By The Numbers
When the checkered flag flew in the 250SX East/West Showdown, GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton earned the main event win—his fifth of the year. Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis finished fourth, therefore, both Sexton (250SX East Region) and Dylan Ferrandis (250SX West Region) successfully defend their respective titles from last year.
As Davey Coombs alluded to in his Racerhead #25 column on Friday, the last time both defending 250SX champions repeated in the same year was 1992:
“Turns out it's been since 1992 that both defending champions in this class were able to successfully defend their #1 plates. Twenty-eight years ago, Peak/Pro Circuit Honda's Jeremy McGrath (West) and Suzuki's Brian Swink (East) dominated their respective divisions on the way to second straight championships. No two riders have done it since.”
For the Sexton-Ferrandis duo, it was the last ever 250SX Supercross race for both riders. The two have had similar careers in the 250SX Class: Sexton finishes his three-year 250SX career (2018-2020) with 6 wins and 17 podiums in 28 starts as a two-time champion and Ferrandis ends his four-year 250SX career (2017-2020) with 6 wins and 18 podiums in 31 starts as a two-time champion. (Look for more on their 250SX Careers here on RacerXOnline.com shortly.)
Sexton will transition to the 450 Class with Honda HRC for the 2020 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship and beyond and Ferrandis will move to the 450SX Class beginning with the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha’s Shane McElrath finished second in the 250SX East/West Showdown and in the 250SX East Region points. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Michael Mosiman snuck into the third place on the 12th lap of the finale and he would finish there to earn his second career main event podium.
GEICO Honda’s Jo Shimoda finished eighth in the finale and finished third in the 250SX points standings. By doing so, Shimoda earned the 2020 250SX Rookie of the Year award.
In the 450SX Class, it was the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna boys who shined in the main event. Dean Wilson, Jason Anderson, and Zach Osborne all have seen their results improve since the championship resumed in Salt Lake City on May 31 but when the checkered flag waived, the trio battled for the lead before eventually sweeping the podium. Osborne earned his first 450SX main event win as Anderson finished second and Wilson rounded out the podium. This was the first time Husqvarna teammates swept the 450SX class main event podium.
This was the first OEM sweep on the 450SX podium since the 2019 Indianapolis Supercross, where Marvin Musquin (winner), Blake Baggett (second), and Cooper Webb (third) were on the podium together.
What’s more impressive is that Anderson finished the race without a seat on his Husqvarna FC 450!
Malcolm Stewart, who has seen his own progress continued to improve since the championship resumed as well, finished with a career-best fourth place in the main event. It was the third finish inside the top five in the seven Salt Lake City races for the Bullfrog Spas/SmarTop/MotoConcepts Honda rider.
And with his fifth place finish, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac clinched his first 450SX AMA Supercross title. Tomac became the 23rd different rider to win a premier class title.
At 27 years old, Tomac became the oldest first-time champion. He is also the first champion to have a child before winning their first premier class title—and since it was Father’s Day when Eli won, there was surely some extra gratitude after Sunday’s race.
Although Cooper Webb came up short in defending his #1 plate, the Red Bull KTM didn’t go down without a fight. In 2020, Webb recorded four wins and earned 13 podium finishes. Until the finale where he finished eighth, Webb hadn’t finished off the podium since his crash in Arlington, Texas, on February 22, 2020. We’ve all seen the footage of his crash a million times but it’s incredible to think he bounced back at the next race in Atlanta, Georgia, to steal the final spot on the podium away from Martin Davalos on the last lap. When Webb won the 450SX title in 2019, he recorded 13 podium finishes (seven of which were wins), he finished with 379 points. In 2020 he finished second in 450SX points with 359 points after his 13 podiums (four of which were wins).
Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen entered the final seven Salt Lake City races only three points down from Tomac but his results in Utah were not what they had been earlier in the year. In 2020, Roczen earned ten podiums (including four wins) as he finished third in 450SX points with 354. Roczen managed 131 points over the final races where Tomac earned 158 and Webb earned 162—for more on the points totals from the final seven races read the SLC Breakdown section later in this post. While it’s a bummer Roczen’s results were hindered at the end of the year as he was impacted by asthma symptoms and shingles, Roczen can still be proud of his 2020 season. Not only did he earn his first main event win (2020 St. Louis Supercross) since his devastating arm injury in 2017 but he also earned three more. He totaled ten podium finishes compared to six in 2019. And more importantly, for the second year in a row he completed all 17 main events.
Reedux
In what could be his final supercross main event, Chad Reed finished tenth to earn his best finish of the year. Since this was the final round of Chad Reed’s #onelastride tour, we’ll take a look at some of his career stats*—specifically in the premier class of AMA Supercross.
Two-Time Champion: 2004 and 2008 | One of only ten riders to win multiple premier class supercross titles
Career 250/450SX Starts: 265 | 1st all time
First Start: 2002 Anaheim 1 Supercross on January 5, 2002
Last Start: 2020 Salt Lake City 7 Supercross on June 21, 2020
Career 250/450SX Wins: 44 | 4th all time
First Win: 2003 Anaheim 1 Supercross on January 4, 2003
Last Win: Atlanta 1 Supercross on February 21, 2015
Wins in 11 different seasons | 1st all time
Years with a 250/450SX main event win: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015
Career 250/450SX Podiums: 132 | 1st all time
First Podium: 2003 Anaheim 1 Supercross (his first 250SX win) on January 4, 2003
Last Podium: 2019 Detroit Supercross Triple Crown (3-5-7 for third overall) on February 23, 2019
Career 250/450SX Top-Five Finishes: 160 | 1st all time
Career 250/450SX Top-Ten Finishes: 210 | 1st all time
First rider to start a premier class main event on all six main OEMs.
Note: Stats as of June 24, 2020
Shout-out to SX Research Department on Instagram (@sxresearchdept) for the stats on Reed's career.
Quotes From Around The Paddock
Zach Osborne | 1st in 450SX
“That was a great race for all three of us. It feels amazing to get some results here at the end of the season for my team. It was an incredible day and I’m just really proud for the whole team to be on the podium. It’s been an amazing trip in Salt Lake City.”
Jason Anderson | 2nd in 450SX
“All-in-all, it was a good trip in Utah and ending it on a high note with all three of us on the podium was good. I enjoyed Salt Lake City, so let’s do this again and get ready to go for outdoors.”
Dean Wilson | 3rd in 450SX
“I was a bit tight running up front but I just tried to play it cool and smart. My goal was to get on the box and that’s what I did. I’m stoked to get a third place, lead some laps and end this SX season the way I wanted to. I would have liked to have more podiums but I’m super happy from where I came from at the beginning of the season barely being able to ride my bike, to being where I need to be now. I believed I could do it and I’m stoked.”
Malcolm Stewart | 4th in 450SX
“It was a great day. The track conditions and everything made it like round one was, really dry and slick, but the Dirt Wurx guys did the best job that they could. It was a great day for me and I put in my season-best with a fourth-place finish in the main event. Third place was right there but the track was going away. I cannot be happier than I am with how we finished the season and I’m glad to get off the track safe.”
Eli Tomac | 5th in 450SX, 2020 450SX Champion
“This is just unbelievable, especially under all of the circumstances. I just look back at my entire lifetime of riding, the wins, the losses, and overcoming it all with the Monster Energy Kawasaki team. There was a point in time we didn’t know if we would be able to get back to racing and here we are finishing business. I am so incredibly happy and proud we finally did it, it’s unbelievable.”
Broc Tickle | 6th in 450SX
"Today was a huge step in the right direction for me. I started the day off better in practice and improved throughout practice qualifying. In the heat, I grabbed my first holeshot in a long time. I started sixth in the main and managed to stay strong and steady. This was huge for me and the JGR squad. Thank you to everyone who has made the Salt Lake City racing possible and for the support in getting me back to where I belong."
Said JGRMX/Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing team manager Jeremy Albrecht:
"I’m really happy with how Broc rode all day. He was better in qualifying, starts, and results. The sixth-place finish in the main was a really great ride, and even more impressive considering the injury he had to ride through."
Ken Roczen | 7th in 450SX
“I really wanted to get second place in the championship and was in a very good position to do so, but unfortunately I jumped to the inside before the triple and lost both ends. That cost me a bunch of positions and I ended up only seventh in the main, which obviously wasn’t enough. But we got a heat-race win and are leaving here healthy. The track obviously wasn’t in the best shape; I felt like we were riding parade laps out there because it was dry and sketchy. Still, overall it’s not bad; I got four wins this year and third in the championship, which is four more than I’ve had in the past couple of years, and I’m in one piece. That’s big for us, so I’m leaving here with my head high.”
Cooper Webb | 8th in 450SX
“It was a rough main event. I kind of struggled with the track a little bit and I didn’t ride my best race but I came back to eighth, so I was able to secure second in points. I obviously wanted to keep the podium streak going but it is what it is. Overall, it was a great season and we’ll get ready for outdoors.”
Aaron Plessinger | 11th in 450SX
“I was in a funk pretty much all day. I got off to a really bad start in the main event. It was dry and really slick. I was dead last going into the first corner and then started picking off guys one-by-one and made it to 11th. I was catching [Chad] Reed a little bit here and there, but he would pull away from me and we were pretty much the same speed from the time I caught him until we finished the main. I ended up 11th, which is obviously not where I wanted to be, but we are over supercross and on to outdoors, so I am pumped on that!”
Justin Brayton | 12th in 450SX
“Overall, I had a blast in these seven rounds at Salt Lake—just an amazing experience! Massive shout-out to Feld and everyone who made this happen for us to finish it up. As far as today’s race went, it wasn’t my best by any means; I felt like it was over before it even started. [Justin] Barcia’s bike got caught in my rear wheel going down the start straight, and I was at a standstill—needed to get off my bike and Justin came up and we wrestled with it a little bit, trying to get it out of my rear wheel. I was last and far behind, and with the track conditions, it was hard to make up any time. It was just like riding on concrete. Unfortunately, not a good result, but overall I’m happy with the trip. There were obviously some highs and lows throughout the series, but we’re healthy and excited to see what’s next for me.”
Fredrik Noren | 19th in 450SX
"My speed is getting better and my ankle is improving, which is good. I’m happy to finish the last round safe. It will be great to now be able to work on my endurance and speed going into the outdoors."
Justin Barcia | 20th in 450SX
“This was not how I wanted to end the supercross season. I’m going to put that behind me and focus on the outdoors. Looking at the positives, we learned a lot in Salt Lake City. It was my most consistent supercross season on the 450. I’m looking forward to some time at home and then getting back to work.”
Said Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing team manager Jim Perry:
“The final round did not go the way we had planned. The day started off alright, the guys were riding well in practice and they both qualified strong in their heat races. However, the start of the main event did not go well. Justin was taken out in the first corner. He got up in dead-last and finished a lap down in 20th, which was definitely a disappointing day and not how we wanted to end the supercross season. Aaron put in a strong main event in spite of his bad start and finished 11th. Even though we didn’t accomplish the goals we set for the team at the season’s end, we learned a few things while we were here in Salt Lake City the past month. We’ll put those in our notebook and shift gears, and focus on the outdoor series which starts next month in Crawfordsville, Indiana.”
Shane McElrath | 2nd in 250SX
“I’m pretty disappointed that I didn’t get the championship this year, but since I’ve been on this team I’ve learned so much and grown so much as a person and a rider. I’m learning from my mistakes and looking forward to moving on to the outdoors.”
Said Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing team manager Wil Hahn:
“Shane gave us his all, but just came up short. It was a crazy night with a lot going on with guys fighting for wins and the championship.”
Michael Mosiman | 3rd in 250SX
“I’m really proud of the team, we made some adjustments during the week and I felt comfortable straight out the gate. The heat was chaos, I got into it with Forkner and my elbow went into his rear tire and I couldn’t feel my hand. I managed a good race in the Main and ended up with a third. Overall, solid season and looking to build for this coming year.”
Jett Lawrence | 5th in 250SX
“Was a big learning day for me. I have the speed and I still have a lot to learn in race conditions. I’m disappointed not to finish on the box but overall happy with the progression I have made in my rookie year. Looking to shake things up in a month when we go outdoors.”
Justin Cooper | 7th in 250SX
“It was a pretty good day until the main. A rider cross jumped me and put me on the ground pretty hard. On the restart I didn’t get a good start and I just kind of rode the race out. I didn’t really have it in me after the crash. I’m going to put it all behind me. I’m excited for the outdoors!”
Jo Shimoda | 8th in 250SX
“Yeah felt good in timed qualifying, just had one jump that I had to try before the heat race, I qualified fourth. Heat race I got not too bad of a start, I was hitting the whoops good and made passes to get to third. For the main event I started 11th and again passed guys on the whoops to get eighth for the day. Really happy with my first supercross season, third in points and top rookie, and I feel like I learned a lot with my riding.”
Christian Craig | 12th in 250SX
“The day yesterday started pretty bad for me. I didn’t feel comfortable all day and dragged my leg in a rut so bad in practice that my hip partially came out. I had Dr. G put it all back into place before the heat and it felt way better. I was able to fight my way to second in the West heat which I was happy with. In the main event, was running second until it got red flagged. For the restart, I was mid pack but after a couple laps, my hip came out of place again, and I couldn’t put my foot out. I should have had Dr. G make sure it was all good after the heat but you live and learn. Thankful to end this season healthy—now it’s time to get ready for outdoors!”
Alex Martin | 16th in 250SX
"Racing the last round of Salt Lake City was touch and go for me all week. I was managing an injury fairly well but made a mistake in the re-start of the main and lost a lot of ground trying to recover. It was a frustrating way to end the series, but I’m very motivated to get myself and the team up front where we belong in the upcoming outdoor series."
Said Albrecht:
"Alex had some tough luck in the heat getting stuck in a pile-up and forcing him to go to the LCQ. He rode well and was looking forward to the main event. A bad gate pick was not ideal for this style of start. He stayed out and fought for every position to finish the series the best he could. Overall, Alex finished sixth in the points and is focused on doing better outdoors."
Jalek Swoll | 19th in 250SX
“I felt good going into the main event. I almost got holeshot and was riding pretty good, I think, and they threw out a red flag and it was all downhill from there. I got really close to my teammate in the restart and pulled my shoulder in a weird way. I was off-balance the whole race and then I made a mistake and crashed on my own. It was a tough race but my rookie season is in the books and I’m ready for outdoors.”
Colt Nichols | DNS in 250SX
“The day was going well and then I got together with Chase [Sexton] in the heat race. I just misjudged how close he actually was to me and he was already committed to what he was doing. He ended up landing on my hand and got me a little beat up. I’m going to get it checked out and hopefully will be all good."