Lawrence collects first Triple Crown win in Arizona

The standout 250SX West rider in 2023, Jett Lawrence put his previous Triple Crown misfortune in the past with his first victory in the alternate format of racing during the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross visit to Glendale, Arizona while Eli Tomac ascended to second all-time with the 51st victory of his career.

Scores of 1-3-1 put Lawrence atop the class for the fifth of six races thus far in 2023.

Levi Kitchen of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire both had enough speed to pressure Lawrence during each of the three races, with Hampshire reaching the checkered flag first in Race 2.

Hampshire claimed second overall on the strength of his race win, while Kitchen took 3-2-2 results to the final podium step.

Pierce Brown was fast all day aboard his TLD Red Bull GasGas machine, finishing 4-4-5 for fourth overall on the night. Unfortunately, Brown fell in the first turn after the night’s first gate drop and hit the ground again after Race 1 was red-flagged and restarted.

Failing to fully capitalize on the absence of newly injured Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Cameron McAdoo, Enzo Lopes (Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha) finished seventh, fifth, and fourth in Glendale for fifth overall.

Derek Kelley was competitive for the local team AEO Powersports throughout the event and finished sixth overall. Kelley led Mitchell Oldenburg (Smartop MotoConcepts Racing), Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM), Robbie Wageman (Bar-X Suzuki), and Carson Mumford (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) in completing the top 10.

Returning to competition after a violent crash last time out at Seattle, Stilez Robertson (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) crashed and was hit by three riders in the first race. The incident brought out the red flag and put Robertson and Luke Kalaitzian out for the night.

With six rounds down and three to go for the west region 250SX category, Lawrence leads Hampshire by 26 points, with Kitchen a further 26 back. The series will return to action for the year’s first 250SX East/West Showdown at East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium on April 22.

Held in the midst of a fierce 450SX championship battle, the 2023 Triple Crown at Glendale will forever have a place in the sport’s history as the round at which Tomac moved past James Stewart for second on the all-time win list.

Race results of 1-2-1 for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider were more than enough to secure the overall victory inside this year’s Super Bowl-hosting State Farm Stadium.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) executed a wire-to-wire victory of the night’s second race for the premier class, getting past Tomac at one point but taking control right back with a remarkable pass through the whoops. Sexton’s night of 4-1-3 race scores culminated in second overall.

The following positions were closely contested throughout the night, with TLD Red Bull GasGas rider Justin Barcia collecting his first Triple Crown podium on the strength of 3-6-2 results in the trio of races.

Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) could do no better than fifth in Race 2, limiting his potential on the night as he turned 2-5-4 results into fourth overall. With Tomac more successful on the night, Webb forfeited his stake in the championship lead leaving the season’s 12th round.

Fast in qualifying and competitive during the evening program, Ken Roczen added his Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki to the overall top five with 5-3-5 race results.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki), Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM), the returning Colt Nichols (Team Honda HRC), Dean Wilson (Fire Power Honda), and Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) comprised the remainder of the top 10.

It’s the long-awaited first top-10 result of the 2023 Supercross season for Wilson, aided by misfortune for Anderson. A crash for the Kawasaki rider in the night’s final race ended his night early.

As the series heads east to visit MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Tomac will take to the track with a seven-point advantage over Webb in the 450SX standings. Sexton heads into the 13th round 25 points in arrears of Tomac.

Detailed results

News 18 Apr 2021

Webb overcomes Roczen in 450SX Atlanta 3 thriller

Image: Octopi Media.

Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb took control of the 450SX championship with a late-race charge to pass title rival Ken Roczen for the win in the last of three Supercross races in Atlanta Motor Speedway, while Nate Thrasher won again in 250SX West.

It was a thriller of a night in Monster Energy Supercross, as the series completed it’s final residency of the year with a race that saw Webb come out on top and take a 16-point advantage in the championship standings with two rounds to go.

Off the line, it looked to be all Roczen, as he jetted out to the lead that eventually ballooned to over 10 seconds. It was his race to lose and a late-race crash in the whoops saw his lead chopped in half with just a few minutes remaining on the clock.

Webb, who was maintaining second place, saw the gap close and began to charge, eventually catching Roczen with just 90 seconds and a lap to go. He made quick work of his rival, taking the lead and gaining a two-second advantage.

A late-race bobble allowed Roczen to close, but in the end, it was all Webb taking the victory. Roczen was second and Tomac rode to a solid third-place finish.

Tomac’s podium was the result of a charge through the pack, battling much of the race with Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) and Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas). Plessinger was up front for most of the race after grabbing the holeshot, the Ohio rider eventually finishing fourth on the night.

Barcia had a solid pace and was able to salvage a fifth place eon the night ahead of a charging Malcolm Stewart (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha). Seventh went to Stewart’s teammate Ferrandis, who was actually in the lead group early on before crashing with Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) in the opening laps.

Eighth went to Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) who notched his seventh consecutive top 10 finish and climbs to 11th in the championship standings. Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) finished a quiet ninth on the night.

Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) looked promising through the first half of the day, taking second fastest qualifying time and winning his heat race, he eventually finished 10th on the night.

The series now heads to Salt Lake City for the final two races of the season, with Webb on top by 16 points over Roczen.

Image: Octopi Media.

Nate Thrasher transferred from the LCQ to take the 250SX West main event win in the final round of racing in Atlanta ahead of Justin Cooper and Seth Hammaker, while struggles continued to plague championship contender Cameron McAdoo.

It was a wild night of Monster Energy Supercross racing for the last three rounds at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Battered from a qualifying crash, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s McAdoo lined up hoping to keep his title chances alive.

As the gate dropped in the main event, he instead found himself at the center of another crash that caused a red flag in the opening lap of the main.

This added frustration for Cooper who had grabbed the holeshot and got out to a lead in the opening lap, but he made it happen again in the restart, taking the lead early on.

A mistake in the opening laps allowed Thrasher to take the lead and he never looked back, winning his second race of the season and career. Cooper rode consistently to finish second place on the night, collecting valuable points in the championship.

Hammaker managed to grab a podium finish after nearly hitting the ground in the whoops with Jalek Swoll, the rookie taking his third podium of the season.

Hunter Lawrence charged through the pack to finish fourth after a crash early in the race. The Team Honda HRC rider continuing to show serious speed, setting the fastest lap time of the night.

Rounding out the top five was Kyle Peters (Phoenix Racing Honda) with an impressive ride, taking the spot in a late-race battle with Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) who took sixth.

Enzo Lopes (Phoenix Racing Honda) notched his best finish and first top 10 of the season in seventh place, with Mitchell Harrison putting his Muc-Off Honda in the top 10, finishing eighth.

Dilan Schwartz had a career-best night in ninth place on his BarX Chaparral Ecstar Suzuki as Coty Schock continued his run of solid form finishing in 10th on the night.

Cameron McAdoo ended one of the toughest weeks of his career battered and bruised down in 13th place. The title hopeful crashed hard in the final moments of qualifying today, aggravating injuries sustained in his Tuesday crash in round 14.

It didn’t get any easier for him in the main event, taking three more substantial crashes and coming away from the night 16 points down on points leader Cooper with just one round to go.

The 250SX West series now takes a one-week break while the 250SX East championship gets back to action, their final race set to take place on 1 May in Salt Lake City.

Detailed Results

News 25 Dec 2020

New-look Muc-Off Honda team of Brayton made official

Image: Supplied.

Muc-Off has been announced as title sponsor of the Konsky Motorsport-operated Honda team for 2021, signing Justin Brayton, Mitchell Oldenburg and Mitchell Harrison.

The motorcycle care and maintenance brand replaces Penrite as title sponsor, expanding into 450SX in Monster Energy Supercross alongside its existing 250SX effort.

It had already been confirmed that Brayton would be transferring from Team Honda HRC to the team in which he’s won four-consecutive Australian championships, while Oldenburg returns for a second season and Harrison has been named as replacement of Luke Clout.

“I am really pleased that we can finally shout about our plans for 2021,” Konsky said. “It has been four months in the making, with a final push at the 11th-hour to get to this point. Now we are here, I am keen to start seeing results.

“Working with Muc-Off as our new title sponsor for next year has been really refreshing. Their ethos and work ethic has been instrumental in getting us here and I am looking forward to seeing this relationship develop.”

Brayton commented: “It’s super-exciting to be working closely with Yarrive again for 2021, especially with him bringing an exciting new brand to the table – his passion and enthusiasm for this sport has been a positive influence on me.

“We have seen a lot of success in Australia, so I hope to relive this in the US next year. I have been riding the new 2021 CRF 450R and I am feeling comfortable on it, testing has been great so now I just need to put it all together and focus on a strong and consistent season.”

Muc-Off will be supplying the team with a full supply of their innovative motorcycle products from their Clean, Protect and Lube systems. This includes the renowned pink Nano Tech Bike Cleaner, the flagship product that launched the brand back in 1994.

“When I started the company it was a dream of mine to be working at the pinnacle levels of motorsport, so I am pumped that we are at the point where we can be title sponsors of an exciting Supercross team in such a dynamic and globally admired series,” stated Alex Trimnell, Muc-Off CEO.

“We look forward to working with the Muc-Off Honda team in developing new and exciting products, as well as supporting them in their mission to be a leading player in the sport. To see the brand with so much presence at this level of racing, makes me very and this I know is shared throughout the whole team at Muc-Off.”

News 17 Dec 2020

Gibbs to Honda Racing now official for 2021 outdoors

Image: Marc Jones Photography.

Honda Racing has made the signing of Kirk Gibbs official for the 2021 Australian ProMX Championship, joining the returning Brett Metcalfe and Kyle Webster in the three-rider line-up.

Gibbs transfers across from CDR Yamaha to ride the all-new CRF450R in a motocross-only contract, before Justin Brayton will take charge in Australian Supercross.

“Honda have won many championships and races – after three days of testing with the team I can see why,” 2015 MX1 national champion and current New Zealand title-holder Gibbs commented. “The team is committed and focused and has competitive resources available to them.

“There is no reason we can’t contend for the championship next year. I know its what people expect me to say, but the new Honda 450 is fast – amazingly fast – and after three days of testing we have a great package that will only get better.”

Metcalfe, meanwhile, will spend his fourth season with the Konsky Motorsport-owned organisation, winning last weekend’s AMX MXOpen in commanding fashion on debut aboard Honda’s latest premier class entry.

“I raced the new 450R stock, pulled the holeshot and won both races against other factory riders,” the experienced South Australian said. “I haven’t experienced a bike that fast in standard trim. Following three days of testing I feel we have made some significant gains and I am looking forward to our next test in January.”

After spending time in Europe this year, Webster will return with Honda in the MX2 seat riding the CRF250R, while Emma Milesevic will also be part of the factory effort in the MXW division of ProMX.

“We have strengthened our technical team to manage our expectations,” Yarrive Konsky stated. “Our team is made up of some of the world’s best riders and we believe in them and our motorcycles. The new 450R has already exceeded our expectations and, together with Team HRC in America and Europe, we believe we will prove its capabilities.”

Its been a turbulent period for the Honda Racing team, confirming it has parted ways with longtime title sponsor Penrite – information on replacements still to be revealed – and it was also revealed that Luke Clout would be returning to Yamaha following a single term with Konsky Motorsport in the US.

Konsky will also continue to field an expanded program in Monster Energy Supercross, signing four-time defending Australian champion Brayton to lead its 450SX effort before travelling to Australia later in the year, while its 250SX riders and an incoming naming-rights partner are also to be announced.