We’re back inside the Big A for round three (scheduled round four) of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. Anaheim 2 marks the first triple crown race of the season, which means both classes will race three mains during the night show. There’s a lot to follow as this is also the first round of Supercross Futures for 2023.
At the end of three main events each, fans saw Chase Sexton and Levi Kitchen stand atop the A2 podium.
Main Event
450SX Main Event 1
The first 450 main started with Chase Sexton grabbing the holeshot and the early lead. This is where he stayed for the entire race as he led every lap of the 12-minutes plus one lap. Sexton also set the fastest lap of the race.
Ken Roczen started and stayed in second for the duration of main one. He held tough against the charging Eli Tomac but just didn’t have enough to close the gap to Sexton. He’s off to a strong start tonight.
Eli Tomac didn’t get the best start, but it’s Eli Tomac so you know that doesn’t matter. He worked his way through the pack and got around Adam Cianciarulo in the whoops to secure third. Tomac charged through the mid-point of the race but settled for the final podium spot.
Some drama off the podium as Jason Anderson and Cooper Webb connected on the final lap. This put Webb on the ground as Anderson finished fifth and Webb in seventh.
Main Event 2
This time around Jason Anderson got the start he’s been looking for. He rode a mistake-free race despite the chaos going on behind him. This is the first time Anderson’s stood on top of the box and keeps him in good contention for the nights’s overall.
Eli Tomac kept it consistent with a second place in race two. He fought hard with Ken Roczen and the two put a series of block passes on eachother. Tomac made the pass stick as he continued to hunt Jason Anderson. His 3-2 finishes have him up front for the win with one main to go.
Ken Roczen held second for most of the race as he duked it out with Eli Tomac. A small bobble just before the finish allowed Tomac to seal the deal and left Roczen with third. Cooper Webb stayed close and pressured Roczen at the end but couldn’t get the pass done.
Race one winner, Chase Sexton, finished fifth.
Main Event 3
Chase Sexton bounced back with a dominant ride in race three. He got off to a strong start behind Jason Anderson and made the pass stick on lap five. From there it was smooth sailing as Sexton held off a charging Cooper Webb. Sexton’s 1-5-1 finishes gave him the overall win for the night.
Cooper Webb was the man on a mission in race two. He started up front and battled for third with the number-one of Eli Tomac before Tomac eventually crashed out of podium contention. Webb stalked and eventually passed Anderson for the second spot and finished just over a second back from Sexton at the line. Webb grabbed fourth in the overall rankings.
Jason Anderson looked strong again in race three as he took off with the early lead. He led for four laps before mistakes gave the top spot over to Sexton. The 21 slipped back to third in race three, but 5-1-3 finishes still gave him an overall podium for the night. This is the first time Anderson’s been on the box in 2023.
Ken Roczen charged for the entire final race and passed Dylan Ferrandis with just a few laps left. His fourth in race three gave him third overall, his first podium this season.
We can’t talk about race three without mentioning Eli Tomac’s wild crash. He was in contention for the overall but drifted left in the big rhythm section and crashed on a tough block. Tomac did remount but finished a distant 13th.
450SX Overall Results (Top 10)
| 1. | Chase Sexton | (Hon) | 1-5-1 |
| 2. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 5-1-3 |
| 3. | Ken Roczen | (Suz) | 2-3-4 |
| 4. | Cooper Webb | (KTM) | 7-4-2 |
| 5. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Yam) | 4-6-5 |
| 6. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 3-2-13 |
| 7. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 8-7-7 |
| 8. | Justin Barcia | (GG) | 11-8-6 |
| 9. | Adam Cianciarulo | (Kaw) | 6-11-8 |
| 10. | Joey Savatgy | (Kaw) | 10-9-9 |
250SX
Main Event 1
The first race of the night saw RJ Hampshire take off to an early lead. The Husqvarna rider has been knocking on the door for a win as of late and finally checked his first W of the season off the list. He led every lap of the race to win main one.
Pierce Brown put in a great ride in the first main. He battled hard and found his way into second near the half-way point of the race. Brown held off Lawrence in a last lap effort to keep the second spot on the box.
Jett Lawrence finished an eventful third. He started third but quickly got second after passing Levi Kitchen in the whoops. Jett had a slight mishap and fell a few laps later which dropped him to eighth in the running. He put on crazy charge to go from eighth back to third in the shortened 10-minutes-plus-one-lap race.
Main Event 2
The second 250 main event was anything but predictable. Cameron Mcadoo grabbed the early lead but quickly gave it up to Phil Nicoletti. Filthy Phil avoided the carnage and took over for most of the race was eventually overtaken by the two Star Racing team mates. Nicoletti held on for third at the checkers.
Levi Kitchen rode an almost quiet race to finish second. He followed his team mate Robertson past Nicoletti to lock in the second spot. With so much going on behind the lead group, the MO for the night was keeping it smooth.
Stilez Robertson took the first race win of his career during main two. He stalked Phil Nicoletti for the early half of the race and put down a clean pass just before the finish. Robertson rode smart for the remaining laps and held on for his first career race win.
Jett Lawrence suffered a slew of mistakes in race two. A bad start and a fall shortly after in turn three put him way back. He fought hard for the rest of the 10 minute race and passed multiple riders as most of the field dropped with mistakes. Despite a run in with Cameron Mcadoo on the final lap, Jett locked in sixth at the line.
Main Event 3
Jett Lawrence rebounded well for the final race of the night. A big holeshot and a few sprint laps off the start allowed him to check out from second and third. Jett had some pressure early on from Levi Kitchen but eventually cruised to victory by over 12 seconds. 3-6-1 finishes gave Jett second overall on the night.
Levi Kitchen jumped into second right off the start and stayed close to Jett Lawrence for the first few laps. Near the halfway point, he seemed to feel some security and put it on cruise control for a strong second place result. His consistent 4-2-2 earned Kitchen the overall, his first win of his young career.
Stilez Robertson put it on the box again in main number three. He started up front and within podium reach and held tough as Kitchen and Lawrence put in their sprint laps. Robertson used his consistent 6-1-3 finishes to grab the final podium position.
250SX West Final Results (Top 10)
| 1. | Levi Kitchen | (Yam) | 4-2-2 |
| 2. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 3-6-1 |
| 3. | Stilez Robertson | (Yam) | 6-1-3 |
| 4. | Mitchell Oldenburg | (Hon) | 5-4-6 |
| 5. | Max Vohland | (KTM) | 7-8-4 |
| 6. | Cameron Mcadoo | (Kaw) | 8-7-5 |
| 7. | Derek Kelley | (KTM) | 10-5-7 |
| 8. | Pierce Brown | (GG) | 2-13-8 |
| 9. | Phillip Nicoletti | (Yam) | 12-3-19 |
| 10. | Dylan Walsh | (Kaw) | 14-11-10 |
Qualifying
450SX
Since tonight’s a triple crown format, only the top 18 riders make it directly from practice to the night show. Chase Sexton set the time to beat with a 57.5. He bested Anderson and Roczen who were second and third respectively and only separated by one tenth.
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Chase Sexton | (Hon) | 57.564 |
| 2. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 58.283 |
| 3. | Ken Roczen | (Suz) | 58.371 |
| 4. | Eli Tomac | (Yam) | 58.529 |
| 5. | Cooper Webb | (KTM) | 58.810 |
| 6. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Yam) | 58.933 |
| 7. | Justin Barcia | (GG) | 59.175 |
| 8. | Adam Cianciarulo | (Kaw) | 59.295 |
| 9. | Christian Craig | (Hus) | 59.347 |
| 10. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 59.583 |
250SX
Jett Lawrence again clocked the fastest time in the 250SX class. His 57.9 was almost a full second faster than Hampshire in second and would’ve put him second overall in the 450 class. Big news however came as Cameron Mcadoo crashed hard in Q1 and was carted off the track. He did ride in Q2 but no final word yet if he will race tonight.
250SX West Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Jett Lawrence | (Hon) | 57.998 |
| 2. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 58.784 |
| 3. | Enzo Lopes | (Yam) | 58.842 |
| 4. | Pierce Brown | (GG) | 59.064 |
| 5. | Levi Kitchen | (Yam) | 59.183 |
| 6. | Stilez Robertson | (Yam) | 59.663 |
| 7. | Cameron Mcadoo | (Kaw) | 59.708 |
| 8. | Mitchell Oldenburg | (Hon) | 59.884 |
| 9. | Max Vohland | (KTM) | 1:00.186 |
| 10. | Derek Kelley | (KTM) | 1:00.206 |
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