Lawrence and Patterson top Moto X Super X seeding

Jean Turner | August 1, 2009

Once again, a very complex Super X course greeted riders at the Home Depot Center for Summer X Games 15. Tricky rhythms and big hits out of tight corners have left most riders electing to ride 450s in the open format event.

Josh Hansen has returned to defend his X Games gold, and surprised everyone by showing up on a Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F pitting out of Mitch Payton’s Pro Circuit rig. Hansen looked fantastic in yesterday’s seeding session, but it was Monster Energy ampm Yamaha rider Jason Lawrence who set the fast lap in practice followed by factory KTM rider Justin Brayton and Hansen. The three were the only riders to break the 47-second mark.

Kevin Windham qualified fourth in the hour-long practice session followed by Kevin Windham, Josh Grant, Chris Blose, rookie rider Christian Craig and Matt Boni – all of whom clocked in inside one second of each other. Jeremy McGrath and Nick Wey rounded out the top ten.

L&M San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart’s withdrawal from the competition has left the door wide open in the competition. Stewart’s camp issued a press release earlier today with Stewart describing the injury.

“I was coming around a corner and kind of washed the front end,” James said. “The tire caught a little bit and I ended up slamming my shoulder against the wall pretty hard. I’m hurting pretty bad right now. It is very, very painful, and I can’t lift my shoulder above my side at all. If I could ride the bike I would, but there’s just know way at this point.

“I was feeling really good on the bike and was having a ton of fun. I was really looking forward to the events, but I’d still like to thank all of my sponsors for making this happen and getting me this far. I also want to thank Graves Yamaha for hooking up the bike, ESPN for all of the coverage, and all of my fans for sticking by me!”

Moto X Super X Men’s Qualifying Results

1. Jason Lawrence 46.38

2. Justin Brayton 46.84

3. Josh Hansen 46.94

4. Kevin Windham 47.04

5. Josh Grant 47.15

6. Chris Blose 47.57

7. Christian Craig 47.87

8. Matt Boni 47.89

9. Jeremy McGrath 48.08

10. Nick Wey 48.39

11. Heath Voss 48.67

12. Blake Wharton 49.08

13. Mike Sleeter 51.64

14. Daniel Blair 48.58

15. Max Anstie 51.54

16. Cole Mort 92.68

Women’s Moto X Super X Seeding

Top WMA racers Jessica Patterson and Ashley Fiolek battled it out for surpremacy in the women’s Moto X seeding session. Patterson, now riding a Factory Connection/GEICO Powersports Honda CRF250R, set the high mark on only her third lap, showing that her aggressive style was going to be key to a victory at X Games 15.

Fiolek was no slouch, however, as she was the only rider to stay within a second of the powerhouse that is Jessica Patterson. Fiolek and her factory Red Bull Honda CRF250R rode aggressive through the complex rhythms. With more time to prepare this year, and one Super X event already under their belt, the women of the WMA were even more impressive than last year’s innaugural Moto X event. 

Patterson and Jacqueline Strong both suffered crashes but were able to get up and keep moving. Sherri Cruse, last years silver medalist, was hot in seeding as well and turned a time that was third fastest for the night. Last years Bronze medalist, Tatum Sik, was able to run just a second higher — good enough for fourth in qualifying. Elizabeth Bash and Tarah Geiger finished fifth and sixth respectively, but it seemed as though Geiger was saving something for the final. 

As the track crews began to water the track, and the sponsorship banners are moved into place the Woman rode down into the pits, all with large smiles on their face, for tomorrow evening it would be time for business. And non of the woman were going to take it easy.

Patterson gave her take on the weekends happenings, “This is just great! We are Prime Time! They must of liked the show we put on last year cause they were adamant about having us back. Tomorrow should be a lot of fun, and I expect the racing to be exciting.”

Women’s Moto X Qualifying Results

1. Jessica Patterson (Hon)

2. Ashley Fiolek (Hon)

3. Sherri Cruse (Suz)

4. Tatum Sik (Suz)

5. Elizabeth Bash (Kaw)

6. Tarah Geiger (Yam)

7. Jacqueline Strong (Hon)

8. Sayaka Kaneshiro (Suz)

9. Penni Cyrus (Kaw)

10. April Zasrtrow  (Hon)

Jean Turner | Contributor

A former staffer at Cycle News, Turner continues to contribute to the website and magazine as a columnist and someone we can count on to whip up a few thousand words on an off-road race when needed.