Free Practice

Free practice started the day, and a small track change came up right away as the U-turn that was expected to be near the starting line was changes to just be a sweeper across the start straight between the two lanes that connect them. The track also looked wet but in pretty solid condition as everyone started hitting the track in the C and B groups for the 250s.

Once the A riders got out there, it was immediately a bad moment for Robbie Wageman who led the field through the first few corners but went over the bars doubling in out of a corner. Wageman slowly rode back to the pits and slammed his helmet down as he walked off in frustration. No update on his condition at this time.

Riders were all trying to figure out the track from there as Enzo Lopes and Stilez Robertson both shared the top spot at different times before Cameron McAdoo became the first rider into the 53’s. Robertson fought back to go down to a 53.3 before RJ Hampshire jumped to the top at a 53.097. It seemed like there were a couple crucial rhythm lines that if guys could hit them, it would make a big difference. Hampshire was the one who did it best in free practice to remain fastest.

The 450A group was next to hit the track and it was Jason Anderson leading the field around early on. Eli Tomac became the first person all day to go 3-3-4-2 in the long rhythm and it catapulted him right to the top with a. 51.922. Ken Roczen and Chase Sexton were also doing the quad early on as everyone was trying to figure it out.

Roczen then had a fall near the end of the whoops about halfway through but bounced right back up no problem. Despite the best efforts from everyone else, that first good time Tomac put down held up the rest of the session without much extraneous activity going on. So far, Tomac on top in San Diego.

First Qualifying Sessions

The track was cleaned up a little bit between sessions, but it remained mostly rutted in the transitions and through most of the bowl corners which setup to be a similar session as to what we saw in free practice.

The main difference when the 250A guys hit the track was seeing how many of the riders were hitting some of the optimal rhythm lanes this time as Jett Lawrence almost immediately went to the 3-3-4-2 option in the main rhythm lane.

Similar to Tomac in free practice, Jett Lawrence using that line seemed to shoot him right to the top of the board and he pretty much stayed there the whole way, eventually dipping down to a 51.890. Still one session to go for the 250s but Jett Lawrence is looking solid again today.

Next up was the 450A group as they headed out on track and again just like in free practice, it was Jason Anderson who led the field around. The times were certainly dropping quicker this time out than they were in free practice as Anderson, Chase Sexton, and Dylan Ferrandis all dipped into the 51s right away with Eli Tomac jumping to the top again at a 51.622.

Cooper Webb fired back though as he lowered it down to a 51.241 next and immediately pulled into the mechanics area after to make a few adjustments. Tomac the very next lap then put in a 51.043 as they continued to go back and forth.

Jason Anderson then became the first person all day to drop down to a 50-second lap time as he dropped to a 50.639. That time would hold up the rest of the session as nobody else could quite crack into the 50s behind him.

Second Qualifying Sessions

Jett Lawrence kicked off festivities in the second 250A qualifying group by getting the fake start holeshot and then getting a little wild through the first rhythm section and going right over the second turn berm. He was totally fine though as he ran back around the berm to retrieve his bike.

Mitchell Oldenburg set the early pace, but Lawrence quickly went P1 with a 51.960. RJ Hampshire knocked him off the top moments later with a 51.496. The track had been extensively worked on between sessions so the transitions being smoother seemed to provide a bit more speed in each section.

With that in mind, Hampshire then became the first 250 guy on the day to dip down into the 50s with a 50.968. Jett Lawrence was not to be denied though as he dropped his time down to a 50.524 with a minute remaining in the session. Hampshire took it back moments later, but Lawrence did him one better as the checkered flag waved and ran a 50.099 to qualify P1.

The final 450A session of the day headed out next and the only fake start of the day saw Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis roll through the first turn out front which is starting to become a bit of a trend off the gate in 2023 thus far.

Early pace setter was Chase Sexton at a 51.170 but times were sure to drop just like in the 250SX class. Sure enough several guys were into the 50s before long with Cooper Webb ending up on top at a 50.273 for the next round of hot laps.

Malcolm Stewart then lit up the leaderboard right at the end of the session and put a 50.008 down to go fastest overall on the day. Incredibly, Stewart did the time by jumping through the whoops while Sexton, Webb, and Tomac behind him were all blitzing. So, it’s Malcolm Stewart P1 today in San Diego heading into the night show.

250SX Heat 1

In the first gate drop of the night, it was Enzo Lopes grabbing the holeshot with RJ Hampshire right behind him. Cameron McAdoo was involved in a crash a few turns in that pushed him way back down the order, but he was also back there with Max Vohland who got a terrible start and was dead last coming into the first corner.

Lopes and Hampshire worked on pulling away from Anthony Rodriguez who was back there in third with Wilson Todd and Cole Thompson rounding out the top five. Vohland made it into a transfer spot two laps as McAdoo sat a few positions behind him.

Hampshire was a couple seconds behind Lopes early on, but Lopes then missed the main line through the long rhythm section and Hampshire got it to pounce into the lead. Lopes made a couple small mistakes and suddenly it was Hampshire opening up a small gap.

McAdoo got into a transfer spot at about the halfway mark as Vohland and McAdoo were up to sixth and seventh. Suddenly, the red flag was displayed as Colby Cobb went down hard at the end of the whoops. As the race had completed three laps but wasn’t 90 percent complete, it resulted in a staggered restart of the race as the riders lined up on the start straight.

The order reverted back a few laps which put Enzo Lopes back into the lead as the green flag waved again. Vohland immediately went down going into the first turn and just like before he was dead last but with almost no time this time around to make it back up.

Hampshire followed Lopes for two laps and made the pass for the lead again as time expired. McAdoo had restarted 12^th but was able to make it up to seventh pretty quick and then got around Dylan Walsh for sixth as the white flag came out.

In the end of a wild heat race, RJ Hampshire took the win ahead of Lopes, Rodriguez, Thompson, and McAdoo. Max Vohland ended up 13^th but that pushed him to the LCQ.

250SX Heat 2

As the second 250SX heat got underway, it was Jett Lawrence rocketing out to the holeshot ahead of Levi Kitchen and Pierce Brown. Kitchen went for a block pass on Lawrence just before the supercross triple which caused Kitchen to miss jumping it and allowed Pierce Brown to sneak to the inside and make the pass.

Phil Nicoletti and Mitchell Oldenburg were having a spirited battle for fourth place early on but eventually Oldenburg was able to get the better of him. Mitchell Harrison had a big crash on the dragons back while running in ninth spot and would eventually get up on his own power but not return to the race as he got on the Alpinestars medical mule.

Lawrence slowly pulled away from Brown who was under attack for the second spot from Levi Kitchen with about a minute left in the race. Kitchen kept showing him a wheel, but Brown was holding steady with the position under the pressure.

In the end, Jett Lawrence held on for the win as Pierce Brown and Levi Kitchen high fived after a solid battle for second that Brown eventually claimed. Oldenburg was fourth ahead of Stilez Robertson who passed Phil Nicoletti late for fifth.

450SX Heat 1

The gates dropped for the first 450SX heat race of the night and it was Eli Tomac launching out to the holeshot ahead of Justin Barcia and the Honda teammates of Colt Nichols and Chase Sexton. Jason Anderson snuck around both Honda boys to get up into third early on.

Sexton went down at the end of the whoops on the first lap and collected Aaron Plessinger with him. Sexton’s bike would not start then as he pushed the Honda off the track and back to the pits as he heads to the LCQ.

Tomac and Barcia opened up a small advantage over Anderson behind as Nichols and then Christian Craig sat back in fifth place. Plessinger was back going after his crash with Sexton and found himself in 10^th with about a minute left on the clock closing in on Alex Ray for ninth.

Plessinger got around Ray for ninth but then Shane McElrath stalled his bike in sixth and took a while to kickstart it again. Ray was able to go back into ninth as McElrath slid all the way down to 12^th.

Anderson went after Barcia on the last lap of the race and a slight tap of his front wheel put Barcia down which brought the crowd to life. Eli Tomac took the win and Anderson seemed to wait for Barcia afterwards to say something, but it appeared cordial between them both. Colt Nichols and Christian Craig rounded out the top five.

450SX Heat 2

The final heat race of the night kicked off and it was Ken Roczen grabbing the holeshot ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Adam Cianciarulo but Ferrandis overjumped the quad on the first lap and Cianciarulo was able to sneak by.

Kyle Chisholm was in fourth battling with Malcolm Stewart early on. Cooper Webb had a bad start and was 11^th after the first lap but was making quick moves through the transfer positions early as the field stayed relatively bunched together.

Malcolm Stewart was on the move early as he got around Chisholm and then caught and passed Ferrandis for third also. Roczen’s lead was hovering around three seconds as Cianciarulo began to get caught by Stewart for second.

As Stewart pushed Cianciarulo though, Roczen started to slip back into their clutches. Stewart made the pass stick on Cianciarulo with the white flag set to wave and then he was able to secure the lead from Roczen right before the supercross triple on the last lap.

The crowd roared as Stewart took the win in the second heat race ahead of Roczen, Cianciarulo, Ferrandis, and Cooper Webb who also snuck up there late.

250SX Last Chance Qualifier

Hunter Yoder grabbed the holeshot in the 250SX LCQ and Max Vohland got another rough start to be buried back in about 12th spot early on. It was a fierce battle from second on back as Dylan Woodcock held second ahead of Joshua Varize and Devin Harriman, but everyone was close together battling it out behind them.

Yoder pulled out a comfortable lead as Varize slotted into second. Vohland made it all the way up to third before he overjumped the second triple in the long rhythm and jumped off the track, tagging a medical worker in the process. When he remounted, he was in 10^th with no shot of making it in.

Hunter Yoder would in the LCQ ahead of Varize, Harrison, and Woodcock as Vohland finished in eighth spot and missed the main event.

450SX Last Chance Qualifier

John Short grabbed the holeshot in the 450SX LCQ after Chase Sexton from the far outside ran it in deep into the first corner. Justin Startling was right there in second as Sexto0n quickly moved back into third place.

Sexton passed Starling early on the second lap and then got Short for the lead just before the finish line jump a few turns later as he looked to take off with the lead. Cade Clason and Josh Hill were going at it for the fourth and final transfer spot with Shane McElrath right behind them.

Clason looked like he had just about gotten away from Hill as he slipped back to battle McElrath but right after McElrath passed Hill for fifth, Clason went flying over the berm after the whoops into the nets which was the end of his night. He was okay but well out of transfer spot.

Chase Sexton took the win in the LCQ ahead of Short, McElrath, and Starling in the end.

250SX Main Event

The second 250SX main event of the year fired away and it was Jett Lawrence grabbing the holeshot as the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing riders slammed together coming into the first turn with Kitchen getting the worst of it and going down hard.

Phil Nicoletti and Enzo Lopes were up front behind Lawrence early on with Cameron McAdoo and RJ Hampshire behind them. Lopes made the move around his teammate Nicoletti to get into second place as Lawrence slowly inched away out front.

McAdoo stalked Nicoletti for about three laps before finally the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki man made the move into third place. Nicoletti quickly lost touch with McAdoo and fell right back into Hampshire’s clutches to which Hampshire promptly took advantage and moved into fourth before the race was five minutes deep.

Nicoletti continued to look flustered as then Pierce Brown caught and passed him less than a lap later to move up to fifth place. The battle for second was brewing as McAdoo was catching Lopes and Lawrence wasn’t exactly pulling away from them either. McAdoo made the move into second spot just after the finish line jump as the clock hit 10 minutes to go.

Hampshire was the next man to move as he also got around Lopes to get into third spot at about the halfway mark. Lawrence and McAdoo up front were matching each other’s lap tines with still just two seconds between them as the second half of the race began.

Lawrence seemed to notice McAdoo was there though as he slowly upped his own pace lap after lap, eventually besting McAdoo’s fastest lap of the race with five minutes to go and stretching the lead out to over three seconds.

The battle for second was on late in the main event as Hampshire closed up on McAdoo as they hit lapped traffic. Hampshire waited for his opportunity to pounce and took it just after the finish line jump with two laps to go.

Jett Lawrence cruised it home from there up front to win his second straight main event to start the season. Hampshire and McAdoo rounded out the podium behind him with Enzo Lopes and Pierce Brown finishing off the top five.