Words and Photos by Krystyn Slack
Round 12 of Monster Energy Supercross brought with it some of the most unique elements of the series, both inside and outside the stadium. Who would’ve thought that weather would be the talk of the weekend when Lucas Oil Stadium is a retractable roof stadium? Just outside the stadium doors, the sunny and brisk Press Day turned into a total white out snowy Race Day. When all was said and done, nearly a foot of snow had fallen in the pits. The majority of the factory teams are all based out of California, which means that a foot of snow was the Instagram stories’ hot topic. Some long-time veterans of the sport said that in their decades on the crew, they had never seen a snow day like this year’s snow day in Indy. Although wildly unprepared for the drop in temperature, the teams basked in the opportunity to enjoy a day out of the ordinary, many even building snowmen outside of their rigs, adorned in team colours, and of course, partaking in a snowball fight or two. Things were cold outside but they were really heating up inside at the inaugural midseason East/West showdown. Here’s a look at five of the wildest and most memorable moments from Indy.
5. Michael Mosiman Doubles as Spider Man During Practice
During the second round of qualifying for the 250 class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman was coming in hot to the turn before the finish line when he was launched directly into the berm restraint device, aka “safety net.” The addition of the safety nets in 2018 has allowed DirtWurx and the design team more freedom in building turns with steeper banks, something the riders enjoy riding and the fans enjoy watching. However, on a few occasions, those nets have done exactly as they are supposed to in catching riders who push the limits of physics on their motorcycles just a little too far. Mosiman was unscathed in the superhero stunt. I can’t say the same, however, for the safety net itself. Mosiman hit the net with such force that the entire apparatus was damaged, causing DirtWurx to have an emergency redesign session prior to the start of the second timed qualifying session for the 450 class. The turn was flattened out and the jump before it altered as well.
4. Marvin Musquin Claims First Win Since Season Opener
Marvin Musquin, “The Million Dollar Man”, has had his fair share of ups and downs this season. He started off with a bang by following up his stellar off-season with a win at the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season opener. That coveted win was unfortunately followed up with a shoulder dislocation in Houston during Round 2. Since that time, Musquin has been fighting his way back toward the front of the pack while working on healing his shoulder. In Indianapolis, Marvin pulled a killer holeshot and just ran away from the pack with unrelenting speed. It helped, of course, that Eli went down in the middle of the race, giving Marvin a little more breathing room. On a track that is so short, like the track in Indy, lappers certainly come into play so it is especially important to get out front with a good start. Marvin accomplished that task with ease and ended up lapping the field through 6th place. By the time the checkered flag waived, Musquin was an impressive 29.493 seconds ahead of his competition. This was a big win for Musquin, not only in gap between him and second place, but a big win because it’s his first since Round 1 in Anaheim.
3. Justin Brayton Earns Second Podium Finish of the Season
Justin Brayton has been a staple name in the field of Supercross competitors for many years now, 16 in fact. The Honda rider has remained steady on the rise throughout his career, especially in the past couple of years. In Daytona, Brayton became the oldest rider in history to earn a Supercross victory, knocking long-time record holder Mike LaRocco out of the title. Justin Brayton perfectly embodies the “never give up” mantra, and the work he has put in week after week is proof of that. His competition jokes that he’s definitely supposed to be getting slower and closer to retirement as he gets older, not faster! But 2018 has been a real breakout for the Supercross veteran. A handful of Heat Race wins, a win at the historic Daytona International Speedway, and now a third-place finish in Indianapolis, Justin Brayton certainly doesn’t plan on slowing down on the track or in his career anytime soon!
2. Dean Wilson Earns Career First 450 Supercross Podium
Dean Wilson is another rider who has had to fight for every position this season. The Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna rider put in a tremendous amount of effort during the off-season and was ready to take 2018 by storm. Unfortunately, before the first Main Event of the year, DeanO was already bit by the injury bug. He injured his shoulder the first round and has been fighting his way back through the injury ever since. Dean has been faced with more than his fair share of adversity over the years, but one thing that remains consistent is his unyielding positive attitude and mindset. Even amongst the setbacks, Dean is determined to put in his best effort, regardless of the circumstances. In Indianapolis, DeanO was on it. He managed a great start and was able to remain astutely focused throughout the Main Event. He got into a bit of a kerfuffle with Broc Tickle, who went down as the result of some bad race math. He apologized to Tickle on the podium, who ultimately finished fifth, after holding a podium position for most of the Main Event. Dean Wilson, however, finished the race in second place, claiming his career-first Monster Energy Supercross podium in the 450 Class.
1. Luke Renzland Scores Career First Monster Energy Supercross Podium
It was a day of new and exciting things in Indianapolis, and a day where clearly a good start was the golden ticket on the short track. Traders Racing Yamaha rider Luke Renzland has been a 250 Eastern Region competitor who puts in the most impressive, yet least noticed rides each and every round. Impressively, Renzland manages to pass for around 10 positions on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, that passing is usually done from the back of the pack after a less than ideal start, which is why few media outlets give him the attention he deserves for his impressive rides. It was only a matter of time before the #38 was able to connect all the pieces together and get a start that matched his already skilled riding. The field is stacked this year and the majority of the guys are fast, really fast, so the only hope is to get out front early. Leading up to Indianapolis, Renzland mentioned in his post race press interview that he didn’t ride a single lap on his Supercross track the whole week. What he did do, however, was spend six hours working on starts, starts, and more starts. His brain and clutch were fried, but he was determined to dial in his starts so he didn’t have to fight through the quagmire from the back of the pack. Clearly, the work paid off because when the gate dropped, Renzland charged from the far outside directly toward the front of the pack. Where some people were describing his podium finish as the “biggest surprise” of the weekend, it was truly only a matter of time that Luke Renzland would be a legitimate podium contender. The speed has been there, the starts have not. Now that he’s figured out a very key part of the puzzle, we can expect to see Luke near the front of the pack much more frequently. This was also a huge day for Traders Racing Yamaha as Luke’s career-first podium also marked the team’s first-ever podium as well.
Indy sure was a race to remember this year! We head into the only break of the season this upcoming weekend. Join us when we return to Monster Energy Supercross for Round 13 in Seattle, Washington