkner’s fourth podium of the year and Cooper’s fifth podium of the year. This was Ferrandis’ 16th career podium finish (in 28 main event starts), Forkner’s 16th career podium finish (in 28 main event starts) and Cooper’s tenth career podium finish (in 15 main event starts). Since the start of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship when both Forkner and Cooper were in the 250SX East Region, Forkner and Cooper have earned podium finishes on the same night seven times: they did so four times last year and three times so far this year.
Bryson Gardner finished ninth in his heat race to make it to his first 250SX main event. Gardner earned his AMA Supercross license after the second round of Supercross Futures at Anaheim 2 and finished 19th in the main event at San Diego.
Here’s the 250SX West Region top-ten in points through the first six rounds.
Position | Rider | Main Event Wins | Podiums | Avg. Finish | Point Total | Machine |
1 | Dylan Ferrandis | 3 | 5 | 3.2 | 135 | Yamaha |
2 | Justin Cooper | 1 | 5 | 3.3 | 128 | Yamaha |
3 | Austin Forkner | 2 | 4 | 4.7 | 122 | Kawasaki |
4 | Brandon Hartranft | - | 2 | 5.0 | 110 | KTM |
5 | Alex Martin | - | 0 | 6.7 | 98 | Suzuki |
6 | Jacob Hayes | - | 0 | 8.2 | 89 | Husqvarna |
7 | Luke Clout | - | 0 | 9.2 | 83 | Honda |
8 | Michael Mosiman | - | 1 | 9.5 | 82 | Husqvarna |
9 | Derek Drake | - | 0 | 10.0 | 78 | KTM |
10 | Mitchell Oldenburg | - | 0 | 8.6 | 72 | Honda |
In the 450SX Class, Adam Cianciarulo and Cooper Webb turned back the clock as the two relived their younger days racing one another in the amateur ranks. Webb passed Cianciarulo for the lead on the first lap but the 450SX rookie retook the lead and would hold it for the first 20 laps of the race. A late charge from Webb allowed for the defending champion to lead the last five laps before taking his first win of the 2020 championship. The win was Webb’s eighth career 450SX win, tying him for 22nd all-time with Ron Lechien, Jimmy Ellis, and his injured teammate Marvin Musquin. It was Webb’s 49th 450SX main event start.
Cianciarulo finished second for his second podium of the year. Although he has yet to claim the top spot on the podium, Cianciarulo has led the second-most laps in the 450SX Class this year. Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen leads the class with 81 total laps led and Cianciarulo has led 27 laps. Note: This includes Triple Crown races.
Blake Baggett finished third, his first podium of the year in his 59th consecutive 450SX main event start—currently the longest streak in the class, according to Feld Entertainment. It was his 13th career 450SX podium and it’s also the fifth time since the start of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship that Webb and Baggett have finished on the podium together. Here are the four times it happened last year:
2019 Oakland—Webb, Musquin, Baggett
2019 Atlanta—Webb, Baggett, Musquin
2019 Indianapolis—Musquin, Baggett, Webb
2019 Nashville—Tomac, Baggett, Webb
Through the first six rounds of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, Roczen had the points lead (125 points) by one-point over Webb (124) and a two-point lead over Tomac (123). Note: the sixth round of the 2019 championship was the Minneapolis Supercross, the first East Coast round. This year, Roczen has a one-point lead, this time over Tomac (130 over Tomac’s 129) and Webb sits in third with 121.
Here’s the 450SX top-ten in points through the first six rounds.
Position | Rider | Main Event Wins | Podiums | Avg. Finish | Point Total | Machine |
1 | Ken Roczen | 2 | 4 | 3.2 | 130 | Honda |
2 | Eli Tomac | 2 | 3 | 3.2 | 129 | Kawasaki |
3 | Cooper Webb | 1 | 4 | 4.2 | 121 | KTM |
4 | Justin Barcia | 1 | 2 | 4.7 | 116 | Yamaha |
5 | Adam Cianciarulo | - | 2 | 4.8 | 113 | Kawasaki |
6 | Jason Andeson | - | 1 | 5.8 | 105 | Husqvarna |
7 | Blake Baggett | - | 1 | 8.2 | 90 | KTM |
8 | Malcolm Stewart | - | 0 | 8.0 | 90 | Honda |
9 | Justin Brayton | - | 0 | 8.2 | 89 | Honda |
10 | Zach Osborne | - | 0 | 10.5 | 75 | Husqvarna |
And legend Chad Reed made his 254th career premier class main event. Unfortunately Reed had an issue with his bike and finished 21st.
Quotes From Around The Paddock
Eli Tomac | 4th in 450SX
“Well, I was challenged tonight after having to fight my way towards the front in the main. I didn’t have the best start, but we’ll get back to work with the Monster Energy Kawasaki team this week and hope to improve for Tampa next weekend. I do feel I rode well tonight and I’m proud we were able to make up quite a few positions to finish fourth on the night.”
Justin Barcia | 5th in 450SX
“We struggled a little bit in practice, but overcame that. I finally felt like I rode like myself in the Heat race, but in the Main Event, I didn’t get the greatest of starts. I charged really hard the first few laps and diced it up in there. We ended up fifth, which was a really solid ride coming back from 15th. I felt like I rode well, the bike felt good so I’m definitely proud of the ride. The goal this week is to keep working on the riding stuff and shoot for getting another win here soon. We will keep moving forward. I’m definitely looking forward to Tampa.”
Aaron Plessinger | 10th in 450SX
“San Diego was a big step in the right direction. I was kind of struggling in practice, but then we got the bike working really good in the final session. We went out for the Heat race and rode pretty well, ended up fifth. Then I got a great start in the Main Event. I was riding right with Cooper Webb and made a little mistake and went down right before the whoops. That cost me, but it’s good to get up there and run with those boys. Now I know I can do it. I’m looking forward to this week, we’re going to get back to Tallahassee and go do some more work to get ready for Tampa. I’m excited for it and looking for more up front rides like that.”
Said Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing team manager Jim Perry:
“Tonight was a great night for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team. Justin Barcia rounded out the top five with a solid performance and Aaron Plessinger started up front, and was challenging for a podium finish. He tipped over, but got up and raced to a tenth-place finish. Both guys definitely took a step in the right direction and both had speed in the Main Event. The team worked hard all day with the bike setup. We wanted to be on the podium and challenging for the win, but we had a good outing. We will take what we learned from tonight and head back east as the series picks up in Tampa next week.”
Malcolm Stewart | 8th in 450SX
“I had a decent start and got through the little bit of carnage, but then a couple of guys got around me. It wasn’t my best night and dealt with a little arm pump, but I was happy to get through it. I know we’re close to getting in the top-five. I’m excited for Tampa and for the things that we can work on because we are getting the ball rolling. I’m happy with where I am at and things will start to click off. Florida is home and I will see all of my friends and family, so that should be a good race.”
Justin Hill | 9th in 450SX
“I had good speed in the free practice and really felt like it was going to be an awesome day, but then I hit the ground hard in the first qualifying session and jacked some stuff up. I had a lot of confidence coming into the night and thought it was going to be a good time to press forward, but it is what it is. I fought hard every step of the way and tried the best that I could, which was ninth place. That’s better than the first four races and I can’t complain because I have two good legs and one and a half good arms that I’ll rehab and get ready for Tampa. I have a lot to look forward to right now, so this is a minor setback that will fuel the fire. I have a taste for things and I’m ready to back it up by taking the early risks to make things happen. I put it in the top-10 and am walking away. If I heal up perfectly and feel good by Tampa, we can flip it around and pick up the feeling I left off.”
Said SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda’s team manager Tony Alessi:
“Justin had a crash in practice and was riding wounded for most of the day, so I’m proud of him for his riding in the Main Event and making a last-ditch pass to get ninth.”
Vince Friese | 15th in 450SX
“Today didn’t really go my way. I felt good in qualifying and all of that. I would do a lap that felt like it was enough to get on the board, but I’d come around to the mechanic area and see that I was in 15th place. Everyone is going so fast and it’s all within a half-second of each other. In the Main Event, I started in the top-10, but got pushed off the track at one point, went down to 14th or 15th, and just stayed there. Everyone is going very fast and not making many mistakes, so it’s going to take a lot to put myself in top-10 or the top-five, which is where I want to be. It’s back to work this week and I’m excited for the East Coast. I need to get a little more of everything this week, more speed and starts, and carry that to Tampa.”
Alex Martin | 10th in 250SX
"San Diego was very up and down. I had some positive moments in practice, but I also had some pretty big crashes The main event was going decently as we were near the top-five, but towards the end a lapper cross-jumped me, taking me out. I was able to salvage a top-ten. I'm looking to take advantage of this six-week break then capitalize on the last four rounds."
Said JGRMX/Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing team manager Jeremy Albrecht:
"The San Diego round was a cool opportunity to honor the military and run some special graphics with a NAVY theme," added Jeremy Albrecht, Team Manager. "Alex had speed in the whoops this weekend but had some crashes that made it tough. Alex still has more races after the break to get the JGR Suzuki on the podium."
Cameron Mcadoo | 22nd in 250SX
“It’s a bummer that I wasn’t able to see if I would have been able to get inside the top 10 tonight, but things happen. If anyone is looking forward to the break it’s me. I’m ready to get back to 100 percent so I can prove that I am able to run up front with my teammate and those guys. I’ve had a lot of positives that will keep me motivated in the off-weeks.”
“Things like tonight just happen sometimes in racing; it’s out of anyone’s control and you just have to roll with the punches. That said we had a solid heat race and it was cool to represent the U.S. Navy on the track with my sister in the stands. We’ll continue to work during the break, will be excited to get back to racing in a few weeks.”
Other News
Clout to Stay in the U.S. for Supercross
Director of Penrite Honda Racing Yarrive Konsky announced on Monday in a team statement that Australian Luke Clout will remain in the U.S. to compete in the remainder of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. Clout has recorded finishes of 21-7-6-10-5-6 and sits seventh in 250SX West points through the first six rounds.
The team's original plan to bring Clout back to Australia after the first six rounds of AMA Supercross has changed as the team will continue operating in supercross when the 250SX West Region resumes six weeks from now in Seattle, Washington. This removes Clout from Australia's National Motocross Championship, although he will fight for the Australian Supercross Championship in the fall.
“It makes sense to leave Luke in America, he’s getting more comfortable each week on the 250, he is committed to the program here and we hope the momentum will pay off,” said Konsky. “We have a strong local program back in Australia with Brett Metcalfe and Kyle Webster for motocross and will announce our full supercross program in the coming months.”
“I didn’t know how this would go down,” Clout said in a team release. “I was originally doing 3 to 4 rounds out of a van. We seriously set up and full professional program in America. Yarrive doesn’t like doing things by halves and he has really given us the greatest opportunity to prove ourselves. To Tony Hinton, Honda Australia, Toby Dymond and Penrite I must say thank you. This is my dream and I believe we will only get better. I will be home later this year to race the Australian supercross championship.”
Military Appreciation bikes
The 2020 San Diego Supercross was military appreciation weekend as riders and teams decked out their bikes, racers, and team members in gear that honored those who have served our country. Here’s some of Align Media’s best photos of military appreciation gear.
For more on Cooper Webb and Blake Baggett's race machines, check out Kris Keefer's in-depth look at the KTMs from San Diego.