Always Fast: Seth Hammaker has competed in 10 supercross events in his professional career and has four podiums, including a win. He made a few rookie mistakes last year that have hurt his results in some of the races, but the real point is that he has been fast almost every time he shows up. Supercross, it seems, comes quickly to him. Now in his second year, the Pennsylvanian finished second at the opener, just edging out a hard charge from Hunter Lawrence. Was anyone talking about Hammaker before the season started?
Career Bests: Great ride from Robbie Wageman on his Team Solitaire/Nuclear Blast Yamaha. His eighth was a career best. Carson Mumford suffered through a rough rookie SX season last year where he missed some mains and didn’t ride very well in others. He looked improved for year two (with coaching from Davi Millsaps) on his new Bar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki. Mumfy was fast but faded a bit in the latter laps, still his tenth is a new career high for supercross.
Club Goes West: The Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha team keeps growing, now venturing into the western races for the first time ever. It was a good experience overall, with Garrett Marchbanks nearly grabbing a 250SX podium. Speaking of career bests, Dominique Thury scored one with ninth. Last year he failed to qualify for a few mains and then went 13-17-13 when he got in. This is a big step forward, and more legitimacy for this team.
![Robbie Wageman]()
Robbie Wageman Align Media ![Dominique Thury]()
Dominique Thury Align Media
Who Missed the Mains: Qualifying for Anaheim 1’s 450 main event is always tough. The opener features the most stacked lineup of the year. Crashes left a bunch of hopefuls out, including Justin Bogle and Alex Martin, who suffered crashes in the heat and the LCQ. Martin got taken out by Cade Clason in the LCQ, which meant the weekend wasn’t all great for the ClubMX team. Bogle got caught in a mess early in the LCQ and stalled, which ended his hopes. Obviously, not making the main was not in the plans for these guys.
Wild Rides: Very few 250SX West contenders can walk away from Anaheim happy. Colt Nichols broke both arms in a heat race crash in the whoops, and a few minutes later Jalek Swoll got knocked out in the second heat. This is so sad—teams and riders who pouring everything they have into the season just to see it gone within minutes. Super bummer. The main event was rough on others, including Jo Shimoda and Nate Thrasher (race winners a year ago) getting stuck in the gate and then both crashing later. They finished seventh (Shimoda) and 12th (Thrasher). Michael Mosiman won his heat but cut down off a berm on the first lap of the main, got tagged, went down, and remounted dead last. He came back to sixth.
Rough Opener: Lots of attention on the Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing duo of Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as well as hoped. Both riders suffered bad starts, and Tomac didn’t rage through the pack in mid-season form. He told our Steve Matthes that his riding was “average.” Ferrandis was moving forward but got run into by Chase Sexton, and his bike stalled. We later heard he lost his rear brake, and he went off the track and ended up 16th.
“Anaheim 1 is always a little crazy,” Ferrandis said. “I was actually feeling pretty good all day; it was my starts that hurt me. In the main event, I got a really bad start, but I moved my way up. I was feeling pretty good, pretty strong, and was coming back to the top five. Then I had an issue and tried to come back but made a mistake and crashed. So it was not a really good night, but I know now that I’m capable of riding out front in the 450 class. We’re going to regroup and be ready for next weekend.”
Stat of the Week: Tomac At the Opener (Mitch Kendra)
Eli Tomac’s struggles at the season-opening round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross are no secret. In his seven opening-round 450SX main event finishes to date, Tomac’s has finished in the following positions:
2022: 6th
2021: 13th
2020: 7th
2019: 3rd
2018: 22nd
2017: 5th
2016: 4th
2015: 20th
2014: DNQ (crashed in heat race)
His average finish at A1 in the 450SX main event is 9.6. Throw in his 13th from 2021 Houston 1 (not A1 but it was the season-opener) and Tomac's average opening-round finish in the 450SX class is 10th. Interestingly though, Tomac, who leads the active riders in the 450SX in premier class main event wins, has been in the championship battle basically every year since moving to the 450SX class full-time in 2015.
Tomac’s championship finish in 450SX (2015 on):
2022: TBD
2021: 3rd
2020: 1st
2019: 2nd
2018: 3rd
2017: 2nd
2016: 4th
2015: 2nd
Tomac’s average championship finish from 2015 to 2021 is 2.43.
Check These Clips Out
Ryan Breece missed all of the 2021 supercross season with a knee injury and is back as a privateer on a Yamaha YZ450F. The Idaho native celebrated making the 450SX main event after claiming the final transfer spot in the LCQ, which put him in his first main event since June 2020 at the Salt Lake City 5 Supercross.
Check out Ryan Surratt with some style over the finish line after finishing his first main event as a member of the Team Solitaire/Nuclear Blast Yamaha squad.
GoPro Videos
GoPro: Michael Mosiman - 2022 Monster Energy Supercross - Anaheim 1 - 250 Main Highlights
GoPro: Justin Barcia - 2022 Monster Energy Supercross - Anaheim 1 - 450 Main Highlights
Rider Vlogs
Christian Craig and Family
Germany’s ‘Nique Thury
SGB Racing Storm Lake Honda
Wageman Bros Robbie & RJ
Spectator AJ Catanzaro (Racing 250SX East Region)
Quotes from Around the Paddock
Ken Roczen | 1st in 450SX
"My weekend and the team's weekend went great here at Anaheim 1. I didn't really know which way it was going to go. We had a little bit of a difficult December, but this couldn't have gone any better. Our practice was okay – nothing to really rave about, but we executed every single start tonight. We won the heat race, and then in the main event, I knew it was going to be a long battle. The track was really, really rough tonight, and it made for some crazy racing. There was a lot of carnage and crazy stuff going on behind me. I was actually really glad we had those good starts because it helped me stay away from that and really ride my own race. Chase, my teammate, was putting a lot of pressure on me, and we had a really good battle for the first half of the race. Luckily I came away with the win, and I couldn't ask for anything better. I'm just really happy with how the team and I excelled today."
Cooper Webb | 2nd in 450SX
“It was a dog fight tonight! Fun race, but a really tough race. The track got super rough and a lot of us got out front just duking it out. I felt like I fought hard the whole time, made some good passes and got myself in a really good position. I kind of struggled a little bit with the track so I was pumped to come out with a second – great points and it's the best I've ever done at the opener so we're looking to keep the ball rolling. It's great to be back in Anaheim and it's fun to be back racing!"
Justin Barcia | 3rd in 450SX
"That was an awesome race! I had a lot of fun and we had some great battles out there. The pressure is off now and I can work on myself, keep plugging along and having fun. It’s been a great offseason and it’s just good to get this first race out of the way. I’m happy with the result, it’s a good podium finish, and we definitely have some things to build on. I’m really looking forward to the next race, bonding with the guys, having fun and going for it!”
Marvin Musquin | 4th in 450SX
“I’m happy right now. It was a long and tough day, with quite a fight for the Main Event. I did my best with outside gate pick and I made some good passes, so I was pumped on the riding and the intensity early on. I made a couple mistakes and I lost contact with Cooper, and then Malcolm passed me. I tried to pass him to the inside but unfortunately, he railed the corner and we hit each other – he didn’t know I was coming – and we both went down. I got up and came back to fourth place, that was amazing. I’m pumped on the push and with the results, to be honest, with all the drama that happened during the main.”
Chase Sexton | 5th in 450SX
“Today was pretty good – practice was good, heat race was good. In the main event, I made a few costly mistakes, which was frustrating. My speed is really good, and I feel really good on the bike; we did a lot of good work during the off-season, and it’s looking promising. Finishing fifth after crashing twice is pretty good I guess, but I have to figure out how to get my marks up and not make bonehead mistakes. The track was really good; I actually had fun on it all day. The mistakes I made were my fault. The bike felt good on the track; we had a good base, and I just really enjoyed it. I won a heat and got fifth in the main because of my mistakes, so I’m looking forward to improving. Kenny won, so it proved that we put in some good work on the bike. We’re healthy, and on to the next round.”
Eli Tomac | 6th in 450SX
“It was a little bit of a slower start than what we wanted this season. It really came down to two things tonight: the starts and I was struggling a little bit with the whoops. It was a tough track; probably one of the toughest A1’s that we’ve had in quite some time. On a positive note, I had really good qualifying sessions all day, so I know I can be fast and be there. I just have to put it all together. It’s always easier said than done, but it’s possible. We’re going to try and fix the little things and come back next week.”
Malcolm Stewart | 7th in 450SX
"I think this was actually one of the better season openers for me since I started in the 450 class. Going into the weekend, I wanted to execute a few things like having a good heat race, and I was able to do that. P1 for a qualifying, I've never done that before, so I feel like that was a big achievement for me and even though we went down in the Main Event, it was actually a good ride performance-wise but you know, the results weren't there. It was a good start but I definitely feel there are a few things that we need to work on but overall, I'm happy to leave here on a good note and looking forward to Oakland and to keep driving – we’ve got 16 more races to go!"
Joey Savatgy | 8th in 450SX
"I am happy with my ride tonight. While I had some struggles with the track all day, I put it together for the main event and kept chipping away as I moved forward. Had some good battles at the end and I am happy to get out of A1 safe and with a top ten.”
Aaron Plessinger | 9th in 450SX
“It was a pretty rough day for me actually. I started out in Free Practice going down and then I went down in the first qualifying practice as well. I turned it around and ran some decent laps in the second qualifier but it wasn’t a very great position. I got a decent start in the heat race and ran in fourth pretty much the whole time. In the main, I didn't get a good start at all and I was back of the pack battling. About halfway through, I turned it up a little bit and made some passes up to ninth. Overall, I’m pumped to get through the first round healthy and we'll back at it in Oakland!"
Dean Wilson | 12th in 450SX
"My night was a struggle for sure, which is frustrating because I've had a really good off season. In the Main, I was pretty far outside on the gate and I came through and made some good passes. I was hovering around top-10 and then got passed and ended up 12th. It wasn't great but I believe we'll just get better from here on out."
Justin Brayton | 13th in 450SX
“It was cool to be back with everyone in the stands, and it was an awesome vibe. It was a solid day from beginning to end. I qualified in the top-10 in every practice, had a really solid Heat Race, finished second to Ken Roczen, and felt good. In the Main Event, I ended up 13th, which isn’t the result I wanted, but after the month I had, everything that’s come from a big crash, like only getting to ride the bike once, I didn’t know what my fitness and everything was going to be. I just tried to get through it because I know it’s a long series and that I need to be there in the middle of the series to finish strong. Since this is my last full-time series, I really want to be at them all. Stoked to get things rolling in the new year!”
Max Anstie | 14th in 450SX
“For the first race, I’ll take it. I was having fun out there being in the mix. We’re taking it step by step, and ready to start progressing. Looking forward to Oakland and ready for a top ten finish.”
Mitchell Oldenburg | 15th in 450SX
“My weekend was pretty good, nothing crazy. It’d been since April that I last got a gate drop, and my nerves were at an all-time high. I just focused on myself, was in the top-15 all day, but flinched at the start, almost hit the gate, and came out in dead last. I rode hard, battled with some really good dudes, and had fun, which is why I’m racing these 450 rounds before the East Coast.”
Said team manager Tony Alessi:
“This was a very good start to the season. We had a top-five finish tonight with Vince Friese in the 250 Main Event. He got the holeshot in both the Heat Race and the Main Event, so it looks like our experiment with a 250 program is underway. We had a great showing with our 450 program of Justin Brayton and Mitchell Oldenburg. Our veteran rider Justin had a great start to finish second in the Heat Race and 13th in the Main Event, while our newcomer Mitchell finished seventh in his Heat Race and 15th in the Main Event. He did a great job of learning the ropes of the 450 Class against the experienced guys.”
Dylan Ferrandis | 16th in 450SX
“Anaheim I is always a little crazy. I was actually feeling pretty good all day; it was my starts that hurt me. In the main event, I got a really bad start, but I moved my way up. I was feeling pretty good, pretty strong, and was coming back to the top five. Then I had an issue and tried to come back but made a mistake and crashed. So it was not a really good night, but I know now that I’m capable of riding out front in the 450 class. We’re going to regroup and be ready for next weekend.”
Said 450 team manager Jeremy Coker:
“Anaheim I was off to a very good start for us, and both Eli and Dylan were very comfortable and qualified well. Unfortunately, we did not get the results we were looking for in the race. We need to go back to work and execute our starts. Starting in the back makes it very hard to get to the front of this stacked class. We are going to put our heads down and come back stronger in Oakland.”
Brandon Hartranft | 17th in 450SX
"Today started out a little rough. I crashed in the whoops in the first practice. But every time I got on the track after that, I rode better and better. It's been raining recently in California so the dirt's soft from that. The track was pretty basic, but it was so soft and rutted that it became more technical. But all in all, we had a solid night. I'm looking forward to the next 16 rounds and I have a lot to show. I can't thank everybody from Suzuki and my team enough, and we'll kick some butt next weekend."
Justin Bogle | DNQ for main event
"It was a rough night all the way around. It was not how we wanted to kick off my first race with the new team, but on the positive side we are healthy and going back to work to get better for next weekend. I had a crash while in transfer position in the heat, then again in the LCQ. It was just a couple mistakes on my end that I need to correct and be better."
Adam Enticknap | DNQ for main event
"I got some good jumps out of the gate, but I was not riding like I wanted so we're going to make some adjustments to my technique and try to get that figured out. I feel like I have all the big pieces in line, I just need to get a few little things sorted and work on that first lap sprint speed. Oakland is kind of my home race. I'm looking forward to the dirt, looking forward to the stadium, looking forward to the fans, and looking forward to another try to kind of turn around this A1 result. It's not exactly what we wanted, but we came out healthy and we're ready to go for the second one."
Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki team manager Dustin Pipes:
"A1 is always a big event for the team and with it being in such an iconic location the fanfare is always off the charts. Justin made some rookie mistakes which ended his night early. Falling twice while in a transfer position is never a recipe for success. The talent and pedigree are there so I would look for Justin to put this quickly behind him. Brandon rode well in a very deep field. A better start will be crucial to getting him a better main event finish."
Christian Craig | 1st in 250SX
“I don’t think anything can top last year’s win in Houston, but I would say this is just as good. Having all the fans back and having my family here, and winning at a hometown race is a dream come true. I’ve been coming here since I was three years old, so this means everything to me.
“It was an awesome Main Event, and I felt awesome all day. I didn’t get the best of starts, but I made my way through the pack and made clean passes. Once I got up front, I just clicked off my laps and rode a smart race. We’re going to try and keep this thing going into the next round in Oakland.”
Seth Hammaker | 2nd in 250SX
“It was a tough track and there were certain parts of the track you really had to focus on. When I felt pressured, I told myself to make it clean through the whoops and pass the lappers clean. It feels amazing to get on the podium to start the season.”
Hunter Lawrence | 3rd in 250SX
“My night was okay. I just kept pushing and charging, and doing everything I could. It was close to second, and I hope it was interesting to watch! I’m a little frustrated, a little satisfied, not just with the result but where I’m at. I think I’m riding great, and I can’t wait to go to the next race."
Michael Mosiman | 6th in 250SX
“Anaheim I is in the books and boy was it a crazy one! I had so much fun throughout the day, honestly more fun than I’ve ever had at a SX. I felt super confident on the bike and everything was clicking, just riding well within my abilities. It’s unfortunate how the main started out and once I was back in the pack, it’s pretty hectic back there, but I’m proud of how I rode and I’m leaving with a ton of positives. I think I’m very much in it for the championship and very healthy and couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Jo Shimoda | 7th in 250SX
“The rider next to me flinched and it caused me to get stuck in the gate. They were holding the gate a long time and I just made a mistake. I had a long race ahead of me, but I worked really hard to pass as many people as I could and stay up. Knowing it’s just the first round, I wanted to get all the points I could and I’m just 11 points back of the leader. We’ll be back next week.”
Carson Mumford | 10th in 250SX
"My starts were key. My bike has such great, controlled power it made it easy to get strong starts with how short the start straight was. I got a little tight in the end of the main after running in fifth place for over half the race. Hearing the crowd go crazy all the time was totally new for me and was awesome! I'm looking forward to next week and finishing stronger."
Nate Thrasher | 12th in 250SX
“It was a tough night, but I felt like I was riding well. Somebody hit the gate, and it moved, so I went and hit it too. Then I was working my way up through the field and was going for another pass, but the guy got cross-rutted, and I ended up going down. After that, I tried to push my way back but just didn’t have anything left. So, it was kind of a bummer because I felt like I was riding well and could have made it to the top five. It was just a tough night, but we’ve got the speed, so I’m going to come back next weekend and put it on the box.”
Dilan Schwartz | 15th in 250SX
"Anaheim 1 was tough. I struggled all day with the track and getting comfortable which led to a couple crashes. I'm glad I was able to get through the night healthy enough to keep racing. I'm going to keep working and improving my results!"
