Let’s do this Detroit! It’s a cold day here in the Motor City but the racing inside Ford Field is already heating up. Enjoy our race recap action from round six of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series and SuperMotocross Championship.
MAIN EVENTS
Another barn burner of a race in the 450SX main event. Points leader, Chase Sexton, mistimed the start and got stuck before the gate even dropped. To further the damage, he fell in the whoop section after running into the back end of another rider. He rounded lap one at the back of the pack.
Ken Roczen battled his way to the lead in the opening laps and was flanked by Cooper Webb and Aaron Plessinger. Webb made his move around Plessinger on lap three and the race was on from there as he closed in on Roczen.
The lead duo gapped third place and were never more than two seconds apart for the entire 25 laps. The number-two stalked Roczen for nearly the whole race, sitting second and patiently planning his move. Webb did what Webb does, pouncing at the perfect time and stealing the win away in the final moments. This victory earned him the maximum points swing, as he now shares the red plate with Chase Sexton.
“I really liked where I was by lap three, when I got around Aaron [Plessinger] and was with Kenny,” Webb said.
“His [Roczen’s] lines were really good in the respect of I couldn’t just run it up the inside,” Webb said. “You’re kind of just playing a waiting game for me but then it got late and then its like, ‘Shoot you gotta get going or you’re going to run out of time.’ I tried to play it the best I could and if you look at lap times we were within a few tenths every single lap. It’s fun when you have races like that but it’s almost like a game of chess.”
Ken Roczen crossed the line second after leading nearly the entire race. The Suzuki rider battled with Aaron Plessinger in the opening two laps but quickly established himself as the leader. Once Webb dropped into second the race was on and Roczen looked comfortable up front even with Webb nipping close at his heels.
The tight layout looked to play in Roczen’s favor but he ultimately gave up the lead with just three laps to go. Still, he stayed in it and crossed the line less than a second behind Webb. This marks the fourth podium of the year for the 94 and is a huge rebound after crashing out of the race one week ago.
“I knew it was going to be a battle all the way to the checkered flag and I just gave it everything I could,” Roczen said. “Sometimes it’s better to be in second in those situations. I gave it everything I had and I didn’t let anything confuse me or trip me out. I just hung in there and it’s a great rebound from last weekend even though we only made up two points which is a bummer. This season is still long and as long as I’m still in it and I’m battling and leaving it all on the track giving my best then I’m fine with it.”
Chase Sexton put in one of his best rides for third. The Red Bull KTM rider held the red plate going into Detroit but mistimed the gate and found himself stuck on the line. He raced down the start straight but fell again shortly thereafter, putting him dead last on lap one. It was game on from there as Sexton began chipping away at the field.
He set the fastest time of the race on lap 10 even while dealing with traffic and marched his way into the top five. With five laps to go a podium looked possible after he cut down the gap to Jason Anderson. The two exchanged a number of block passes with Sexton gaining the advantage. While a third doesn’t stand out on paper, his performance of last to third helped salvage points lead.
“I think I made the most time up in the whoops,” Sexton said. “I think that’s the best I’ve hit the whoops on a 450 since I started racing in this class to be honest. I was going down the right side in fourth gear pretty much as fast as I could go. I passed Malcolm [Stewart] and Jason [Anderson] there…It wasn’t a win but those are the ones that stick with you more because it’s something you put a lot of heart and fight into those and they mean a lot. Even though it wasn’t a win it was the best I could do tonight.”
Last week’s winner, Malcolm Stewart, finished fourth after passing a downed Anderson late in the race. “[I] just settled into a groove in the main event in fifth place,” Stewart said. “Then I think Jason [Anderson] went down with a few laps to go and we got fourth, so all-in-all, I’m happy. I’m really motivated by this, to back up Tampa with a solid finish inside the top-five is great, now we want more podiums!”
Webb’s Star Racing Yamaha teammate, Justin Cooper, rounded out the top five less than a second behind Stewart. “It was a good race, and I kept going strong,” Cooper said. “I was around fifth or sixth and in a battle the whole time with Malcolm and Jason [Anderson]. Jason had a crash at the end, and I moved up to fifth. I had one moment with a lapper in the sand and lost a lot of time on Malcolm, and had to re-catch him. I almost got to him there at the end. I got to his rear wheel again, but he was riding well, and I really couldn’t make a pass stick. So, fifth on the night and another top-five finish.”
450SX MAIN EVENT (Top 10)
| 1. | Cooper Webb | (Yam) | 25 Laps |
| 2. | Ken Roczen | (Suz) | 0.834 |
| 3. | Chase Sexton | (KTM) | 19.415 |
| 4. | Malcolm Stewart | (Hus) | 23.050 |
| 5. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 23.492 |
| 6. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 33.006 |
| 7. | Justin Barcia | (GG) | 33.787 |
| 8. | Dylan Ferrandis | (Hon) | 43.621 |
| 9. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 48.582 |
| 10. | Justin Hill | (KTM) | 1 Lap |
250SX East
What a race for the 250SX main event. Max Anstie shot out to the early lead and looked to have the race completely under control. With five minutes to go Anstie’s lead was over six seconds and it looked to be Anstie’s race to lose.
A red flag restart was thrown after Cameron McAdoo crashed through the whoops and needed medical attention. With seven seconds left on the clock, race officials forced a staggered restart with three laps to go.
Levi Kitchen, who was running second before the restart, capitalized on the first lap and ran right alongside Anstie. With the gap to the leader now gone, he forced a pass through the sand and took off with the top spot. Kitchen opened up a small gap and sprinted away to claim the win at the checkers.
“I made a pretty aggressive pass, nailed that three out of the turn, and opened up a little gap,” Kitchen said. “I was totally settled into second,” Kitchen said about the race prior to the restart. “He [Anstie] gapped me a lot in the first seven or eight minutes and after that I felt fairly good…I think all three of us just expected to finish where we were at. It was a wild turn of events.”
Anstie found himself on the wrong side of the coin after the late-race restart. With his lead now gone, the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider was forced to fight off the likes of Kitchen and Hampshire after nearly completing a full main event. He stuck to his familiar lines but fell victim to Kitchen and lost out on back to back wins. He was visibly upset after the race but still carries the red plate with a nine point lead.
“I was in the worst situation there, but it is what it is,” Anstie said. “I was sitting on the line just thinking ‘I’ve got two really good sprinters behind me, this is not going to be fun for two laps.’”
RJ Hampshire landed on the podium in third. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider passed into third a safe third position before later tipping over late in the race. At this point his gap to Kitchen in second was insurmountable The restart gave Hampshire another shot but he was unable to seal the deal with a pass on either rider. His third is a much better result than the 18th from one week ago.
“They [Anstie and Kitchen] gave me two opportunities where if I was a little more aggressive I probably could’ve taken that win,” Hampshire said. “The problem is if I had stuck a pass I would’ve sent it through the whoops and I don’t have the strength to hold on if it gets wild. I just settled into third.”
The defending number-one plate of Tom Vialle took fourth. “Started around position six or seven, came back to third, and then they red-flagged the race toward the end,” Vialle said. “I ended up with fourth, although we’re going in the right direction – the speed is good.”
Nate Thrasher finished fifth despite racing with broken fingers. “I really didn’t plan to race, but after talking with a few doctors, we decided to at least try. I had it taped up and went in with the mindset of doing the best I could…I just tried to get the most out of the night, which resulted in a heat race win and fifth in the main. So I’m happy with the day. I’m having surgery today to get it set and the doctor says I should be good to continue racing after this West Coast round coming up.”
Chance Hymas, Austin Forkner, Carson Mumford, Max Vohland, and Henry Miller completed the top 10.
250SX EAST MAIN EVENT (Top 10)
| 1. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 20 Laps |
| 2. | Max Anstie | (Yam) | 1.951 |
| 3. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 3.037 |
| 4. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 3.878 |
| 5. | Nate Thrasher | (Yam) | 6.949 |
| 6. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 7.563 |
| 7. | Austin Forkner | (Tri) | 11.228 |
| 8. | Carson Mumford | (Hon) | 11.753 |
| 9. | Max Vohland | (Yam) | 14.723 |
| 10. | Henry Miller | (Hon) | 15.608 |
QUALIFYING
Chase Sexton and Levi Kitchen kick off the day’s action with the fastest qualifying times. Also, don’t injuries are already plaguing this season and many of the top 450 names (Lawrence, Tomac, etc) are not listed due to injuries at previous rounds.
450SX
Chase Sexton is the man to beat right now. The points leader looked comfortable all morning and clocked the fastest time of the day, 0.3 seconds clear of second place. Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb were second and third, being the only other riders on the 47-second mark.
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Chase Sexton | (KTM) | 47.353 |
| 2. | Ken Roczen | (Suz) | 47.669 |
| 3. | Cooper Webb | (Yam) | 47.863 |
| 4. | Justin Cooper | (Yam) | 48.126 |
| 5. | Malcolm Stewart | (Hus) | 48.298 |
| 6. | Jason Anderson | (Kaw) | 48.432 |
| 7. | Joey Savatgy | (Hon) | 48.510 |
| 8. | Dylan Ferrandis | Hon | 48.596 |
| 9. | Aaron Plessinger | (KTM) | 48.816 |
| 10. | Justin Hill | (KTM) | 49.102 |
250SX East
Levi Kitchen grabbed the top spot this morning and was the fastest 250 rider of the day. Kitchen narrowly beat his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider, Seth Hammaker, by 0.03 seconds for the pole position. Max Anstie, the Tampa winner, clocked the third best time.
250SX East Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
| 1. | Levi Kitchen | (Kaw) | 48.363 |
| 2. | Seth Hammaker | (Kaw) | 48.380 |
| 3. | Max Anstie | (Yam) | 48.569 |
| 4. | Tom Vialle | (KTM) | 48.693 |
| 5. | RJ Hampshire | (Hus) | 49.040 |
| 6. | Cameron McAdoo | (Kaw) | 49.153 |
| 7. | Max Vohland | (Yam) | 49.290 |
| 8. | Chance Hymas | (Hon) | 49.345 |
| 9. | Carson Mumford | (Hon) | 49.666 |
| 10. | Austin Forkner | (Tri) | 49.844 |
