Cycle News Staff | June 3, 2020
2020 Salt Lake City Supercross Rnd 12 Results: Even though he didn’t get the win, it was great night for Eli Tomac when it comes to his bid for his first Monster Energy AMA Supercross number-one plate. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider finished second to Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) but more importantly crossed the finish line well ahead of Ken Roczen (Honda HRC) to stretch out his championship lead to 13. It was just six going into the race, the first Supercross ever held on a Wednesday night.
Cooper Webb (1) captured his second win of the season and the ninth of his career. Photo: Feld
Rice-Eccles Stadium hosted round 12 of the championship, and the the riders were greeted with improved track conditions compared to last Sunday’s heater. Many rider were in desperate need to produce a win tonight to keep their championships hopes alive, including Webb, Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha) and, of course, Roczen. Probably the most desperate was Cooper, who came into the race dropping three points to Tomac last Sunday, but he gained those three back, though he still trails Tomac by 29 points, in third, with five rounds left to go. Barcia, who finished a disappointing eighth on Sunday, didn’t help his cause much with another eighth tonight. He’s still fourth in the championship but 50 points out of the lead in fourth.
But the real surprise of the night was Roczen. He too needed a win and seemed to be in a good position to get one. He rode well in qualifying, he won his heat race over Tomac and appeared to have the track dialed, including the track’s treacherous whoops. Roczen didn’t get a good start in the main but at least it was better than Tomac’s. Both riders slowly worked their way up through the field, but when Tomac passed Roczen for fourth place on lap 11 (of what would be a 27-lap race), Roczen seemed to lose his drive and watched Tomac ride away from him.
Meanwhile, up front, Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) was having the ride of his life. He took control of the race on the first lap and had a great shot to get his very first Supercross win (in the 450SX class). However, Osborne finally succumbed to Webb, and then Tomac, to finish third.
“My Main Event ride was really good – I maybe let a win slip away but in the end it’s a good building block. I felt good all day, the team vibe was unreal and we had a really good, fun time today,” Osborne said. “To get all three of the bikes [teammates Dean Wilson and Jason Anderson] inside the top six was incredible. I’m really proud of what I accomplished and what the team accomplished tonight.”
Webb ran second the whole way before passing Osborne and held on to take the checkered flag 1.9 seconds ahead of Tomac, who was threatening Webb for the win late in the race before a small bobble sucked the wind out of the Kawasaki rider’s sails.
Jason Anderson finished fourth for the second time in a row, while Roczen took fifth, 27 seconds behind Tomac!
Roczen didn’t reveal any secrets as to why he dropped back. “I’m feeling good on the bike and had a good heat race, but obviously I’m having issues that prevent me from keeping it going,” Roczen said. “I’m trying to figure it out and do my best to come back stronger. This thing isn’t over yet, but obviously fifth place is not where we want to be. The main goal is to try to be better, and especially get a better start; I took a chance going to the very inside on the start gate and that didn’t work out. I’m going to rest and recover, and I look forward to trying our best in the next race.”
Dean Wilson grabbed sixth, while Malcolm Stewart (Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/Motoconcepts Honda), who passed Webb earlier in the night to capture his first career heat race win in the 450SX class, took sixth, despite crashing on the first lap.
Barcia, Justin Brayton and Justin Hill rounded out the top 10.
Things did not go well for Honda in the 250SX East class either. Championship leader Chase Sexton (Geico Honda) saw his seven-point lead evaporate to nothing after crashing in the main event.
Shane McElrath took his second win in a row and is now tied with Chase Sexton for the 250SX East Championship.
Shane McElrath (Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha), who was second to Sexton going into the race, came away with his second win in a row and now heads into the final three rounds of their championship tied with Sexton.
It was, however, a great night for Yamaha which went 1-2 in the 250SX East class with McElrath’s teammate Colt Nicholes taking runner-up honors.
Honda did get on the podium, however, with Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda) taking third.
Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) rounded out the top five. CN
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, an FIM World Championship
Round 12 of 17
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Salt Lake City, Utah
Results: June 3, 2020
2020 Salt Lake City Supercross Rnd 12 Results 450SX
| 1. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
27 laps |
| 2. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
01.908 |
| 3. |
Zach Osborne |
(Hus) |
15.421 |
| 4. |
Jason Anderson |
(Hus) |
25.043 |
| 5. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
27.089 |
| 6. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hus) |
28.726 |
| 7. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hon) |
29.118 |
| 8. |
Justin Barcia |
(Yam) |
36.432 |
| 9. |
Justin Brayton |
(Hon) |
40.072 |
| 10. |
Justin Hill |
(Hon) |
42.630 |
2020 Salt Lake City Supercross Rnd 12 Results 250SX East
| 1. |
Shane McElrath |
(Yam) |
20 laps |
| 2. |
Colt Nichols |
(Yam) |
01.846 |
| 3. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Hon) |
10.088 |
| 4. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
14.742 |
| 5. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Kaw) |
23.016 |
| 6. |
Kyle Peters |
(Hon) |
27.717 |
| 7. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
32.127 |
| 8. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Hon) |
37.209 |
| 9. |
Chris Blose |
(Hon) |
40.251 |
| 10. |
Pierce Brown |
(KTM) |
41.127 |
450SX Point Standings (After 12 of 17 rounds)
| 1. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
275 |
| 2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
262 |
| 3. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM |
246 |
| 4. |
Justin Barcia |
(Yam) |
225 |
| 5. |
Jason Anderson |
(Hus) |
208 |
| 6. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hon) |
180 |
| 7. |
Justin Hill |
(Hon) |
161 |
| 8. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hus) |
159 |
| 9. |
Justin Brayton |
(Hon) |
157 |
| 10. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(Yam) |
147 |
250SX East Point Standings (After 6 of 9 rounds)
| 1. |
Shane McElrath |
(Yam) |
140 |
| 2. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
140 |
| 3. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Kaw) |
118 |
| 4. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Hon) |
105 |
| 5. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
80 |
| 6. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Hon) |
77 |
| 7. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
74 |
| 8. |
Enzo Lopes |
(Yam) |
66 |
| 9. |
Jordan Bailey |
(Hon) |
64 |
| 10. |
Pierce Brown |
(KTM) |
54 |
QUALIFYING
2020 Salt Lake City Supercross Rnd 12 results are in when it comes to qualifying for tonight’s mid-week round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series in Utah. It’s the second race in just three days.
Blake Baggett is the top 450SX qualifier for tonight’s race. Photos: Feld
Sunday’s winner, Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki), looked to have the quickest qualifying lap at Rice-Eccles Stadium, until Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountina/WPS/KTM) and Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) came on strong the last few laps and put themselves at the top of the leaderboard. Baggett’s quickest lap came on the final go-around, stopping the clock with a 44.770 blitz, nipping Anderson by less than half a second. Tomac ended up a close third, followed by Dean Wilson and Ken Roczen. Baggett, Anderson, Tomac and Wilson are the only four riders to crack the 44-second mark.
In the 250SX East class, last Sunday’s winner Shane McElrath (Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha) did it again as the top qualifier. He’s the only 250cc rider to break the 44-second barrier. About a half-second back is series rival Chase Sexton (Geico Honda) who leads McElrath by seven points in the championship going into tonight’s race.
Jeremy Martin is third quickest, followed by Garrett Marchbanks and Colt Nichols.
Time-wise, the track is a little longer than Sunday’s and is said to be a little more technical, but should have better grip compared to Sunday’s dry, slick and hard-packed surface.
Adam Cianciarulo suited up, rode, but felt that he’s not ready to race tonight, so he will not be lining up for tonight’s race.
The key to going fast on tonight’s track is connecting everything together, according to McElrath. “They built a track that’s tough physically and is technical,” he said. “It tough to link everything together.”
One section in particular that will be a topic of conversation tonight is the extremely long whoop section. Some riders are skimming the tops of the whoops, while others, such as McElrath, are jumping through them. Another tricky part is the first corner, which features a right turn, something that is rare in supercross and motocross, since it means the riders can’t access the rear brake pedal once committed to turning. The potential for carnage here is higher than usual.
During the short break between races, some racers chose to rest, others chose to fit in some time on the track. Tomac chose to relax and stayed off the motorcycle.
The biggest news of the day, however, was the announcement from Adam Cianciarulo who decided to sit out the night following his big crash Sunday. He said he planned to race, suited up but just wasn’t feeling it, saying, “I’m crazy sore since the crash. It’s not so much the soreness, though, but tightness in my lower back; I can’t squeeze the bike. I thought I could make it.” Cianciarulo reveal knobby tracks across his back where Cooper Webb ran him over during Sunday’s crash. CN
2020 Salt Lake City Supercross Rnd 12 450SX Qualifying Results
| 1. |
Blake Baggett |
(KTM) |
44.770 |
| 2. |
Jason Anderson |
(Hus) |
44.961 |
| 3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
44.989 |
| 4. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hus) |
44.993 |
| 5. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
45.118 |
| 6. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
45.261 |
| 7. |
Martin Davalos |
(KTM) |
45.474 |
| 8. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hon) |
45.487 |
| 9. |
Zach Osborne |
(Hus) |
45.681 |
| 10. |
Justin Brayton |
(Hon) |
45.851 |
2020 Salt Lake City Supercross Rnd 12 250SX East Qualifying Results
| 1. |
Shane McElrath |
(Yam) |
44.972 |
| 2. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
45.427 |
| 3. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Hon) |
46.114 |
| 4. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Kaw) |
46.558 |
| 5. |
Colt Nichols |
(Yam) |
46.731 |
| 6. |
Enzo Lopes |
(Yam) |
47.041 |
| 7. |
Pierce Brown |
(Hon) |
47.061 |
| 8. |
Kyle Peters |
(Hon) |
47.439 |
| 9. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
47.882 |
| 10. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Hon) |
48.011 |
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series Updated 2020 Schedule
| Round 1 |
January 4 |
Anaheim, California |
| Round 2 |
January 11 |
St. Louis, Missouri |
| Round 3 |
January 18 |
Anaheim, California |
| Round 4 |
January 25 |
Glendale, Arizona |
| Round 5 |
February 1 |
Oakland, California |
| Round 6 |
February 8 |
San Diego, California |
| Round 7 |
February 15 |
Tampa, Florida |
| Round 8 |
February 22 |
Arlington (Dallas), Texas |
| Round 9 |
February 29 |
Atlanta, Georgia |
| Round 10 |
March 7 |
Daytona, Florida |
| Round 11 |
May 31 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Round 12 |
June 3 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Round 13 |
June 7 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Round 14 |
June 10 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Round 15 |
June 14 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Round 16 |
June 17 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Round 17 |
June 21 |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
