2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
Supercross reconvened at Salt Lake City overnight for the fourth round of the seven that will be held without spectators inside Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium to close out the 2020 AMA Supercross season.
450 Heat One
Zach Osborne took the hole-shot in the opening 450 Heat but Cooper Webb was soon through to the lead. A few turns later Ken Roczen slipped past Osborne to take second place. Malcolm Stewart followed him through shortly afterwards to push Osborne further back to fourth.
Roczen and Webb then went bar-to-bar for the race lead, the German putting on some great moves but the pressure was resisted by the crafty and cool Cooper Webb. Roczen looked quicker but Webb had the track position and played it smart enough to take the win in what was an intriguing race long tussle between the two.
450 Heat One Results
- Cooper Webb – KTM
- Ken Roczen – Honda +0.621s
- Jason Anderson – Husqvarna +2.605s
- Malcolm Stewart – Honda +4.383s
- Justin Barcia – Yamaha +14.673s
- Aaron Plessinger – Yamaha +17.021
- Chad Reed – KTM +22.540s
- Zach Osborne – Husqvarna +25.439s
- Carlen Gardner – Honda +28.449s
- Vince Friese – Honda +33.809s
450 Heat Two
Martin Davalos and Blake Baggett got the best runs out of the gate ahead of Eli Tomac and Justin Brayton in the second of the 450 Heat races. They remained in that order throughout the opening laps before Tomac finally put a move on Baggett halfway through the race and then took his time before slipping last Davalos for the lead with two laps remaining. Baggett then pushed Davalos back to third and they remained in that order at the chequered flag.
450 Heat Two Results
- Eli Tomac – Kawasaki
- Blake Baggett – KTM +2.880s
- Martin Davalos – KTM +5.419s
- Dean Wilson – Husqvarna +11.166s
- Justin Brayton – Honda +14.763s
- Kyle Chisholm – Yamaha +19.265s
- Broc Tickle – Suzuki RM-Z450 +19.472s
- Tyler Bowers – Kawasaki +21.045s
- Justin Hill – Honda +21.869s
- Benny Bloss – KTM +23.588s
450 LCQ
- Benny Bloss – KTM
- Vince Friese – Honda +3.966s
- Alex Ray – Kawasaki +5.186s
450 Main
Cooper Webb and Ken Roczen went around the first turn side=by-side but it was the Honda man that was officially accredited with the hole-shot. Zach Osborne, Chad Reed and Blake Baggett also made great starts and filled positions third through fifth throughout the opening laps of the track. Championship leader Eli Tomac was stuck in the pack right back in 15th place.
Zach Osborne made a great start
Cooper Webb maintained station at the front of the field but Ken Roczen was all over him. The Honda man clearly displayed superior speed through the whoops section every time but could not get quite close enough to show Webb a wheel until seven-minutes in to the race. The German briefly then took the lead but Webb got him right back at the end of the next section and went about reasserting his dominance.
With 11-minutes remaining on the clock Blake Bagget was holding down third position almost four-seconds behind the leading duo, but with another three-seconds over fourth placed Zach Osborne. Eli Tomac was up to fifth after pushing his way past Martin Davalos, Chad Reed and Justin Barcia.
As the race progressed into its second half Ken Roczen started to fade. The German again dealing with those respiratory issues that have seen him run out of puff in the latter stages of the Mains of late. After looking the fastest rider in the opening laps, and recording the fastest lap of the race, he started losing more than a second a lap to Webb in the second half of the race.
Zach Osborne then started reeling in Roczen hand-over-fist and slipped past the #94 Honda with seven-minutes left on the clock to take that second position. Two-minutes later Blake Baggett was pushed back to fourth. A minute later Tomac relegated Roczen further back to fifth in what would have been a devastating blow to Roczen’s pysche but he could offer up no real resistance.
Justin Barcia was running in ninth place behind Dean Wilson and Jason Anderson but with three-minutes remaining Barcia headed off the track and out of the race. That would cost him his fourth ranking in the series standings.
Tomac was challenging Baggett for third position during the final laps and took that place just as the shot clock hit zero to signal one lap remaining.
The clear winner though was Cooper Webb and with that victory the defending champion moved up to second place in the series standings, 27-points behind championship leader Eli Tomac.
Cooper Webb – P1
Cooper Webb – P1
“It was a great race, I almost got the holeshot and led every lap, which is the first time I’ve been able to do that this year. Kenny was riding really well at the beginning. I made a few mistakes and we battled there for a second but I regained focus and I was able to ride my laps and ended up getting a decent lead, which is nice. I feel like the first three we’ve been battling down to the last lap so it was cool to be able to enjoy that one a little bit more, not so stressful.”
Cooper Webb – P1
Zach Osborne was a fast and tidy second place with a handy buffer over third placed Tomac and moved up to eighth in the series standings off the back of that 23-point score today.
Zach Osborne – P2
“I feel like we’re building some momentum here. I’ve been enjoying this Salt Lake trip and I feel like I’m in a good headspace, which is good. I managed two good starts tonight and was able to come away with my second podium of the stretch here. I really felt like I was in a good position tonight and we had a good result so I’m pretty happy with it.”
Zach Osborne – P2
There are now three rounds remaining in the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Championship in this COVID-19 induced quick-fire end to the season. Racers will be back on track this Sunday June 14 then Wednesdauy June 17 ahead of the finale on June 21.
450 SX Main Results
- Cooper Webb – KTM
- Zach Osborne – Husqvarna +5.091s
- Eli Tomac – Kawasaki +8.693s
- Blake Baggett – KTM +9.622s
- Ken Roczen – Honda +16.618s
- Martin Davalos – KTM +20.255s
- Jason Anderson – Husqvarna +25.011s
- Dean Wilson – Husqvarna +38.322s
- Aaron Plessinger – Yamaha +43.141s
- Benny Bloss – KTM +49.391s
- Chad Reed – KTM +1 lap
- Justin Brayton – Honda +1 lap
- Justin Hill – Honda +1 lap
- Tyler Bowers – Kawasaki +1 lap
- Vince Friese – Honda +1 lap
450 SX Main Results
1. Cooper Webb – KTM
2. Zach Osborne – Husqvarna +5.091s
3. Eli Tomac – Kawasaki +8.693s
450 SX Championship Points
- Eli Tomac – 322
- Cooper Webb – 295
- Ken Roczen – 293
- Jason Anderson – 245
- Justin Barcia – 241
- Malcolm Stewart – 199
- Dean Wilson – 191
- Zach Osborne – 186
- Justin Brayton – 184
- Justin Hill – 179
250 SX West
The long awaited return of the 250 West competitors was staged overnight and the event also marked the return of the injured Lawrence brothers. 20-year-old Hunter getting back in the game after an ACL re-build, while younger brother Jett is making his return following a collar-bone injury sustained in the most sensational fashion while battling series leader Dylan Ferrandis for the race win at Anaheim 2. Luke Clout and Geran Stapleton made it four Aussies in the 36-rider 250 West entry list.
250 Heat One
Series leader Dylan Ferrandis scored the hole-shot in the opening heat but was chased hard throughout the opening laps by Cameron McAdoo. The 22-year-old Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider did not let Ferrandis break away and doggedly pursued the Frenchman before making a bold move halfway through the heat that sent Ferrandis over the bars. It was a solid but fair move that only looked so sensational due to Ferrandis’ rear tyre going underneath the bike of McAdoo before then gripping onto the rear tyre of his machine and climbing up and over it, pitching the Yamaha up on to its nose. Ferrandis rejoined the race in seventh position with some damage to his bars and controls.
It looked as though McAdoo was home and hosed but with only seconds left on the shot clock a late challenge by Mosiman took both riders down! Christian Craig inherited the lead and sailed home to what ended up being an easy victory.
Both Mosiman and McAdoo got up and running again to round out the podium ahead of Alex Martin while Dylan Ferrandis had worked his way back up to fifth ahead of Penrite Honda’s Luke Clout by the chequered flag. Geran Stapleton was tenth, thereby just missing out on an automatic transfer spot to the Main.
250 Heat One Results
- Christian Craig – Honda
- Michael Mosiman – Husqvarna +2.216s
- Cameron McAdoo – Kawasaki +3.132s
- Alex Martin – Suzuki +6.606s
- Dylan Ferrandis – Yamaha +9.325s
- Luke Clout – Honda +12.535s
- Carson Brown – Husqvarna +14.384s
- Robbie Wageman – Yamaha +22.358s
- Logan Karnow – Kawasaki +26.642s
- Geran Stapleton – Honda +28.987s
250 Heat Two
Austin Forkner scored the hole-shot ahead of Jett Lawrence before Hartranft pushed Jett back to third place but the 16-year-old Aussie returned the favour shortly thereafter to move back up to second place.
Forkner had the upper hand throughout but a late charge by Jett Lawrence saw the determined youngster almost get on terms with Forkner but then lost the front and hit the deck. Jett recovered got up and going again and managed to retain that second place all the way to the flag. Forkner a clear winner and Brandon Hartranft rounded out the podium ahead of Justin Cooper.
Further back Hunter Lawrence had been runing seventh before losing the front and then coming together with Mitchell Falk which saw both riders go down. Hunter slipped to tenth place which meant the 20-year-old was heading to the LCQ.
250 Heat Two Results
- Austin Forkner – Kawasaki
- Jett Lawrence – Honda +9.418s
- Brandon Hartranft – KTM +10.266s
- Justin Cooper – Yamaha +10.551s
- Mitch Oldenburg – Honda +28.283s
- Derek Kelley – Husqvarna +29.797s
- Martin Castelo – Husqvarna +34.758s
- Derek Drake – KTM +39.985s
- Bryson Gardner – Honda +43.035s
- Hunter Lawrence – Honda +50.908s
250 LCQ
Hunter Lawrence had to battle Killian Auiberson for the lead on the opening lap but he eventually got the better of the Husqvarna rider and streaked away to a clear 15-second victory in the LCQ to secure his spot in the 250 Main. Countryman Geran Stapleton had some problems in the LCQ and did not make the cut for a transfer position to the Main.
250 LCQ Results
- Hunter Lawrence – Honda
- Mitchell Falk – Honda +14.807s
- Killian Auberson – Husqvarna +19.455s
250 Main
Cooper Webb scored the hole-shot but was quickly gazumped by Austin Forkner and Cameron McAdoo. Jett Lawrence was right in the mix at the first turn but managed to stay out of any melee and looked to be treading a little carefully. Jett Lawrence just avoided contact with Ferrandis a couple of laps into the race which nearly put him down but he stayed upright to maintain his position. His brother Hunter though got caught up avoiding a stopped rider in a right-hander and dropped his machine before rejoining near the back of the field.
Jett Lawrence was in fifth place and resisting some heavy pressure from a determined Alex Martin before managing to break away a little as Michael Mosiman pushed Martin back to seventh.
Up front Forkner had broke away from Cooper while Ferrandis then made his way past Cooper to take third place as the Main reached its halfway point. A lap later Ferrandis moved up to second place after passing McAdoo.
Jett Lawrence was looking solid in fifth place and had started to close in on Cooper before going down in the whoops with six-minutes remaining. By the time he was up and running again the 16-year-old had been pushed all the way back to 12th, just in front of countryman Luke Clout. Hunter Lawrence had been recovering from that early tumble and was in 15th with five-minutes left on the clock.
At the last lap board Forkner had three-seconds on Ferrandis and a further ten-seconds on McAdoo. The trio finished in that order at the chequered flag.
The Aussie triumvirate of Jett Lawrence, Luke Clout and Hunter Lawrence filled positions 11, 12 and 13.
250 West competitors will next race on Sunday June 14 before a 250 East round on June 17 ahead of the 250 East-West showdown on Sunday, June 21.
250 SX Main West Results
- Austin Forkner – Kawasaki
- Dylan Ferrandis – Yamaha +3.109s
- Cameron McAdoo – Kawasaki +14.151s
- Justin Cooper – Yamaha +16.300s
- Michael Mosiman – Husqvarna +17.315s
- Alex Martin – Suzuki +31.222s
- Brandon Hartranft – KTM +33.615s
- Christian Craig – Honda +35.687s
- Derek Drake – KTM +41.214s
- Mitch Oldenburg – Honda +45.173s
- Jett Lawrence – Honda +45.636s
- Luke Clout – Honda +1 lap
- Hunter Lawrence – Honda +1 lap
- Derek Kelley – Husqvarna +1 lap
- Martin Castelo – Husqvarna +1 lap
250 SX West Championship Points
- Dylan Ferrandis 158
- Austin Forkner 148
- Justin Cooper 147
- Brandon Hartranft 126
- Alex Martin 115
- Michael Mosiman 100
- Luke Clout 94
- Derek Drake 92
- Jacob Hayes 89
- Mitch Oldenburg 85
250 SX East Championship Points
- Chase Sexton – 166
- Shane McElrath – 163
- Garrett Marchbanks – 119
- Jeremy Martin – 105
- Jalek Swoll – 91
- Jo Shimoda – 89
- Enzo Lopes – 81
- RJ Hampshire – 80
- Pierce Brown – 73
- Kyle Peters – 69
Source: MCNews.com.au