Eli Tomac wins Round 4 – Anderson retains lead
Plessinger takes the 250SX win and lead
Reed 19th in 450SX – Mellross 14th in 250SX
450SX Main Event
It would be Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac who claimed the 450SX Main Event win at the Glendale Supercross at Arizona’s University of Phoenix Stadium, with Jason Anderson claiming fourth place after a strong showing in qualifying, holding on to this his standings lead from Justin Barcia, who took second in the main event, mirroring his standing position following this round. Ken Roczen completed the podium in third, and sits third in the standings heading into Round 5. Aussie Chad Reed took 19th, and now sits 16th in the standings.
As soon as the gate dropped in the 450SX Main Event, Tomac made it clear that he intended to get out front and stay there by taking the holeshot and quickly setting the fastest lap time of the event. The Kawasaki rider continued to lead the field for all 23 laps until the checkered flag waved signifying a second win in as many weeks. The victory brings 26 additional points for Tomac and the team, advancing to tenth in the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Rider Point Standings.
Eli Tomac – P1
“Starts were a big push for us this week and I was happy to get out front. I was hitting every line today and the guys were still right on me, so I knew it was going to be a long race. I am really happy that we were able to run a clean race with as few mistakes as possible and take home the win. We have worked really hard to get as healthy as possible and I’m feeling really good about where we’re at.”
Jason Anderson was the fastest qualifier of the day aboard his Husqvarna 2018 FC 450 Rockstar Edition. Feeling confident, he pulled the holeshot in his heat, pulled away, and took another heat race win in dominating fashion. He got a great start in the 450 Main Event and immediately started battling near the front, but was in the middle of a freight train of riders and shuffled back a few spots.
He regrouped and began reeling in riders with seven minutes plus two laps remaining in the race. Putting in an amazing charge, he set the fastest lap of the race with two laps to go and finished an impressive fourth. He holds on to the red plate and maintains his lead in 450 rider point standings.
Jason Anderson – P4
“My practices were great today, I was able to figure everything out. I got pretty set up and was good for the night show. I qualified first in practice and was able to get another heat race win. I started out great in the Main but got shuffled back to around seventh but then worked my way back to fourth. I just need to keep the ball rolling.”
Musquin, still rehabbing a shoulder injury sustained at Round 2, had a slow start to his race day with a 6th place finish in 450SX Heat #1. Despite a bad start in the heat race, Musquin’s steady performance gave him a transfer position into the Main Event.
In the 450SX Main Event, Musquin got off to a top-ten start early on the opening lap but he quickly charged his way up to the 5th place battle, where he engaged through the first half of the race. Musquin eventually made his way up to 4th just after the halfway point but the French rider was ultimately passed by a hard-charging Jason Anderson late in the race. Still finishing strong despite his setbacks, Musquin maintained his top-five position throughout the 20-lap Main Event to ultimately finish 5th..
Marvin Musquin – P5
“Given the last few weeks and all the rehab work I’ve put in to strengthen my shoulder, I’m happy with 5th place tonight. I was able to get a reasonable start around 8th and just tried to put in solid laps until the end. I’m happy to make good gains this week and I look forward to building from here.”
450SX Main Event Results
- Eli Tomac (KAW)
- Justin Barcia (YAM)
- Ken Roczen (HON)
- Jason Anderson (HUS)
- Marvin Musquin (KTM)
- Weston Peick (SUZ)
- Justin Brayton (HON)
- Cooper Webb (YAM)
- Blake Baggett (KTM)
- Joshua Grant (KAW)
…19. Chad Reed (Husqvarna)
450SX Points Standings
- Jason Anderson (HUS) 89
- Justin Barcia (YAM) 80
- Ken Roczen (HON) 77
- Weston Peick (SUZ) 71
- Cole Seely (HON) 70
- Justin Brayton (HON) 68
- Joshua Grant (KAW) 58
- Blake Baggett (KTM) 57
- Marvin Musquin (KTM) 54
- Eli Tomac (KAW) 53
…16. Chad Reed (HUS) 28
250SX Class Western Regional
Shane McElrath and Joey Savatgy may have entered Round 4 holding a tied championship lead, but it would be Aaron Plessinger who left Glendale with top honours, taking the Main Event win and the Championship lead in one swoop, with a single point separating him from second placed McElrath in the standings. Adam Cianciarulo completed the podium, while Savatgy had to settle for fourth, relegating him to third in the standings heading into Round 5. Aussie Hayden Mellross took 16th for the round and sits 14th in the standings.
In the 250SX West Main Event, McElrath got off to a great start aboard his KTM 250 SX-F as he charged the opening lap in the 2nd place position. McElrath wasted no time putting himself into the lead position with a swift pass on Joey Savatgy for the 1st place position. From there, McElrath battled with Aaron Plessinger for the lead spot – with Plessinger overtaking the position just before the halfway point. McElrath finished out strong in the 17-lap Main Event, ultimately finishing 2nd place behind Plessinger.
Shane McElrath – P2
“I was going as fast as I could, the track was slippery and the lappers were bad out there. Aaron was just going really fast – he was pulling me each lap and I couldn’t do anything. But it’s fun battling with these guys, this is what we do. We’re moving on, looking ahead and ready to take on Oakland.”
Starting the day qualifying second, Cianciarulo continued to showcase his talent and speed on the tough West Coast soil. He qualified third and after starting the main event in sixth, put his head down and started picking off riders. By the sixth lap he was into fourth behind his teammate and was able to capitalize on a mistake from Savatgy to move into third, where he maintained until the checkered flag.
Adam Cianciarulo – P3
“The start is definitely important with the array of talent that is in the class right now and I didn’t get one tonight. With everyone being so ‘on’ it’s harder and harder to come through the pack. It really ended up being a mistake that helped push me forward, but I know that I have what it takes to win. I just need to put myself in that position.”
Savatgy entered the night show with the top qualifying time during the afternoon sessions. He was showcasing that speed, but a mistake in the hard-packed whoops forced Savatgy to qualify through the LCQ – which he won.
Savatgy was able to get an awesome jump from the outside and earn the holeshot. He stayed with the front-runners for several laps and was keeping pace in third, but a mistake in the final few laps pushed him back to fourth where he finished.
Joey Savatgy – P4
“I was really trying to play it smart and ride my own race. It helped me last week, but the slick track bit me a few times. I’m thankful to have been able to get up quickly and get fourth, but it’s not where I want to be. I know anything can happen in this series so we’ll keep working and bring our best to Oakland next weekend.”
250SX Class Western Regional Main Event Results
- Aaron Plessinger (Yamaha)
- Shane McElrath (KTM)
- Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki)
- Joey Savatgy (Kawasaki)
- Chase Sexton (Honda)
- Bradley Taft (Yamaha)
- Justin Hill (Suzuki)
- Mitchell Harrison (Yamaha)
- Kyle Chisholm (Yamaha)
- Christian Craig (Honda)
…14. Hayden Mellross (Yamaha)
250SX Class Western Region Points Standings
- Aaron Plessinger, Yamaha, 92
- Shane McElrath, KTM, 91
- Joey Savatgy, Kawasaki, 87
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 77
- Christian Craig, Honda, 70
- Chase Sexton, Honda, 69
- Mitchell Oldenburg, Yamaha, 58
- Justin Hill, Suzuki, 58
- Kyle Chisholm, Yamaha, 53
- Bradley Taft, Yamaha, 51
…12. Hayden Mellross, Yamaha, 4
