Ryan Nitzen | April 15, 2023
Lots to talk about at round 13 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series from Atlanta Motor Speedway. The track is number one as lap times are about double to what they are normally. As the checkers flew, it was Chase Sexton and Hunter Lawrence taking victories.
Main Event
450SX
Chase Sexton finally made it happen. After crashing out of the lead more times than he’d like in the past few weeks, the number-23 led every lap of tonight’s main event. He checked out and crossed the line seven seconds over second place. With Webb and Tomac both finishing off the podium, Sexton is now only 17 points out of the lead.
A wire-to-wire win for Sexton. Photos: Brown Dog Wilson
Justin Barcia nabbed a second place finish and matched his season best finish. He battled for most of the race with Ken Roczen but eventually got the better of the Suzuki rider. Barcia made a bit of a gab over third and cruised it in for another strong ride.
450 podium
Ken Roczen found his way back onto the podium with a third. The Suzuki rider grabbed the holeshot and ran up front for the entire main event. He duked it out with Justin Barcia for the first half of the race and eventually settled into the third place position. This is Roczen’s third podium on the season.
Roczen landed on the box in third.
Finishing off the box was both Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac. The two title contenders were neck-and-neck for almost the entire race, but Webb managed to hold off the number and gain one point back in the championship deficit. Tomac’s lead is now just six points over Webb.
No Webb or Tomac on the podium this week.
450SX Final Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
15 Laps |
| 2. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
+07.006 |
| 3. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
+11.206 |
| 4. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
+17.928 |
| 5. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
+20.405 |
| 6. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
+34.314 |
| 7. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
+56.664 |
| 8. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hon) |
+1:02.154 |
| 9. |
Colt Nichols |
(Hon) |
+1:03.520 |
| 10. |
Justin Hill |
(KTM) |
+1:15.410 |
250SX East
Hunter Lawrence walked away win his sixth win in seven attempts this season. The Honda rider started second, but quickly moved to the lead by the end of the second straight away. Lawrence went for a wild ride off track on lap one but managed to reclaim the top spot shortly thereafter. From there it was smooth sailing for the 96 as he won by eight seconds.
Another win for Hunter Lawrence. That’s six wins in seven rounds. Photos: Brown Dog Wilson
Jordon Smith battled his way to second on the day. The Star Racing Yamaha rider pushed past his team mates and moved into second ahead of Haiden Deegan. Smith rode with good intensity and stayed close to Lawrence in the early stages of the race. After not making main in Detroit this is a solid comeback for Smith.
Jordon Smith rebounded from a DNQ in Detroit and finished second.
Haiden Deegan grabbed his first career holeshot and managed to lead the first two laps of the race. He ended up giving the lead back to Lawrence and eventually dropped back another spot to third. Deegan battled with team mate Nate Thrasher but solidified the final podium spot after Thrasher hit the deck. Deegan, the rookie, is now second in points.
Mark another podium for Haiden Deegan in third.
250 Podium
250SX East Final Results (Top 10)
| 1. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
11 Laps |
| 2. |
Jordon Smith |
(Yam) |
+08.232 |
| 3. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
+14.579 |
| 4. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
+18.251 |
| 5. |
Max Anstie |
(Hon) |
+32.629 |
| 6. |
Henry Miller |
(Hon) |
+51.860 |
| 7. |
Chris Blose |
(Kaw) |
+52.404 |
| 8. |
Talon Hawkins |
(Hus) |
+59.812 |
| 9. |
Cullin Park |
(Hon) |
+1:11.012 |
| 10. |
Caden Braswell |
(Hon) |
+1:17.746 |
QUALIFYING
450SX
Chase Sexton brought the heat to the Hotlanta and came out on top this morning. His best time was one tenth faster than the Kawasaki riders in second and third. Adam Cianciarulo set the second best time, just a click off Sexton’s time, with teammate Jason Anderson 0.02 back in third. Cooper Webb and Justin Barcia were fourth and fifth while Eli Tomac came in seventh.
Chase Sexton set the fastest time of the day. Photos: Brown Dog Wilson
Adam Cianciarulo snuck in with the second best time.
Jason Anderson looked good for third.
Cooper Webb clocked fourth.
Log Justin Barcia in fifth behind Webb.
Eli Tomac was back in seventh.
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
1:28.064 |
| 2. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
1:28.156 |
| 3. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
1:28.172 |
| 4. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
1:28.576 |
| 5. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
1:28.682 |
| 6. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
1:28.875 |
| 7. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
1:29.222 |
| 8. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hon) |
1:30.194 |
| 9. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
1:30.267 |
| 10. |
Benny Bloss |
(Yam) |
1:30.981 |
250SX East
We’re back on the east coast which means we’ll see Hunter Lawrence, Nate Thrasher, and Haiden Deegan back on track. Jo Shimoda also joins the action after a suffering a broken collarbone earlier this year.
Nate Thrasher is notoriously good in Atlanta and set the fastest time of the 250SX class with a 1:29.94. He barely edged Hunter Lawrence by 0.04 seconds. Jordon Smith was third with a 1:30.5. Jo Shimoda and Jeremy Martin rounded out the top five.
Nate Thrasher got his first win here in Atlanta. He was the fastest 250 rider.
Hunter Lawrence was 0.04 seconds off Thrasher’s time.
Jordon Smith rounded out the qualifying podium.
Jo Shimoda is back this weekend. He grabbed fourth in qualifying.
Jeremy Martin clocked fifth.
250SX East Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
1:29.944 |
| 2. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
1:29.989 |
| 3. |
Jordon Smith |
(Yam) |
1:30.508 |
| 4. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
1:30.737 |
| 5. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Yam) |
1:30.810 |
| 6. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
1:31.066 |
| 7. |
Max Anstie |
(Hon) |
1:32.165 |
| 8. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
1:32.327 |
| 9. |
Chris Blose |
(Kaw) |
1:32.960 |
| 10. |
Coty Schock |
(Hon) |
1:33.151 |
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