| February 2, 2021
2021 Indianapolis Supercross Rnd 5 Results: Ken Roczen is the first repeat winner of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, claiming his second victory in two rounds at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana (Indy 2). This is the first time since 2017 that Roczen has won back-to-back races, the last time just before his infamous season-ending crash at Anaheim 2 in 2017.
Ken Roczen dominated the Indy 2 Supercross. He passed Justin Barcia for the lead early in the race and never looked back. Photos: BrownDog Wilson
450SX
A battered and bruised Zach Osborne (four fresh stitches due to a crash in practice) was the lone rider for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team tonight, as 2018 series champ Jason Anderson logged a DNS after a dislocated finger in practice sidelined him for the evening. Dean Wilson also sat out tonight’s race as he continues to recover from a broken toe and other knee/leg injuries.
When the gates dropped for the 450SX main event it was TLD/Red Bull/GasGas’ Justin Barcia who nabbed the holeshot ahead of a championship-hungry Roczen, Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha), and Vince Friese (Smartop/Bull Frog Spas/Motoconcepts Honda). Fresh off a heat race win, Roczen channeled some opening-lap intensity and charged his Honda past Barcia within the first few corners.
Meanwhile, title contenders, such as Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki), Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM), Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM), Osborne, and Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) were buried back in the pack.
Ken Roczen celebrates his second straight win next to runner-up Justin Barcia and third-place Eli Tomac.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo made quick work of a poor start and worked his way into podium position early in the race.
Roczen continued to widen his lead for the opening half of the main, while Tomac, Webb, and Osborne worked up through the field.
Near the halfway mark, a tenacious Tomac put a statement pass on his Kawasaki teammate, Cianciarulo, and set his sights on the second spot of Barcia.
Cianciarulo then began to fade back, ultimately getting passed by Webb and Plessinger, shuffling the number-nine Kawasaki back in the running order. The trio of Webb, Plessinger, and Cianciarulo would cross the line in fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively.
Tomac pressed on and eventually closed the gap right to the back of the #51 GasGas. The two rivals were locked in a close duel for the majority of the race, until a lapped rider found himself caught in the mix and sealed the deal for Barcia, ultimately giving the upper hand to the opening-round winner, Barcia.
Roczen avoided his share of lapped riders and maintained a seven-second plus lead all the way to the finish line. Roczen retains control of the coveted red place as the series enters the third and final round of Indianapolis racing. Roczen’s lead in the championship is now 11 over Webb. Tomac is third, just one point in back of Webb. Another six points back is Barcia. Cianciarulo rounds out the top five, six points down on Barcia.
250SX East
Colt Nichols (64) captured his third straight 250SX East victory ahead of his teammate Christian Craig (29).
Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC) has solidified his spot on this year’s highlight reel, as the young Australian was plagued with crashes all day in Indy. He remounted from a high-speed crash in practice and then tangled with a Tuff Block in his heat race. The number-18 Honda hit the deck hard with his shoulder, but he surprisingly lined up for the 250SX LCQ. He gritted through the pain and won it, but you could easily tell that he was riding in a lot of discomfort and wasn’t showing his usual speed. Lawrence lined up on the gate for the main but thought otherwise and opted not to race the main event at the last minute and walked off the gate visibly distressed.
Mitchell Oldenburg (Muc-Off Honda) had a huge get off through the final rhythm lane in his heat race after his bike locked up on the face. He went back to the truck to swap engines but was not allowed to race the 250SX LCQ, because AMA officials claimed his team swapped frames (which is not allowed in AMA Supercross racing). The Muc-Off Honda team, however, contested this decision and Oldenburg was allowed to line up for the main event in the vacant spot left by Lawrence. (Had Lawrence not pulled out, Oldenburg would have started on a second row all to himself.) Unfortunately for Oldenburg, more mechanical gremlins re-emerged later in the race, and he eventually retired back to the pits while eying a podium finish.
Michael Mosiman (TLD/Red Bull/GasGas) grabbed the 250SX East main event holeshot and avoided a large first turn pileup that entangled six bikes, including Suzuki’s lone warrior John Short who was forced to call it an early night. Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) was also caught up in the melee and spent the rest of the race working his way up through the pack, finishing an impressive fourth.
Colt Nichols and Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) also escaped the first turn chaos and settled in closely behind Mosiman’s GasGas for the opening laps. The two Star Racing Yamahas stalked the leader through the halfway mark of the race until Mosiman, who seemed very much in control of the race at the time, tangled with a lapped rider (Max Miller) who crashed right in front of him. Mosiman nearly went down but not before losing a position to Nichols.
Nichols then put on a charge to gap the rest of the field.
Craig proceeded to pass Mosiman for the second-place spot with just five minutes remaining in the race.
The feel-good story of the night was the list of privateers who logged their career-best main event finishes. These riders included names like Grant Harlan, Jeremy Hand, Joshua Varize who finished fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively. After a confusion of flags, officials waved the checkers on what should have been the start of the final lap. However, it most likely would not have made much of a difference for the top riders, with Nichols claiming the win, lapping all the way up to fourth place. He took the win 5.8 seconds ahead of Craig. Mosiman took third another five seconds back. Shimoda was next but a full half-minute behinds Mosiman.
With his third win in a row, Nichols stretched out his points lead to 11 over Craig. Mosiman is a distant third, 28 points behind Craig. Shimoda is fourth another six points back, and Lawrence slipped to fifth, one point behind Shimoda. CN
Colt Nichols (center) was all smiles after the 250SX East main event, while Christian Craig (left) sees the title slipping away and Michael Mosiman (right) wonders what might’ve been.
—RYAN NITZEN
2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, an FIM World Championship
Round 5 of 17
Lucas Oil Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana
Results: February 2, 2021
450SX Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
26 laps |
| 2. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
07.909 |
| 3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
10.798 |
| 4. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
19.362 |
| 5. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(Yam) |
21.554 |
| 6. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
31.000 |
| 7. |
Zach Osborne |
(Hus) |
31.656 |
| 8. |
Joey Savatgy |
(KTM) |
39.382 |
| 9. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
47.687 |
| 10. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Yam) |
25 laps |
250SX East Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Colt Nichols |
(Yam) |
19 laps |
| 2. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
05.798 |
| 3. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
10.646 |
| 4. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
40.771 |
| 5. |
Grant Harlan |
(Hon) |
18 laps |
| 6. |
Jeremy Hand |
(Hon) |
12.542 |
| 7. |
Joshua Varize |
(KTM) |
14.636 |
| 8. |
Josh Osby |
(Hon) |
15.495 |
| 9. |
Logan Karnow |
(Kaw) |
20.021 |
| 10. |
Kevin Moranz |
(KTM) |
23.372 |
450SX Point Standings (After 5 of 17 rounds)
| 1. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
112/2 wins |
| 2. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
99/1 win |
| 3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
98/1 win |
| 4. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
92/1 win |
| 5. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
87 |
| 6. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
81 |
| 7. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Yam) |
76 |
| 8. |
Zach Osborne |
(Hus) |
74 |
| 9. |
Marvin Musquin |
(KTM) |
73 |
| 10. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(Yam) |
70 |
250SX East Point Standings (After 5 of 9 rounds)
| 1. |
Colt Nichols |
(Yam) |
122/3 wins |
| 2. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
111/1 win |
| 3. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
83/1 win |
| 4. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
77 |
| 5. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
76 |
| 6. |
Josh Osby |
(Hon) |
56 |
| 7. |
Joshua Varize |
(KTM) |
54 |
| 8. |
Mitchell Oldenburg |
(Hon) |
51 |
| 9. |
John Short |
(Suz) |
47 |
| 10. |
Grant Harlan |
(Hon) |
46 |
QUALIFYING
Round five of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship is up and running, and qualifying has concluded at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana (Indy 2). It’s the second stop of three within a week at Indy, and the track isn’t drastically different from last Saturday’s race; however, the dirt is slightly drier and less rutty, which the riders seem to like so far. And the start chute is positioned on the opposite of the stadium compared to last Saturday.
Ken Roczen is the top 450SX qualifier at the Indy 2 Supercross. Photos: BrownDog Wilson
Ken Roczen will get the first gate pick going into the evening program. The Honda HRC Team rider reeled off the quickest time after combined qualifying, followed by Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and the defending champ’s teammate Adam Cianciarulo. Joey Savatgy (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) and Malcolm Stewart (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) round out the top five.
The top eight riders are all positioned within a second of each other.
It looks as though Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) might be done for the day, but we’ll see. The 2018 450SX champ retired early in Q1 after injuring his hand (a possible dislocated finger). He came out in Q2 and retired back to the pits before registering any times. Technically, however, he’s qualified for the evening show but whether or not he’ll ride is at this point up in the air.
Justin Barcia left some question marks out there. In Q1, Barcia certainly didn’t set the world on fire. He was ninth quickest and a nearly full second down on Tomac. And things didn’t get any better in Q2 for the TLD/Red Bull/GasGas Team rider, in fact, it got worse. His best time in Q2 was a half-second slower than his best time in Q1, so it’s obvious Barcia is still searching for the right set-up, or simply isn’t jelling with the track yet, or?
Last Saturday’s winner Colt Nichols continues to be the rider to beat in the 250SX East class. He heads into tonight’s program as the top qualifier in the 250SX class.
In the 250SX East class, Saturday’s winner Colt Nichols (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) is still on the gas and in control. The championship leader was approximately two-10ths quicker than the next-best rider, Jett Lawrence (Honda HRC). Michael Mosiman (TLD/Red Bull/GasGas), Christian Craig (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha), and Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) are all right there and round out the top five.
Lawrence’s best time came in Q2 before having an issue in the whoops that resulted in the Honda rider walking back to the pits with a possible bloody nose or cut to his face. Preliminary reports have it that the Australian is okay and will race tonight. CN
QUALIFYING (INDY 2)
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10) Indy 2
| 1. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
46.186 |
| 2. |
Eli Tomac |
(Kaw) |
46.316 |
| 3. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
46.508 |
| 4. |
Joey Savatgy |
(KTM) |
46.777 |
| 5. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Yam) |
46.786 |
| 6. |
Justin Brayton |
(Hon) |
46.835 |
| 7. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
46.995 |
| 8. |
Marvin Musquin |
(KTM) |
47.141 |
| 9. |
Zach Osborne |
(Hus) |
47.196 |
| 10. |
Martin Davalos |
(KTM) |
47.242 |
250SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10) Indy 2
| 1. |
Colt Nichols |
(Yam) |
46.624 |
| 2. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
46.857 |
| 3. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
47.038 |
| 4. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
47.088 |
| 5. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
47.506 |
| 6. |
Mitch Oldenburg |
(Hon) |
47.894 |
| 7. |
Max Miller |
(KTM) |
48.756 |
| 8. |
Josh Osby |
(Hon) |
48.858 |
| 9. |
Thomas Do |
(KTM) |
48.922 |
| 10. |
Curren Thurman |
(KTM) |
48.953 |
Monster Energy Supercross/Telecast Schedule
| Saturday, January 16 |
Houston (East) |
NBCSN |
6 p.m. ET |
| Tuesday, January 19 |
Houston (East) |
NBCSN* |
10:30 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, January 23 |
Houston (East) |
NBCSN |
8 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, January 30 |
Indianapolis (East) |
NBCSN |
8 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, January 31 |
Indianapolis (East) |
NBC** |
11 p.m. ET |
| Tuesday, February 2 |
Indianapolis (East) |
NBCSN* |
11 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, February 6 |
Indianapolis (East) |
NBCSN |
8 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, February 13 |
Orlando (East) |
NBCSN |
7:30 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, February 20 |
Orlando (West) |
NBCSN |
7 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, March 6 |
Daytona (West) |
NBCSN |
7 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, March 13 |
Arlington (West) |
NBCSN |
7 p.m. ET |
| Tuesday, March 16 |
Arlington (West) |
NBCSN* |
10:30 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, March 20 |
Arlington (West) |
NBCSN* |
10:30 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, April 10 |
Atlanta (West) |
NBC |
3 p.m. ET |
| Tuesday, April 13 |
Atlanta (West) |
NBCSN* |
10 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, April 17 |
Atlanta (West) |
NBCSN* |
8:30 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, April 24 |
Salt Lake City (West) |
NBCSN |
7 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, May 1 |
Salt Lake City (East) |
NBCSN |
10 p.m. ET |
| Sunday, May 2 |
Salt Lake City (East/West) |
NBC** |
1:30 p.m. ET |
*Same-day delay
**Taped coverage
Click here for complete 2021 Indianapolis Supercross Rnd 5 Results.
