Guess what everyone? The weather was cold outside but the action was hot inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis! Yeah, hella lame I know, but seriously, it was cold. So cold. Monster Energy AMA Supercross made its return to Minneapolis this past weekend and that was cool to see, the folks in AMA District 23 always love SX but the attendance was light this year. There was a blizzard in the surrounding areas (shocking for Minnesota!) and there was a negative test/Vax requirement in place that only stopped about a week before the race, that probably didn’t help. Usually this race is packed and I’m sure it will be in the future but this year, there were a lot of purple seats out there.
First round of the 250SX East Region series hit and man, it’s a deep field. Kind of like the west coast except the exact opposite. We had some good riders not even make the night show, never mind the main event. Fun to see that much depth, although if you didn’t make it, you’re hating it.
A listener on the PulpMX show had a pretty good idea a while back on how to fix the 250SX class. What if we left the coasts alone but had one coast for riders, say three years of experience and more, and once coast of riders of less than three years of experience. Almost make it a bit like three classes (250SX Juniors, 250SX Pros and 450SX) and the teams will still race both coasts for the different kids and we’ll get a more even coast of really great guys.
Not a bad idea, right? Let’s just do something for God’s sake.
Let’s take a look at the results, shall we?
250SX Results
1 | #18 | Jett Lawrence | Wesley Chapel, FL | Honda CRF250R
A real calm day for THE JETT. He was outside the top ten in the heat and just calmly moved past a lot of good guys to get second. He never looked frazzled or whatever. In the main he got by Forkner on lap one and did exactly what he needed to do to win the opener. It honestly looked easy for THE JETT. The rest of the competition should be a bit worried because he definitely had another gear if he needed it. Calm, steady, easy, and very, very fast—that was THE JETT at the opener.
2 | #33 | Austin Forkner | Richards, MO | Kawasaki KX250
Forkner rode well in the main, it looks like his starts are back and he got on the podium on a race for the first time in a year. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but this is a big year for Austin in SX. If he scores more than 135 points he’s got to go to 450s, so it’s win or bust if he wants to get a premier ride. One of the things that I’ve been critical of Forkner for over the years is he rides with too much emotion. He lets passes or lappers or whatever affect him on the track, and to see him almost go down in a big way with Nicoletti in the heat after Phil passed him cleanly made me wonder if maybe he’s not got control of his emotions just yet? That can lead to bad things, as he knows. Anyway, when it came to the main he was very in control, very steady, and got second. A good night.
3 | #48 | Cameron McAdoo | Sioux City, IA | Kawasaki KX250
It’s not easy to fight off JMart late in the race but that’s what RAM IT did. He got caught but didn’t flinch on his way to a podium. He rode very well and didn’t, as far as I could see, have any “incidents” out there which is always a good thing. I have a lot of respect for Cam, I think he’s a good dude, well spoken, appreciative of his opportunity in the sport, and I hope he does well, so sue me.
4 | #6 | Jeremy Martin | Rochester, MN | Yamaha YZ250F
I spoke with JMart on Friday and he was definitely feeling the pressure to get into the mix in this series after missing all of SX last year. I got the feeling he just wanted to get through the series in one piece, grab some wins and be competitive the whole way. And then as he said, maybe he just moves up to 450 without a title. I think he’s got to be happy, not massively stoked, but happy with the opener. He passed Hampshire and caught up to McAdoo as well. This pack seemed pretty closely matched.
5 | #24 |RJ Hampshire | Minneola, FL | Husqvarna FC 250
RJ after the race was perplexed on how he started cramping and had issues breathing, saying multiple times that he couldn’t figure it out. He’ll take the heat race win and the fifth for sure, but it seems that he and other riders/people, were affected by the carbon monoxide issues in the building. Hampshire was definitely confused on why he felt the way he did.
6 | #44 | Pierce Brown | Sandy, UT | GasGas MC 250F
Sneaky good night for Pierce out there as he won the heat, looked good in qualifying, and rode up from outside top ten to this spot. Yeah, sixth isn’t going to get Wilbur and Grumpy Cat jumping around, but Brown’s made a podium before and looks very good to start the year. Good ride for him, although on paper the sixth doesn’t seem like it.
7 | #50 | Stilez Robertson | Bakersfield, CA | Husqvarna FC 250
I liked Stilez’s aggressiveness in practice a lot. He got out early and wasn’t afraid to lead guys around. He has minimal amount of time on the bike coming off an injury so this is a good finish for him. I thought the rest of the pack caught up to him as the day wore on, but still, good night for him. I think Stilez is going to be just off the lead pack this year but will be ahead of the other dudes.
8 | #80 | Enzo Lopes | Indian Trail, NC | Yamaha YZ250F
This was a great ride for Enzo to start the year. Maybe it was the PulpMX sticker deal I worked out with him but he beat his brother-in-law (Phil) rather handily and was the top non-factory guy as well. Lopes was hurt last year and never really showed what he can do. This year he’s back on Club and still has that nice riding style. Brazil can be proud of this ride.
9 | #59 | Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | Yamaha YZ250F
I texted with the Chef a bit and he said the main was “very weird” for him. It’s his first ever 250SX so I guess that’s to be expected, but qualifying third overall (granted a bit better track in the B session probably helped) is a real sign of his speed and skill. Do not be surprised if he ends up on the box this series at some point but in Minneapolis, his main event was a bit muted.
10 | #715 | Phillip Nicoletti | Bethel, NY | Yamaha YZ250F
Look, I’m buddies with Phil and as we know, I’m biased for Phil. I wish this former Canadian SX champion all the luck in the world and I’m FULLY signed up for the Phil Nicoletti SX experience this year, his first time racing indoors in the USA for four years. I got my money’s worth in Minny. He threw his hand up at a rider who got in his way in practice, he got into it with Austin Forkner after his heat when Forkner pulled a dumb move on him, he almost got cleaned out by a flipping motorcycle, and he got a top ten, which is good. Love it all, can’t wait—bring on Phil’s 2022 SX season.
11 | #81 | Jace Owen | Mattoon, IL | Yamaha | YZ250F
Owen was just a tick off his two Club MX teammates in practice, in the heat, and in the main. There wasn’t much to separate any of the three guys, which is a good thing I think if you’re team owner Brandon Haas, having three guys in the top ten every week is very possible and a great accomplishment.
12 | #331 | Derek Drake | Lake Elsinore, CA | Suzuki RM-Z250
Drake’s battled health issues the last couple of years but the team thinks he’s got it handled now. It was a bit weird to see Derek with a three digit-number, but last year he raced two races and it went terrible. The year before he rode for Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM (now GasGas) and got a bunch of top-tens so to me he’s a rider who should work to get into that top ten. Larry Brooks, his manager said that this is exactly what they wanted from Derek and it was a good night for him and the team. In Larry’s words, “Could have been better but also could have been a LOT worse.”
13 | #90 | Jordon Smith | Ochlocknee, GA | Honda CRF250R
Jordan looked good, he almost won his heat and showed a lot of speed. He just has to stop crashing and he’d be great. This is not an Observations blurb from 2019, by the way.
14 | #129 | Henry Miller | Rochester, MN | KTM 250 SX-F
Miller had a rough practice with a few crashes, one of them pretty big, when he flipped over the bars as he drifted right off the triple. I would not have put him in the main after watching his day. Maybe he’s just not a morning person? Anyway, great work to ride up to qualifying in the heat and then to get 14th in the main. Lopes was top non-factory dude but the ClubMX team is a step above a full-privateer effort. Henry is the true top privateer with this 14th. He’s also a Troll Training athlete so you can see that stuff works, AHEM Phil.
15 | #140 | Cullin Park | Clermont, FL | Honda CRF250R
I had seen Park on TV in the AX series but until Minny, I hadn’t realized how big of a dude he was. Anyway, first SX race for Park and he made the main. He’s got some skills and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do going forward.
16 | #63 | Jeremy Hand | Mantua, OH | Honda CRF250R
There’s no doubt Hand has raw speed. We’ve seen that indoors and out over the years but he has to work on the being consistent. He rode very well in his heat to get the last spot (Josh Osby accomplished the very-tough-to-do lead the heat and finish 10th without crashing, poor Josh). He looked, at least to me in my limited Jeremy Hand knowledge, to be a better rider than he was in 2021. Good work by him.
17 | #37 | Coty Schock Dover, DE | Honda CRF250R
31st in qualifying was not something anyone would expect for Schock in his debut ride on the Phoenix Honda team. I don’t think he’s been that stoked with his bike to start the year but it appears that it’s working better lately. Getting into the main, even via the LCQ was also not great for Coty who was the surprise of last year’s 250SX class. He was perhaps the most surprising rider at Minny in a negative way. Let’s hope Coty gets a bit better this weekend.
18 | #285 | Marshal Weltin | Ubly, MI| Yamaha YZ250F
Weltin’s raced in Europe and Canada and the last time he did SX a few years ago on a KTM with Broc Tickle as his coach, and a full privateer. It didn’t go well at all. Well, he’s back to give it another try and made the main at the first race which is an improvement over the last time he rode SX. When I was at Club MX in December, he was just slowly getting going from surgery.
19 | #52 | Kyle Peters | Greensboro, NC | Honda CRF250R
Peters was SO GOING TO PETERS out there, at one point he was seventh all by himself and the top non-factory dude out there. This is what Kyle Peters does, people! But then Brown pushed him off the track and his bike broke. But dammit, in his what seems like his 34th year of racing, Kyle Peters was gonna Kyle Peters at the opener.
20 | #38 | Joshua Varize | Perris, CA | Husqvarna FC 250
Rough day for Varize, who’s on last year’s factory bikes and is pitted with the Rockstar Husky guys but not a factory guy. Got it? I know it’s confusing but anyway, Josh crashed at Minny. Like, a lot. Like, all day long. Not a great start for him.
21 | #39 | Jarrett Frye | Frederick, MD | Honda CRF250R
Remember Frye? He was on Star last year and was one and done over there and now he’s on the Firepower Honda squad.
22 | #36 | Max Vohland | Granite Bay, CA | KTM 250 SX-F
Massive bummer for Max as he goes down on the first lap and appears to have hurt his shoulder. Might be serious, we’ll know more later this week. Like Jett Reynolds, it would massively suck for your season to be over before it begins. Strangely, we’ve seen Max put down big heaters in motocross but in Minneapolis, he was never really that fast in qualifying and then this.
450SX Results
1 | #21 | Jason Anderson | Rio Rancho, NM | Kawasaki KX450SR
Anderson’s third win of the year? Huh? Yeah, that’s right. Sure this one was a gift as Chase Sexton crashed out with a lap and a half to go but you gotta be in it to win it right? Anderson’s win brings him to within three points of the lead. I said this before, but what a story he’s creating here with the move to Kawasaki.
2 | #1 | Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | KTM 450 SX-F FE
Coop’s back? Well, even Webb admitted on the podium that he got a bit fortunate with Malcolm Stewart and Sexton going down but hey, after three-straight eighth places he’ll take this. He got the holeshot and looked great early on but slipped back rather easily IMO so I don’t think this means Coop’s “fixed” by any means. But, confidence is important to these dudes. It’s just that I know, and he knows, there’s no way he slips to fourth if he’s leading a race last season. So he’s still not “right” to me and we’ll see going forward if this helps him get closer to the front. He did let his new trainer/coach Michael Byrne go, which is shockingly early if you ask me. Again, the pro-Aldon Baker people are still nodding their heads slowly at all of this. Me, I’m neutral here because I get why Coop left but yeah, we’ll see.
3 | #25 | Marvin Musquin | Corona, CA | KTM 450 SX-F FE
Marv got his first podium of the year a week after his should’ve. He told us on the Pulpmx Show that although a podium is a podium, he felt like this week he got lucky (which he did) while last week he rode better (which he did). In no way did he shut the door on racing next year or more by the way, he said he’s just going to take it week by week and see what comes of it. He mentioned that the “Justin Brayton” program sounded like something he’d like to do. I bet it does!
3 | #25 | Marvin Musquin | Corona, CA | KTM 450 SX-F FE
Ah man, bummer for Malcolm as he had a podium on lock but washed out when landing off the triple. We’re at the point now, seven rounds in, where Stewart is just going to be a factor for a win each week. He won the heat this week as well and I think even though we’ve talked about him a lot, he’s still having an underrated season.
5 | #51 | Justin Barcia | Greenville, FL | GasGas MC 450F
I was around the TLD pits during the day and Barcia was keeping it very loose with Wil Hahn and the guys. One thing about Bam is that he’ll give you all he’s got out there. His starts have mostly gone bye-bye (outside of last week) since the start of the year so he’s been forced to move up through the pack a bunch.
6 | #3 | Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | Yamaha YZ450F
Dead last to sixth is not too bad, he rode great. We had the shortest start straight of the year and he went back to “bad starter Eli,” but even with that, he was around 12th when he went down with Ferrandis so you wonder what he could’ve done had he not fallen? Podium maybe? His lead is down to three points so it’s officially on now between him and Anderson.
7 | #7 | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | KTM 450 SX-F FE
Very consistent day for AP, who’s better than he was after his Anaheim two crash and seems to be more in the mix these days. The thing is, he got a strong second at Oakland. What happened there and where is that AP? He’s having a good season, not a great season though.
8 | #94 | Ken Roczen | Clermont, FL | Honda CRF450R WE
If anyone knows where the real Ken Roczen is, please tell Honda team manager Lars Lindstrom ASAP. K, thanks.
9 | #14 | Dylan Ferrandis | Tallahassee, FL | Yamaha YZ450F
Stop me if you heard this one before, Ferrandis was fast but needed better starts. On top of that statement, taking out his teammate (accidentally) just puts the icing on top of the Ferrandis blue sundae.
10 | #10 | Justin Brayton | Charlotte, NC | Honda CRF450R
We’re just lucky to be out there at this stage in “our” career right? JB has stopped the bleeding from a few races ago and is back to his usual, steady self. Top-tens in qualifying and main events is what he’s shooting for and he should be stoked on that. We’re only ten rounds away from Brayton calling it a career folks, treasure every moment or if you’re like Weege, you have it all in your vault in your phone.
11 | #15 | Dean Wilson | Murrieta, CA | Husqvarna FC 450 RE
For the season Dean’s average qualifying time has been 11th, his average finish has been 11th and at Minneapolis, he got 11th! Guess what? He’s 11th in the points as well! Consistency is something that eludes a lot of riders but not Wilson, he’s got that on lock! But hey, at the Triple Crown a couple of weeks ago, Dean went 9-9-9 for 9th. And we’ve got another one coming up this weekend.
12 | #62 | Vince Friese | Menifee, CA Honda | CRF450R
I think to just jump into this class and finish ahead of some other guys that have been on 450’s all year is pretty good right? I mean, we’re all pretty sure the 250SX west class is pretty depleted from injury and we’re not quite sure how good Vince is riding right despite that podium, right? Well, this really shows that he’s riding well. Anyway, that heat race was fun to watch the guys try to get reacquainted with Vince again and Anderson wasn’t having it at all. In the main he rode well to this 12th right out of the gate and afterward he mentioned that the bigger bike and longer race did take some out of him.
13 | #41 | Brandon Hartranft | Brick, NJ | Suzuki RM-Z450
Hartranft is no doubt improved this year but I’m still looking for that great-start-and-run-fifth-for-ten-minutes or whatever, you know? He kind of starts okay, finishes okay and that’s…okay but time for Brandon to maybe stretch it out of his comfort level to see if he can break through that crust to a top ten.
14 | #26 | Alex Martin | Millville, MN | Yamaha YZ450F
Despite a broken finger and looking like he’s a ten-year-old on a Harley Davidson, Alex put in maybe his best main event of the year in Minny. And he got it by taking the last spot in the LCQ! He battled with Chiz in the main and, get this, passed Chiz (!) which is like the immovable object versus the irresistible force.
15 | #11 | Kyle Chisholm | Valrico, FL | Yamaha YZ450F
Chiz is riding much spicier lately and it’s because his tennis elbow has gotten better, so now he can practice during the week. That still doesn’t explain why, in just about very first practice he basically rides around. Maybe he needs to get his blood flowing? Anyway, Kyle has qualified through the heat two races two events in a row now and that’s a bonus because he gets to rest a bit. He’s riding well though and Yamaha should use him in commercials and stuff because his bike is painfully stock. Chiz is Chizzing for sure.
16 | #23 | Chase Sexton | Clermont, FL | Honda CRF450R WE
And this, folks, is how you lose $100K in a blink of an eye. Heartbreak for Chase and the Honda guys, this race was won. He was great all day, busted out a quad and things were rolling for the #23 until they weren’t. We had him on the PulpMX Show and he seemed very confident that he’ll be able to race this weekend after appearing to be a bit woozy. If he hadn’t gotten that win a few weeks back, we’d really be asking if he was cursed. Second-most laps led in the series and he sits seventh in the points. How about that wheel of his after the crash? That’s some serious torque for sure to bend it like that.
17 | #19 | Justin Bogle | Wesley Chapel, FL | Suzuki RM-Z450
I didn’t notice Bogle out there that much to be honest, I did see him come up short on the three-in one time and he was lucky to not have cartwheeled.
18 | #78 | Cade Clason | Chesterfield, SC | Honda CRF450R
After getting derailed at round two and taking some time to get it back together, are we at the point where Cade is just a main event guy now? Like, he totally looks the part, rides great, and puts it in. Now he’s at the point, and his buddy A-Ray was there a couple of years ago, where he’s got to put 20 minutes in and just “JT” it out there. Be in shape, make no mistakes, and before you know it, you’re closer to the top ten. You can’t get lapped twice—sorry not sorry for what appears to be shitting on Cade. I just think he can be up there with the #11 and the #26 at this point.
19 | #200 Ryan Breece | Athol, ID | Yamaha YZ450F
Breece looked to be REALLY fighting for that third spot in the 450SX LCQ and I was worried he would take down himself and Troll in the process. He’s a fighter, I think that’s all he knows. In the main he got his points taken away for jumping on the red cross, which has to suck. At his level, every point means something.
20 | #12 | Shane McElrath | Oakland, FL | KTM 450 SX-F FE
Shane’s A3 didn’t work out very well and this week he crashed out. Early on Shane’s starts were there and he was coming off a late start to the season so I get it, he couldn’t stay there. Well, we’re seven weeks in now and things are still rough for him. I imagine the frustration is building.
21 | #95 | Justin Starling | Deland, FL | GasGas MC 450
Starling was sick most of the day and was just unbelievably happy with getting into the main event. Once in there, he was a couple of laps down but I believe he was still okay with all of it.
22 | #34 | Max Anstie | Wesley Chapel | FL KTM 450 SX-F
Anstie had a shoulder issue coming into the race and his guys on the team told me he did the other one in now and he’ll miss some time it appears. I wonder if the team, having lost Joey Savatgy already, gets a fill-in to go alongside McElrath. Tough year for the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS team for sure.
Thanks for reading, email me at matthes@racerxonline.com if you want to chat about this race, the upcoming Triple Crown race or anything else, I’ll be here.
