Full wrap up from AMA Supercross Round Two

2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
Round Two – NRG Stadium – Houston

Report by Trevor Hedge – Images by Jeff Kardas

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450 Heat One

The opening 450 Heat saw a number of riders tangle and go down at the first turn which brought the Red Flag out which forced a re-start. Musquin had scored that first holeshot then it looked as though he was going to do the same when the gates dropped for the second time as he led the pack away, but instead it was Chase Sexton that led them out of turn one. Vince Friese had a big tumble early on and had to head for the LCQ, which he later won to earn his transfer to the Main.

Sexton capitalised on his good start to secure a clear victory over Dylan Ferrandis and Marvin Musquin.

450 Heat One Results

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450 Heat Two

Round one victor Justin Barcia took the holeshot from Zach Osborne and Broc Tickle in the second 450 Heat. The Kawasaki pairing of Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo both moved past Tickle early on. Then on the following lap Roczen followed them through to push Tickle back to sixth.

Barcia was unchallenged up front and Osborne was safe throughout in second. The battle for third place was much hotter and unfolded between Tomac, Cianciarulo and Roczen.  Cianciarulo took some time to make a safe pass on his team-mate but then had the speed to pull away from Tomac once he was past and took a clear third place.

450 Heat Two Results

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450 LCQ Results

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450 Main

Chase Sexton scored the holeshot followed by the Kawasaki pairing of Adam Cianciarulo and Eli Tomac.  Justin Brayton got a ripper start in fourth for the Aussie managed Muc-Off Honda squad ahead of Zach Osborne and Malcolm Stewart. Shocker starts for round one victor Justin barcia in 12th, and Ken Roczen back in 14th.

Cianciarulo was running a strong second but went down in the sand three-minutes in to the race and slipped all the way back to 14th place. His fall allowed Tomac to sweep through to second place but the defending champ was nearly five-seconds behind race leader Sexton with 16-minutes to run.

Just when it looked as though Sexton might be able to run away with it, the Honda rider got sideways late in the sand section which pitched him out of the seat and over the bars, landing on the face of an up-ramp with a sickening thud. The track claimed another victim a minute later when Joey Savatgy bit the dust after clipping a rut.

Sexton’s demise promoted Tomac through to the lead with a five-second buffer over Osborne and Brayton. Musquin was about to challenge Brayton for third but then went down in the sand. He recovered quickly but had been shuffled back to tenth by the time he was back up to speed.

By half-race distance Roczen had worked his way up to sixth place behind Malcolm Stewart. Dylan Ferrandis was fourth but then got the better of Brayon to push the Muc-Off Honda man back to fourth.  Tomac still led and the gap back to Osborne was now 2.5-seconds.

Cooper Webb was finding more speed as the race wore on and with five-minutes left on the clock he has challenging Ken Roczen for fifth place as the pair started closing in on fourth placed Brayton.

Osborne was pulling some time back on race leader Tomac every now and then but the defending champion responded each time to eke the gap back out again. Ferrandis was third, Brayton fourth.

Justin Brayton continued to lap strongly and managed to see-off the challenge from Roczen and Webb.  The Muc-Off Honda man looked to have fourth place locked up but then a late mistake by Zach Osborne saw Brayton promoted on to the podium in what was an emotional result for Yarrive Konksy’s team.

Cooper Webb got the better of Roczen to secure fourth place while Marvin Musquin recovered to sixth at the flag ahead of Malcolm Stewart and Jason Anderson. Round one winner Justin Barcia had to settle for ninth while Zach Osborne salvaged some points in tenth after looking certain for a podium earlier in the race.

Defending champiomn Eli Tomac the winner by five-seconds over Dylan Ferrandis.

After the race though officials penalised four riders for jumping in a section where a medical red-cross flag was displayed. Ken Roczen, Jason Anderson, Vince Friese and Martin Davalos retain their finishing positions in the results, but all were docked championship points. If not for the penalty Roczen would have led the championship after round two but after being docked four-points he now ranks fifth.

The reason for Round One winner Justin Barcia’s poor performance in the Main was down to a broken shift lever that left Bam Bam stuck in first gear. Nonetheless Barcia leads the AMA Supercross Championship after two rounds on 40-points ahead of Dylan Ferrandis on 39 and Muc-Off Honda’s Justin Brayton on 38-points equal with Marvin Musquin.

The third round plays out this Saturday again in Houston.

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450 Video Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pkygNpI6ng

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450 Quotes

Eli Tomac – P1

“I would be lying to you if I told you that I wasn’t a little bit freaking out coming into today. Starting the season out 16 points in the hole is not something you want to do, but tonight proved that the field is incredibly deep and anything can happen. I can’t thank the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki team enough for busting their butts the past couple of days for me. I didn’t have the best qualifying sessions today and even the heat race, but they got my KX450 where it needed to be for me heading into the main and the results showed. It’s crazy to think we are now only four points out of the lead and plan to just carry the momentum from here.”

Dylan Ferrandis – P2

“I never expected this race. It’s a big surprise to be here on the podium, honestly. I always work really hard and it looks like it paid off. I gave everything I had all the way to the checkered flag. We had to think a lot on the bike to be creative and find new lines and to try and do some different things on track to be better. I wasn’t trying to rush anything and some guys made mistakes. I was on a good pace and finished second, which is unbelievable. A big thanks to my team that has put in so many hours for me in the last few weeks because I couldn’t ride before. We had to do a lot of stuff in those last two weeks before the race. So it’s unbelievable to be here.”

Justin Brayton – P3

“I am so pumped to have got onto the podium in the second round. These podiums are not easy to come by when there are 15 factory riders who are all capable of being on the podium in any given night, so I am going to cherish this moment and continue to chase for podiums throughout the rest of the championship. We definitely have the speed, we just need to stay consistent with our good starts. With how fast everyone is going now, there are tenths between us so it is vital to get a good start every round. ”

Cooper Webb – P4

“It was a bit of an up-and-down night. I was still trying to find a really good setting for me that I liked and I kind of struggled throughout the day. I didn’t have a great start in the main but at the end I really started going. I made some late passes, got a few gifts and ended up fourth. It’s not what we want but it’s still early in the points and we’ll rebound. There’s still room for improvement to get me more comfortable on the bike and with that I think this week we’ll be right there where we need to be.”

Ken Roczen – P5

“This was a bit of a tough one for us. We didn’t get good starts again, which I have to figure out, and that made life on this kind of track very difficult. I came around in maybe 17th and had to fight my way up, eating roost the whole time. The track deteriorated very quickly and it was a long main event, but we made the most of it and salvaged fifth place. There was an incident with the red cross flag where I got docked four championship points, which I’m in disagreement with, as my view to the flag was blocked by Dylan [Ferrandis]. I think a warning or a fine would’ve been appropriate for the simple reason that I have never been involved in an incident with jumping on a red cross flag; I just don’t think the situation was as clear as they made it out to be. I’m a little bit frustrated about it because we would’ve had the red plate, but at the same time, it is what it is. We’re just going to look forward to Saturday and make the best of it.”

Marvin Musquin – P6

“I got a great start in the Main Event, which was once again the key. I was right there and felt like I was going to have a good race but unfortunately, I crashed in the sand, it was really tricky. I got up and lost so many positions but I tried to fight back and make up the most points possible but there’s not much to say about sixth place. It’s tough but you have to stay on two wheels and stay up front.”

Malcolm Stewart – P7

“I kind of struggled a little bit with the track all day. In the Main Event, I didn’t have the best start but I made it work in the first couple of corners and put myself in the top five right off the rip. I tried to get around (Justin) Brayton but was not really moving forward. Honestly, I made a few mistakes. It was a little tough, conditions wise for a lot of people and me as well. Sometimes tracks that you’re not really comfortable on, things can happen. Looking at how many people hit the ground tonight, overriding and stuff, to finish seventh out of all the carnage is not bad. Leaving here with a seventh, it feels like I got 15th, but I feel like I know what I need to do. I learned a lot tonight. I have a couple of days off so I’m going to watch some tape and sit down with the team. I’m happy with everything. We’ve got the bike really well, I think it was more on me tonight and I just didn’t jibe with the track really well.”

Jason Anderson – P8

“Practice probably didn’t look so good on paper but it went better and my heat race went better than last week, so those are definitely positives,” Anderson said. “In the Main Event, I kind of rode into eighth place and that’s what I ended up with tonight. It’s not the way we wanted to start but hopefully we’ll keep progressing and we’ll just keep going.”

Justin Barcia – P9

“I didn’t get a very good jump in the Main Event and we were outside the top-five pushing each other and I just cross-rutted a little bit, clipped a tuff block and ended up breaking a shifter off. With my luck, it got stuck in first gear, so I did a lap and I was pretty nervous – I missed the triple. I tried the jumps in first gear but it was squirrelly when the dirt is sticky like that so I just salvaged what I could. I’m in it for the long-run so I just have to push through things like that when they happen. All-in-all, it’s not that bad of a spot, obviously would have liked to been out front tonight but it wasn’t my night.”

Zach Osborne – P10

“Overall, it was a really positive day for me. “I just felt really supreme all day and things were easy for me. I had a good heat race, felt really good gelling with the track, and in the Main Event the same thing. With two to go, I just pushed the front in a rut and there she went. It’s a big mistake that veterans like myself typically shouldn’t and wouldn’t make so it’s disappointing and frustrating but I’m healthy and safe and my bike is really on point right now so I’m happy to come back and give it another go on Saturday.”

Dean Wilson – P11

“Tonight, was a little bit better but 11th is not the result we are looking for,” Wilson said. “I just needed to start up front and get in that fight a little more but I was right there. I mean, I am surrounded by guys who are winning races so I feel like I am strong enough to be in the mix, I just need to put myself in that position every time. I am getting better and more comfortable, now I just need to believe in myself a little bit more and I’ll be there.”

Adam Cianciarulo – P12

“I had a good day going and was really starting to feel like myself tonight. I started the day off right by qualifying fastest heading into the night show and then in the heat race I felt like I had really good speed and was even able to pass Eli (Tomac) for third. In the main event, Chase (Sexton) and I had a hot pace going in those opening laps, but I made a slight mistake in the sand sweeper and the rest was history. I hit my hand that I got worked on during the off-season pretty good which made it hard to be aggressive the rest of the race and I just knew I needed to manage. We’ll take the extra couple of days to rest to be ready to go on Saturday.”

 Aaron Plessinger – P17

“I got off to a pretty bad start in the Heat race and didn’t come through the pack that well and ended up eighth, giving me the 16th gate pick in the Main which is not too ideal. I got a pretty good jump and drove it in pretty hard. I felt like I came out decent for what it was. Coming through the pack I went to pass (Jason) Anderson and hit an edge in the whoops. I jumped onto the hay bales – it was like a step on step off in the hay bales – and then I jumped into the base of the finish line and stopped then just kind of tipped over off onto the concrete. It was a wild ride. It could’ve been a lot worse. I’m feeling pretty fortunate to finish tonight. We’ll be back Saturday ready to rip and get those starts dialed.”

Chase Sexton – DNF

“The day started off pretty good. I had pretty good practice qualifiers and was second in both of them. I got my first heat-race win in my second race on a 450, which was good. In the main event, I got a good start and was really feeling good out front—in control and hitting my marks really well. I put a pretty good gap between myself and [Eli] Tomac but made a small mistake that cost me big—hit the ground pretty hard. I’m really sore and my right shoulder is pretty beat up. I hope to be back racing here soon and try to finish the job and get my first win.”

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450 Main Results

450 Championship Standings

 

450 Manufacturer Standings

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250

250 Heat One

GasGas rider Michael Mosiman took the victory in the opening 250 Heat from Colt Nichols and Mitchell Oldenburg after Austin Forkner got caught up and went down hard in the opening turn of the race. Forkner had to battle back through the field up to fourth.

250 Heat One Results

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250 Heat Two

Jett Lawrence scored the holeshot from Christian Craig in their Heat race ahead of Max Vohland. RJ Hampshire eventually got the better of Vohland for the final step on the podium while Jett took the win by 4.7-seconds over Craig.

250 Heat Two Results

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250 LCQ Results

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250 Main

17-year-old Jett Lawrence scored the holeshot over RJ Hampshire and Austin Forkner and from thereon in the young Aussie was never headed.

Austin Forkner tried to chase but a big mistake at the end of the opening lap allowed Mitch Oldenburg to briefly push him back to fourth and cost him his chance of chasing Jett down.

Jett had two-seconds on Hampshire by the end of the second lap as Forkner recoved to third.

With ten-minutes left on the shot clock Lawrence had doubled his advantage over Hampshire to four-seconds.  A challenge by Forkner on Hampshire that ended with both men on the deck then saw Christian Craig blow past them and up into second place, eight-seconds behind Lawrence.

With five-minutes left Lawrence’s advantage over Craig was out to 12.5-seconds. Colt Nichols was third, Michael Mosiman fourth and Jo Shimoda fifth ahead of Forkner.

Jett Lawrence backed off on the final lap but still took the victory by eight-seconds over Nichols while Craig rounded out the podium.

With that victory Jett moves into third place in the championship standings after two rounds of what is a scheduled 17-round series. The third round of which plays out this Saturday, again in Houston.

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250 Video Highlights

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250 Quotes

Jett Lawrence – P1

“Everything just clicked together really well. Qualifying was really good–I was consistent, finishing third in the first one and second in the next. I was struggling with the track then, but when it came to the heat race, everything just clicked together really nicely. I got a really good start and controlled the lead. I had that adrenaline going after my first heat win, and going into the main event I was trying to stay calm. I nailed my start, and the rest is history. I just clicked off laps, and it felt like a video game. I had such a good flow and was doing everything with ease, almost; I was relaxed, and it felt like a practice day. I couldn’t ask for a better day.”

Colt Nichols – P2

“Tonight was pretty good overall. I got second, so I can’t really complain about that because I got some good points. I just didn’t execute the start like I needed to compete for the win, I’m kind of kicking myself for that. I need to be a little better at the beginning of the Main. The track broke down really well, and once it started to break down, I felt like I rode well. It just took too long to get going, and I was too far back to do anything for the win. I need to work on that, and we’ll be good to go to try and get a win. We’ll be better on Saturday.”

Christian Craig – P3

“It was a pretty eventful Main Event. It’s cool to have these red plates. I’ve never been in this situation before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But yeah, it’s awesome. The Main Event started okay. I came around mid-pack and then went to work on passing people. I ended up getting Colt midway through, and then two riders went down. I had to manage a couple of things throughout the race. In the last three or four laps, I made some mistakes, and Colt got by me. I finished third, so I can’t be too mad, but on the other hand, I need to fix those mistakes for Saturday. It’s a quick turn around again. We’ve still got the red plate, which I’m happy about, and maintained some of our points lead. I’m ready to move on to Saturday now.”

Michael Mosiman – P4

“Getting a heat race win and a fourth on the night is a huge step in the right direction. I’m excited it’s my first heat race win! it feels good to come across the line first, so I’m hoping for a lot more of that shortly. When you’re riding good everything else just comes easy and is fun.”

Jo Shimoda – P5

“My day was pretty consistent. I qualified in seventh place and in my heat race I got held up by some slower traffic and was only able to manage fifth. In the main event, I did not get a very good start, but like this past Saturday, I knew that I needed to just keep clicking off my laps and the race would come to me. I ended up fifth overall which is pretty good and am fifth in points, but I know I have more in me and want to get on the podium.”

Austin Forkner – P6

“Today was clearly not my day. I felt decent overall in qualifying but had a massive get off in the sand section, and then in my heat race I was bumped at the end of the long start straight sending me flying off the track and over the bars. I was however pumped that I was able to charge all the way back to fourth in the heat after being dead last on the start of lap one. In the main event, I got a good jump off the start and was in second but at the end of the whoops had a scary moment which caused me to lose some positions. I knew I had to get going quick before the leader ran away from me, and when I caught back up to second place and took him high in a corner, he fell over on me taking us both down. I did everything I could to regain positions but could only manage sixth. Today wasn’t my day but were only seven points down and will try to be better on Saturday.”

Mitch Oldenburg – P7

“Tonight was so much better for me, I feel more relaxed on the bike and that showed in the main event when I was able to get a good start and get inside the top six. I know I am riding well, I definitely have the speed and drive to move forward, I just made a small mistake which set me back. I was glad I was able to come through the back to seventh after having to pick the bike back up. It is still a good place to be in at this point in the season so I can build on that for the third round. I am so pumped for Brayton to get onto the podium, that was cool to see!”

Max Vohland – P8

“The race tonight was pretty solid for me. We wanted to improve on starts from last Saturday and I was able to get a good start in the main, so that was great. Still have a couple more things we need to tweak but so far so good, we’ll just keep chugging along.”

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250 Main Results

 

250 Rider Standings

250 Manufacturer Standings