Ryan Nitzen | May 4, 2022
Cycle News The 411
COLUMN
Movers And Shakers
There’s certainly some irony in this year’s Supercross season. Or “parity” if you’ve seen any broadcast this year. Every season is touted as “the best season ever,” or set to have “the most winners.” I’m just as guilty. I’ve written several season previews with those exact headlines. It’s just part of the sport. This year’s hype was real, there’s no doubt about that. And for good reason, too. We saw so many players enter the 450SX class, nearly all of them with an actual shot at being a race winner. Seven of the 22 riders in the 450SX main at Anaheim 1 had previously won races with another six on the line having former championships on their resumes (if you count 250cc Supercross and MX). That’s 65% of the field being valid contenders for wins. Crazy. Many of us still remember the days of Reed, Carmichael and Stewart, or Dungey and Villopoto, where realistically only one to five guys had a shot at getting the win. Times have changed, that’s for sure. Whether or not it’s raw speed, training or a deeper level of talent pool, is for you to decide.
Jason Anderson and Eli Tomac were the big movers in Supercross this year—in more ways than one.
But what I find most interesting this year is two contrary story lines. One being how the two main 450SX title contenders are on new bikes and the other being a 12-year age gap between the 250 winners. Both Jason Anderson and Eli Tomac opted for new teams after several seasons, and wins, on their former brands. Jett Lawrence and Christian Craig are 12 years apart in age, but both will hold championship trophies by the end of the year. In a world where consistency is key, 2022 has almost proved otherwise.
Possibly the two biggest news stories this off-season were that of Jason Anderson joining Monster Energy Kawasaki and Eli Tomac teaming up with Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha. Shockingly, both riders made these big changes well into their careers. Anderson had previously only ridden for the Rockstar Husqvarna team during his pro career starting back in 2011. Yes, it was formerly Rockstar KTM and Rockstar Suzuki before that, but team owner Bobby Hewitt remained the same throughout. Anderson earned two championships with the team, the 250cc West title in 2014 and the coveted 450cc trophy back in 2018. After Hewitt left the team, Anderson alluded that things just weren’t the same on the Rockstar team. An offer came about to ride for the factory Kawasaki effort and Anderson jumped at the opportunity to change his scenery. Despite being on a drastically different machine (a steel framed Husqvarna vs. the aluminum frame Kawasaki), success came soon for Anderson. He quickly grabbed the win in Glendale at just the second round of the 2022 Supercross season. Several wins so far certainly quieted those who doubted Anderson’s switch.
Eli Tomac is another rider who changed colors this year. After six years with Monster Energy Kawasaki, ET3 made the move to the Star Racing Yamaha brand. The Colorado native hit his stride on the green machine, winning three Pro Motocross Championships in a row (2017-19) and racking up his first 450cc Supercross title back in 2020. Things became a bit stagnant at the end of his run perhaps and rumors of Tomac making the switch began to circulate. I doubted success in the move due to the Yamaha’s differences from the Kawi and from former case studies within the brand. Former Yamaha 450cc riders like Cooper Webb, Justin Barcia and Aaron Plessinger were eager to get off the blue bike and found success in their own right after starting new rides. In the YZ450F’s defense, the team was not run by Star Racing during these times, and Dylan Ferrandis quickly jumped to 450cc success under the Star management. But number-three and the Blue Crew proved me wrong. Tomac quickly made his way to the front of the field and by round three in San Diego, he already took control of the red plate. This was the earliest point he’d ever held the points lead, and it only took another round before he clicked off his first win with the Star squad. Seven wins later and he looks like the Tomac of old, with an improved starting technique to match. And that’s without mentioning his new home on the all-time wins list. Fourth place (44 wins) is shared between Tomac and Chad Reed. The only riders above them? How about Ricky Carmichael (48), James Stewart (50), and Jeremy McGrath (72)? That’s some good company. Tomac will likely clinch the 2022 450SX Supercross title this weekend in his home state of Colorado, the second Supercross Championship of his career.
After seeing the positive outcome that Jason Anderson and Eli Tomac had with their moves late in their careers, I wonder if Ken Roczen will consider one, as well?
In the YZ450F’s defense, the team was not run by Star Racing during these times, and Dylan Ferrandis quickly jumped to 450cc success under the Star management.
My other contrasting topic for this week is age; specifically, the age gap between the two 250cc title contenders. Jett Lawrence recently wrapped up his first Supercross Championship in Foxborough, the number 18 becoming number-one at, well, age 18. Jettson’s rise to stardom is well-documented and rightfully so. The kid is everything the sport needs and his management team certainly knows what they have on their hands. This is Lawrence’s second title, last year’s 250cc Motocross crown and now a Supercross plaque to match. The youngster certainly has a bright future ahead of him.
Christian Craig, on the other hand, is 30 and will be 31 by the time the Pro Motocross Championship concludes later this summer. This means 12-year-old Christian was busy sweeping amateur nationals before Jett was even born. Craig currently has no titles to his name but is the obvious favorite to wrap up his first this weekend in Denver. And no shame here. I’m 27 years old and I feel better than ever on the bike and I’m a more mature rider/person in all aspects of my life. Perhaps the same is true for Craig. His timeline led him astray from the sport for a few years with two seasons of no Supercross results (’14-’15). He returned with a vengeance though and went on to win his first Supercross main the following year at Glendale 2016. No doubt Craig has since solidified himself as a serious player in the sport, contending for top spots indoors and running up front during his former 450 class outdoor appearances. He’s adamant about moving to a 450 after this season which will certainly please the internet nay-sayers, but taking a title home should be a feather in the cap regardless of age. He won’t become the oldest 250cc class champ, however, that record will still stand with John Dowd, who won the 1998 125 West Coast Supercross title just shy of his 33rd birthday.CN
