Words and photos by Krystyn Slack
We are now two weeks into the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship season and the narrative began much the same in San Diego, CA on January 14, 2017 as it did in Anaheim, CA on January 7, 2017. For an unprecedented second week in a row, an unusually wet winter in Southern California led to once again being forced into rainy day scheduling, which meant no Press Day riding and no untimed practice sessions. The first time any riders hit the track was for their first qualifying practice session, and for some riders this was also the first time they had a chance to ride all week, as the rain also closed many of the local public tracks and private test tracks.
Although rain has adjusted the race day schedule, the wet weather had seemingly little impact on riders ability to put down very fast lap times. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Justin Hill was your fastest qualifier in the 250SX class with a 53.165 second best time. Hot on his wheels, though, was the #38 of Shane McElrath at 53.729 seconds. In the 450SX class defending champion, Ryan Dungey, put his Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition bike at the top of the qualifying list with a 52.352 second fast lap. Following less than 3/10 of a second behind the #5 of Dungey was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson. The top ten 450 qualifiers were separated by a meager 1.432 seconds immediately giving us the indication that even the slightest of mistakes would leave the door open in the night show to capitalize on those mistakes and take away possibly multiple positions from riders. These sub-1 minute lap times meant that for the first time since timed racing was introduced, 450 riders would be tasked with completing more than 20 laps of racing – a challenging feat even for the most fit and experienced rider.
Throughout the Night Show, set against the beautiful backdrop of Downtown San Diego, California, we witnessed some incredible racing from Heats all the way through Main Events for an even more important purpose, to honor all of the military members serving in North America and overseas. Racing in San Diego always brings with it a special energy being surrounded by the numerous servicemen and women in attendance, and this year was no exception. Picking up exactly where he left off in Anaheim, the #38 of Shane McElrath grabbed his second heat race win on the season during the 250SX Heat 1, followed by the also familiar faces of #30 Martin Davalos and #23 Aaron Plessinger, respectively. Heat 2 was home to your fastest 250 qualifier of the day, Justin Hill, who also rode away with the Heat 2 win. Hill’s teammate, new kid Austin Forkner, grabbed an impressive holeshot and finished his heat in second place. The GOAT pointed out in his commentary that although very young and in his rookie season, Forkner’s race IQ is extremely high. He absorbs, adjusts, and learns incredibly quickly maturity even some experienced riders lack. To round out Heat 2, Jeremy Martin finished 3rd. We know Martin is laced with the speed to win, but his third place Heat Race finish is especially notable this week as he suffered one of the most remarkable crashes during qualifying. After a visually epic ragdoll ejection from his race steed, the #6 of Martin miraculously landed on his feet and got immediately back on the bike, hardly even missing a beat.
As expected, the premier class of riders also gave us some remarkable racing to watch, beginning with the Heat Races. During Heat 1 for the 450SX class, the #21of Jason Anderson and the #3 of Eli Tomac battled it out in an epic cat and mouse chase for the entire heat. It seemed as if the riders changed position nearly every turn, ultimately resulting in a last lap for Anderson who went on to take the win his fourth career Heat Race win. The increased number of 180* turns allowed for exponentially more passing opportunities than were present during the season opener in Anaheim. Also notable during Heat 1, the role of Loopout Larry being played by the usually very skilled, Blake Baggett. The #4 KTM was off to a seemingly doable start and then in a flash, Baggett found himself completely separate from his bike in a state of total bewilderment. He opted for a DNF in his Heat race, but found himself a spot in the Main Event via a fourth place finish in his Semi. Heat 2 saw a familiar finishing order with Ken Roczen taking the win, followed by Ryan Dungeyand Marvin Musquin, respectively. Racing seemed to get even more exhilarating as the night rolled on.
When the gate dropped on the 250SX Main Event, The Rippa Jimmy Decotis slingshotted directly to the front of the pack with the holeshot and an impressive race lead. It was nearly two-thirds of the race that the GEICO Honda machine remained in the lead. With 5:33 remaining in the Main, the #30 of Martin Davalos edged passed Decotis. While Decotis and Davalos continued to battle, Justin Hill, Aaron Plessinger, and current points leader, Shane McElrath were carefully calculating their passes and aggressively executing them on their rise to the top. As the clock ticked down, Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger worked his way from mid pack, picking off riders and capitalizing on their mistakes until he found himself in third place, where he would ultimately finish on the night. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Justin Hill carried the speed of his Heat Race win into the Main Event, but had to come from an impressive seventh place to land on the podium in second. He even almost made a last second pass on Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM’s Shane McElrath who ultimately rode away with the win. Shane went from earning his first-ever Monster Energy AMA Supercross win to making it two in a row. He will continue to carry the red plate and points lead into Round 3 at Anaheim this weekend.
The final gate drop of the evening resulted in another epic cat and mouse battle. Ken Roczen may have taken a commanding 16 second win last weekend in Anaheim, but unlucky for him, Ryan Dungey has developed an unrelenting ability to observe, assess, and recalculate while maintaining a level of calm and confident that is nearly unmatched by other riders. It would be Dungey first off the gate and first to cross the chalk in the 450SX Main Event. But the holeshot did not result in a lead for long, Kenny was immediately right there; ready to implement a pass for the lead early on in the race. In the no holds barred Main Event, Roczen and Dungey kept each other honest the entire race, each making a passes for the lead at one point or another. Recall that lap times varied by mere tenths of a second during qualifying, that meant that any minute mistake would open the door for a rider to capitalize. Kenny did just that, and in the almost microscopic mistake made by Dungey, he was able to capitalize and pull ahead by a couple of bike lengths for his second win in a row. Ryan Dungey finished in second place with his teammate, the #25 of Marvin Musquin finishing in third. Musquin’s podium for a second consecutive week is especially notable this week. During the first lap, he nearly looped out over a rhythm section, but managed to save it, but that resulted in him being positioned nearly 21 seconds behind the leader at one point. Marvin rode consistently and assertively as he made his way through the pack and around the battles in front of him. Similar to their Heat Race, Jason Anderson and Eli Tomac continued to battle each other for position. Both of those riders have shown great speed in practice and during the Heats, but have not yet transitioned that speed to the duration of a Main Event. We should expect to see both Anderson and Tomac in contention for podium positions the second they find the final piece of the puzzle.
We’re currently two for two for races being impacted by inclement weather- a sentence no moto enthusiast ever expected, especially in Southern California. We head back to the Mecca of moto this weekend as we once again #DropTheGate at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Ironically, we may be headed into a third week impacted by inclement weather in one of the wettest winters in recent history in Southern California. But will a three for three for rainy weather also mean a three for three for both of our current points leaders?
250 Main Event
1. Shane McElrath (KTM)
2. Justin Hill (Kawasaki)
3. Aaron Plessinger (Yamaha)
4. Martin Davalos (Husqvarna)
5. Austin Forkner (Kawasaki)
6. Jimmy DeCotis (Honda)
7. Jeremy Martin (Honda)
8. Phil Nicoletti (Suzuki)
9. Hayden Mellross (Yamaha)
10. Josh Hansen (Husqvarna)
450 Main Event
1. Ken Roczen (Honda)
2. Ryan Dungey (KTM)
3. Marvin Musquin (KTM)
4. Jason Anderson (Husqvarna)
5. Cole Seely (Honda)
6. Eli Tomac (Kawasaki)
7. Weston Peick (Suzuki)
8. Davi Millsaps (KTM)
9. Chad Reed (Yamaha)
10. Justin Bogle (Suzuki)
250 West Regional SX Points Standings
1. Shane McElrath 50
2. Aaron Plessinger 42
3. Justin Hill 38
4. Martin Davalos 38
5. Austin Forkner 29
6. Jeremy Martin 29
7. Jimmy DeCotis 27
8. Tyler Bowers 20
9. Mitchell Oldenburg 18
10. Dan Reardon 18
450 SX Points Standings
1. Ken Roczen 50
2. Ryan Dungey 44
3. Marvin Musquin 40
4. Jason Anderson 36
5. Eli Tomac 31
6. Cole Seely 31
7. Davi Millsaps 27
8. Weston Peick 27
9. Josh Grant 22
10. Justin Bogle 20