Blow by blow report from AMA Supercross season opener

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

Report by Trevor Hedge – Images by Jeff Kardas

450

The 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship kicked off overnight in Houston. A bit of a change from the traditional Anaheim series opener but the 2021 calendar is also far from normal. The COVID-19 crisis again forcing organisers to host multiple events at the one venue in succession to better safeguard riders and crew and aid their attempts to largely quarantine themselves away from the wider general public by reducing travel.

Houston’s NRG Stadium plays host to the opening three rounds of the series, the second of which will be run on Tuesday night before the third next Saturday, January 23. The series then heads to Indy for three rounds, Florida for another three before then returning to Texas. Atlanta hosts round 13, 14 and 15 before the final two rounds at Salt Lake City. The grand finale is schedule for May 1st in what will be a quick-fire season for Monster Energy Supercross.

450 Heat One

Justin Barcia won the opening 450 Heat of season 2021 by almost two-seconds over Ken Roczen. The German had put in the fastest lap of the race, which also ended up being the fastest lap of the event, a storming 43.964, but overall Barcia’s consistency ensured he was never headed.

Adam Cianciarulo took third ahead of a slow-starting Eli Tomac while Justin Brayton started the night well for the Aussie managed Muc-Off Honda squad with fifth place ahead of Dean Wilson.

450 Heat One Results

450 Heat Two

Chase Sexton had set the fastest lap in qualifying and also set the fastest lap in the second Heat race but ultimately that was not enough to score victory with the Team Honda rider taking fourth place in his Heat.

Victor Zach Osborne took his time in chasing down Cooper Webb before taking the lead with two laps to run and pulling away.

Aaron Plessinger started well and was challenging Cooper Webb for the lead throughout most of the race before slipping back to fifth over the course of the final two laps.

Malcolm Stewart took third place after surviving some early tussles over fourth place with Marvin Musquin. The KTM rider was eventually overhauled by both Jason Anderson and Vince Friese who pushed the #25 back to eighth place by the flag.

450 Heat Two Results

450 LCQ

Kyle Chisholm took a clear victory in the LCQ ahead of Brandon Hartranft and Adam Enticknap while Alex Ray secured the final transfer spot.

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450 LCQ Results

450 Main

Justin Barcia got a great start but Marvin Musquin gazumped him on the exit of turn one to take the early race lead. Not for long though as Musquin got Bam Bammed a few corners later and the Gas Gas rider then cleared out.

Also moving past Musquin in no time was Justin Brayton. Running under the Muc-Off banner for Melbourne based Yarrive Konsky’s team, Brayton was getting some quality air-time up front for their new sponsors.

A little further back Ken Roczen worked his way past Musquin and then Adam Cianciarulo, to move up to third place two-minutes into the race. A lap later Roczen made short work of Brayton to move up to second place.

Further back a slow-starting Tomac went down after battling with Vince Friese over seventh place. It didn’t get much better from there for Tomac, an ignominious start to the season for the defending champion saw the #1 Kawasaki only scoring ten-points from his eventual 13th place finish.

Roczen steadily reeled in Barcia and got close, but seemed to play a safe game rather than take too many risks challenging for the win. Roczen made a couple of thrusts but they were not determined enough to overcome Barcia.

Barcia made history by being the first rider in 25 years to win the opening round of the season for three years in a row. The last person to do so was Jeremy McGrath.

Justin Barcia – P1

“Kenny [Roczen] honestly pressured me so hard the whole race but I held it together, it was really awesome. I can’t thank the whole Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing team enough, that was an insane race! I’m glad I did the three-peat, that wasn’t the goal, but this is the first one of hopefully many more and I just want to be in the fight all year and not just a one-hit wonder.”

Ken Roczen – P2

“It was a really good night for me and the HRC team. We got second in the heat race and in the main event after a hard fight with Justin Barcia. He rode really well, but I never let loose and was right there until the very end. I think there was a lot of madness going on behind us. The track was brutal; a lot of it was really basic, but half was pretty technical, and it got super rutted and bumpy. We had a really good night. We hung in there and got away with a second place, which is good for the first race. We’re in the hunt this season and it’s super long. Right now we’re just going to focus on recovery and getting back here on Tuesday for round 2.”

Marvin Musquin – P3

“It’s good to be back. I had a great start in the Main Event, they were a little more aggressive than me right away, it’s been a long time since I’ve raced supercross, but we did everything we could to be ready for the first round. I knew the starts were going to be important and I’m super happy I made that happen and put myself in a good position to fight for a podium. I’m happy with the changes on the bike and I feel like the fitness will only get better and better with racing.”

Malcolm Stewart – P5

“I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous at the beginning of the day. A new team, new bike, new year, it was just the typical jitters. We went to the Main Event and I finally got the jitters out. I didn’t get the best start. I think I looked at the gate just a little too quick when the 30-second card went sideways. It’s about five to seven seconds typically when it drops. I was probably staring at that thing for seven seconds. I made a few mistakes in the beginning and got around some guys but just kind of gapped myself. I knew that it was going to be a long race, and it was. We did 28 laps. Third and fourth were right there. I did everything I could to try to get them. I was sitting in fifth and I felt like I was just kind of riding by myself in my own little zone, but I stayed charging. Adam Cianciarulo was dangling the carrot in front of me and it just kept me motivated. Honestly, going into this race, the first race, getting a top-five, and a top 10 for the whole Star Racing Yamaha team is awesome. I’m very happy with the team and the progress that everybody’s made. We had a pretty crazy off-season with this whole COVID thing but we made it work. The only thing we can do from here is to keep building. I’m very proud of the whole team.”

Justin Brayton – P6

“We got great starts all night and the team worked hard preparing for this weekend. It’s a credit to them and how our decisions as a team really paid off, you know the Pirelli tyres were amazing tonight, the bike was smooth, it’s been a welcomed weekend of intense competition. 6th was my top result from last year so this is a great way for me to start the Championship, something I can certainly build up from and refine each week. The CRF450R out of the box is amazing, so we are confident in it and together with our great partners and resources, we will aim to be faster each week.”

Dylan Ferrandis – P7

“My first 450 race was really, really difficult. It was what I expected though. When you’re on the gate with all the top guys and champions, it’s hard to find your place. The first few practices were really bad. I was struggling mentally to get the rhythm, and also with the bike a little bit in race conditions. But we just stayed focused with the team. We changed some stuff on the bike, really small things, and just tried to improve practice after practice. I had a so-so start in the Main Event, but I just gave everything I had and it paid off. I think seventh in my first 450 race is good and for sure, after having a small winter season and a small injury also. I’m really happy. I did the job and I’m really proud and happy to give that result to my team that works really hard.”

Aaron Plessinger – P8

“Today started off kind of rough. I wasn’t really gelling with the bike. Went out in the first and second practice and I qualified really, really bad. I just needed to calm down and let my nerves just ease up a little bit. That’s what I did in the Heat race. I got off to a great start right behind Coop (Cooper Webb), and unfortunately, I made a few mistakes. I think without those mistakes I could have possibly had the win. I took that with me to the Main. I didn’t really get a good start, but I made the best of it. I just took it stride by stride. I was right there with (Justin) Brayton for a while and tried to push it in on him. Then I tightened up and Dylan ended up getting me at the end. Overall, it was a good day. Eighth place for the first race of the year. We’ll come back on Tuesday and rip it again.”

Cooper Webb – P9

“The heat race went pretty good for me, I got the holeshot and led a majority of it and got second. In the Main Event, I got a really bad start and just struggled to come through. The track was really hard to gain time on tonight and I made a few passes but I struggled. We’ll look to get a lot better for Tuesday.”

Zach Osborne – P10

“We had an unfortunate incident yesterday and I am really lucky to be riding today, so I was happy to start to feel like myself again in qualifying, get a heat win and have a decent Main Event. I would have obviously liked to have been a little better than 10th but to be down in the first turn, come back to 10th and get some valuable points is a positive takeaway for me after yesterday.”

Dean Wilson – P12

“My starts in both the heat and Main Event weren’t that great tonight but I feel like if I can get a good start, I can definitely be up there. I got a little bit of arm pump and I was maintaining, instead of pushing forward, which was disappointing. We’re healthy and we’ve got another chance to try on Tuesday, so we’re going to keep positive.”

Jason Anderson – P15

“My night was not that good but we’re going into the next round and going to stay positive about it. I was up to seventh and then I got arm pump and kind of went backwards but all-in-all, we started the season and I’m happy to be back racing so let’s go from there.”

450 Main Results

450 Championship Points

Manufacturer Standings

250

In another change from the norm, it is the 250 East Series that opens the Monster Energy Supercross season rather than the traditional West Coast opener at Anaheim.

250 Heat One

Austin Forkner came from behind to dominate 250 Heat One from Jo Shimoda while Aussie teenager Jett Lawrence rounded out the podium ahead of Max Vohland.

Jo Shimoda led the opening laps from Jett Lawrence, who was under somewhat of a question mark after cutting the track slightly early on. Officials ended up letting it slide due to the young Australian gaining no real advantage or acting with deliberate intent.

After being passed by Forkner a couple of laps into the race Jett flamed-out after stalling the Honda and lost a heap of time, the Aussie youngster was relegated to fourth by Vohland before regaining that third place later in the race.

Forkner took the lead from Shimoda a couple of laps from the end and then pulled away from his new Kawasaki team-mate to secure the victory.

250 Heat One Results

250 Heat Two

Christian Craig secured victory in the second Heat race over RJ Hampshire and Michael Mosiman.  Colt Nichols put in the second fastest lap of the race but had to settle for fourth.  Hampshire led the opening laps but was eventually overhauled by Craig with two laps to run and the Yamaha man then pulled away to win by 1.6-seconds.

250 Heat Two Results

250 LCQ

Jeremy Hand took victory in what was a hard fought LCQ that saw second and third placed Josh Osby and Dylan Woodcock take the flag together, Osby getting the nod for second place by officials. Max Miller secured the final transfer spot.

250 LCQ Results

250 Main

RJ Hampshire scored the holeshot from Christian Craig and Jett Lawrence while the Kawasaki pairing of Jo Shimoda and Austin Forkner chased the trio hard from the start.

Austin Forkner moved up to fourth place as Nichols and Mosiman pushed their way past Shimoda. Forkner then started piling the pressure on Jett Lawrence but the Aussie youngster responded and managed to stretch away and actually progressed forward to close in on second placed RJ Hampshire.

A slide with nine-minutes remaining though affected Jett’s rhythm and he was then usurped by Forkner. Colt Nichols then also pounced to push Lawrence further back to fifth.

Austin Forkner swept past Hampshire for second place with six-minutes left on the shot clock but up front Christian Craig still held sway and now had a five-second buffer.

Christian Craig continued to dominate and stretched his lead further over the next couple of laps before backing off on the final lap to take victory by five-seconds over Forkner.

RJ Hampshire was looking strong in third place but went down two laps from the end and was passed by both Colt Nichols and Jett Lawrence.

Hampshire wasn’t the only one to make a mistake near the final juncture.  After looking rock solid for almost the entire first 15 minutes of the Main, Jett Lawrence had a stumble a lap from the end that cost him dearly. While challenging Colt Nichols for the podium the Aussie youngster went down and was relegated to sixth after being passed in the closing stages by Jo Shimoda and RJ Hampshire.

Christian Craig secures maximum points on his Star Yamaha debut to take the early lead in the series over Forkner and Nichols.

Christian Craig – P1

“Tonight, was a dream come true. It’s something I’ve literally been daydreaming about during my drive to the track or on my way to the gym. This just shows that it pays off. I knew it would. I believed in the program that we have, in the bike that we have, and that if I put in the work and I believed in everything that this would come true. I always believed in myself but not to the extent that I do now. I’m just thankful for everything, all the ups and downs that I’ve been through. It does feel good to come out here and win and repay the team for just believing in me. It’s only round one. We’ve got a lot more rounds to go. Let’s keep this ball rolling.”

Austin Forkner – P2

“It’s amazing how great I feel for getting second, I overcame a lot this past year with my injury and letting a championship slip away. It was exciting to come back to a brand new bike and put in the work off the bike. My start wasn’t what I was hoping for, but my goal was a podium. To work my way up to second, I had to make some solid passes and ride consistently, so all in all, I’m really happy with how the race went.”

Colt Nichols – P3

“I can’t really complain about a third place. I just have to get out of the gate a little better. I had really good speed but just struggled to pass some guys. The track was kind of one-lined and you were running into each other. So that made it difficult. It was literally a constant battle. At one point me and (Austin) Forkner were going at it really hard. Then he was able to get by RJ (Hampshire) pretty early and got a gap. I was kind of stuck battling RJ there for a little bit. Then Jett (Lawrence) caught up to me; it was just a freight train there for a minute. It made it pretty fun, honestly, but I would have loved to have just been out in front of that and get away from it. Overall, I’m happy being on the podium. Christian rode really well. He deserved it. He was the fastest guy all day. I’m hungry for a win. We’ll try again Tuesday to get off the gate a little better and hopefully win that one.”

Jo Shimoda – P4

“The race started out pretty good and I ended up being really nervous for the first five laps or so, which cost me a few spots. Once I got looser and looser as the race went on, I put in solid laps and was able to get past some guys who were making mistakes in front of me. In the end, fourth is nice considering it was a tough start. Now that we have one race under our belts, I see Tuesday being even better.”

Jett Lawrence – P6

“The first race day wasn’t too bad. There were a few mistakes that I wasn’t happy about, but I walked away without too much damage to my body. Practice ended up going really well; in the first qualifier I put a really good lap time down for P1, and then the second one I put another consistent one down, getting second behind [Christian] Craig. In the heat race I had a few small mistakes. I was excited for the first race and a little too energetic, but I ended up getting third. In the main event I was kind of playing it too safe and backed off too early and gave away what should’ve been a holeshot. I spent too much time behind another rider in the first half and had some other people pass me. I ended up finding a pretty good flow at the end and was fourth after RJ [Hampshire] went down. I tried to make another pass with a lot of charging, but that didn’t go as planned, as too much front brake and a wrong line in the turn ended up flicking me. I got up fairly quick, but then someone came and hit me again, knocking me back down. I ended up getting sixth, which isn’t terrible, but not what I wanted but I’m still fairly happy with it.”

Michael Mosiman – P7

“Tonight wasn’t the results that I was hoping for but I learned a lot and I know what I need to improve on moving forward. Lucky for me, we are racing again on Tuesday and I’m excited to show everyone what I can do on my MC 250F this season!”

Mitchell Oldenburg – P8

“What a difference a year can make, last year round 1 was rough; I crashed in the main, injured myself and finished 16th so finishing 8th tonight was a major improvement. “I spent a lot of time on the couch following the Championship last year. I had knee surgery and I didn’t know if I was going to get another opportunity to race in 2021. I am super thankful to the Muc-Off Honda Racing Team and I feel this is the beginning of a great season ahead.”

250 Main Results

250 Championship Standings

250 Manufacturer Standings

2021 AMA Supercross calendar