Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
As it always does, the Monster Energy Supercross series kicked off its series in Anaheim, California, at the iconic Angel’s Stadium in early January. And the 2023 version of Team Solitaire gave Canadian supercross fans several reasons to pay attention to its 250SX West efforts. Not only does the team have Canadian roots through ownership, but the Yamaha backed crew also signed multi-time champion Cole Thompson and announced their new title sponsor – Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co.
Having signed a multiyear agreement with the Canadian-based hot sauce company, fans were excited to see the new look and the season opener. Not only did Anaheim 1 kick off the 2023 SX Series but it also served as the team’s opportunity to debut everything Heartbeat Hot Sauce.
With the Superbowl being held in Glendale this year, the traditional first run of six 250SX West region rounds would look a little different, and the team only had four rounds to start their year before over a month break in competition. And those first few weeks of races were anything but ‘traditional”. There was a cancellation, some crashing, and a pair of top tens mixed with some 450-class racing to start the season off for the Yamaha-backed Team Solitaire Heartbeat Hot Sauce Team.
As he always does, Cole Thompson just rode his way methodically through qualifying, and the heat never drawing too much attention, good or bad, at Anaheim 1. Cole would qualify directly into the main through his heat, but a bad start put Thompson in a tough spot starting off the main event. With a soft, tough track biting everyone, solid laps and endurance would put the veteran rider up to 13th pace by the time the checkers flew.
Severe weather in Oakland and the surrounding Northern California area caused Feld Entertainment to postpone the second round of the series to February 18.
The series picked back up in San Diego, California, and it was held at the newly constructed Snapdragon Stadium for the first time ever. San Diego typically serves as the “Military Appreciation” round, so even though the series switched it to Tampa Bay for 2023, Cole and his team ran a head-to-toe set up honoring the 442nd Fighter Wing. Like Anaheim, consistency and smooth laps put the #83 into the main event, where he grabbed his first top 10 of the season.
Anaheim 2 was the first Triple Crown round of the year and did not disappoint from an excitement level. Thompson qualified 11th directly into the three main event format, and a solid first main event 9th place (just shy of 8th at the line) put the Team Solitaire rider in a great spot heading into the last two for a great overall. From there, uncharacteristic crashes in the second two mains, including a BIG one on the final lap of the night, would bring Cole’s overall finish down to a 14th.
With a two-week break in the 250SX West action, Thompson headed east with his wife, dog, and a 250 (practice) bike to mix it up with the 450 class. Being top 25 (20th in Houston and 24th in Tampa) at both rounds in qualifying and finishing 6th and 5th in each round’s LCQ, the unpowered rider made it exciting but ultimately would miss both mains by the slimmest of margins.
Replacing the earlier postponed Oakland round, February 18 saw the 250SX West riders back in action in Northern California before taking another break until March 25. The newly scheduled round in Oakland also allowed for the team to collaborate on a design with Heartbeat Hot Sauce and their NASCAR efforts in the Xfinity series. Dressed up head to toe in what looked like a really fast Hot Wheels toy car design, Cole Thompson put in his best qualifying and main event efforts of the year, finishing 10th in qualifying and backing that up with a season best 9th in the main event.
Thompson now sits 11th in series points with 13-10-14-9 finishes and is only 6 points out of 7th as the series heads to Seattle on March 25.
For behind-the-scenes prep and all other things Team Solitaire, be sure to follow the team on all platforms:
Follow – Instagram | TikTok | Twitter – @teamsolitaireSX
“Like” Team Solitaire on Facebook – www.facebook.com/teamsolitaireSX
Follow Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co. on all social platforms- @heartbeat_hotsauce and get yours at www.heartbeathotsauce.com and stop by the Team Solitaire rig all season long for some Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co. goodies.
