Cycle News Staff | February 5, 2022
The triple crown format never lacks for action and the Glendale Supercross was no different. Three main events for both classes saw unpredictability and the first repeat winner of the 2022 season. Eli Tomac and Hunter Lawrence came out on top as the big winners in Arizona.
450SX Race 1
Eli Tomac holeshotted and led every lap of 450SX race one. The Star Racing Yamaha rider is fresh off a win at Anaheim Two and certainly carried that momentum into the first race of the night.
Jason Anderson brought in the second spot in race one. He duked it out with Ken Roczen and held off the charging Malcom Stewart for the 12-minutes plus one lap duration. A safe start to the night for the number-21.
Malcolm Stewart rounded out the podium in race one. The newest Husqvarna rider followed Anderson for the entirety of the race and passed Roczen in the process. Great to see Malcom grab a long overdue podium in Glendale.
Race 2
Eli Tomac is two for two on holeshots tonight. He rocketed off the line and once again led every lap of race two. Tomac is on fire so far, leading every lap in Arizona.
Jason Anderson jumped right into second off the line and followed closely behind Tomac. Later in the race, Anderson bobbled in the big rhythm section and collected himself with a Tuff Block. With his bike stuck and the clutch lever bent upwards, it took Anderson a moment to remount before finishing 12th.
The running order remained relatively unchanged at the front. After Anderson went down, Malcolm Stewart and Chase Sexton moved up and rounded out the podium spots. They finished second and third respectively.
Race 3
Chase Sexton broke Tomac’s start streak by grabbing the holeshot in race three. Sexton went unchallenged in the final race, leading all the way to the checkers. Despite an 11th in race one, his third and first finishes were good enough to get Sexton on the box at the end of the night.
Jason Anderson bounced back from a bad race two and finished second in the final race of the night. He passed through some of the heavy hitters and moved his way into podium territory around half way through the main. Anderson’s two, 12, two finishes held him back in the overall rankings.
Eli Tomac started up front and rode a safe race to take home the overall win. His one, one, three scores made him the most consistent rider of the night as he extended his series points lead.
Malcolm Stewart put on a great ride tonight to finish second overall. The three, two four finishes from the Husqvarna rider earned him a career best finish.
450SX Results (Top 10)
1. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
1-1-3 |
2. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hus) |
3-2-4 |
3. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
11-3-1 |
4. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
2-12-2 |
5. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
4-6-7 |
6. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
6-7-6 |
7. |
Marvin Musquin |
(KTM) |
5-4-11 |
8. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
8-8-5 |
9. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hus) |
9-9-9 |
10. |
Shane Mcelrath |
(KTM) |
10-11-8 |
250SX Race 1
The first race of the 250SX class kicked off with Vince Friese (Smartop MotoConcepts Honda) grabbing the holeshot over points leader Christian Craig (Star Racing Yamaha). San Diego winner, Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas) tangled in turn one and fell, getting stuck on his bike in the process. Mosiman rallied and finished tenth at the checkers.
Craig quickly took the lead before the end of lap one and never looked back. The red plate holding number-28 rode away from the field, crossing the line 14 seconds clear of second place Hunter Lawrence. This set him up for a great overall finish.
Lawrence came home second in race one. He stalked Friese for the first few laps and made an aggressive move in one of the 180-degree turns. Once around Friese, Lawrence locked in for a solid second place.
Vince Friese finally grabbed a podium in race one. He held off the likes of Shimoda and Thrasher and came home with the final podium spot.
Jo Shimoda rode a great race but suffered from a multitude of mistakes. He battled with Friese and experienced an off-the-track excursion and a crash late in the race. His crash gave the fourth spot to Garrett Marchbanks while Shimoda settled for fifth.
Race 2
In race two it was Vince Friese holeshotting again with Christian Craig following in close pursuit. The two riders connected in the sand section which sent Craig flying off the track. Both riders went down with Craig remounting in last place.
Up front, Hunter Lawrence took control of the lead with Jalek Swoll and Jo Shimoda in tow. Lawrence led the entirety of race two and fended off pressure from a charging Mosiman late in the moto. Two, one finishes have him in good contention going into main number three.
After crashing in race one, Michael Mosiman was on a mission in race two. He charged through the pack, making passes on Swoll and Shimoda. With two laps to go, he closed up to the back of Lawrence but couldn’t make the pass stick. Mosiman was second in the second main.
Jo Shimoda finished on the podium in race two. A good start and smart laps put the Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider up front. A third in race two was certainly a rebound for Shimoda after a fifth in race one.
Despite a horrible crash on the opening lap, Christian Craig crossed the line fourth. He picked off 17 riders in just 10 minutes in hopes of salvaging his night’s overall finish.
Race 3
Craig grabbed another holeshot in race three with rival Vince Friese just behind. Craig looked cool, calm, and collected as he disappeared from the field and eventually won. Aside from his crash in race two, Craig rode a near perfect night and finished second overall with one, four, one finishes.
Once Hunter Lawrence got around Vince Friese he locked into second place for the duration of race three. From there he rode a smart race and cruised it in behind Craig. His consistent two, one, two finishes proved good enough to wrap up the overall win.
Jo Shimoda finished third in race three and solidified his spot on the podium. The Kawasaki rider held off Mosiman who eventually went down on the table top jump and brought home the final podium spot. Shimoda’s five, three, three scores earned him third on the night.
250SX West (Top 10)
1. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
2-1-2 |
2. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
1-4-1 |
3. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
5-3-3 |
4. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Yam) |
4-6-6 |
5. |
Vince Friese |
(Hon) |
3-10-4 |
6. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
6-5-7 |
7. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
8-7-5 |
8. |
Carson Brown |
(KTM) |
9-9-8 |
9. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
10-2-15 |
10. |
Robbie Wageman |
(Yam) |
15-8-10 |
QUALIFYING
The Glendale Supercross marks the first triple crown race for the 2022 season. Qualifying has a different format for the triple crown rounds as only the top 18 riders make it to the night show. The other four riders are forced to qualify from the LCQ if they want a shot at tonight’s three main events. Here’s what went down.
Dylan Ferrandis grabbed the top qualifying time, his first time qualifying on pole. His Star Racing Yamaha teammate Eli Tomac finished second with Jason Anderson in third. There’s a handful of fast rhythm lanes and hitting those perfectly every lap will be key tonight.
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Dylan Ferrandis |
(Yam) |
1:01.140 |
2. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
1:01.301 |
3. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
1:01.649 |
4. |
Ken Roczen |
(Hon) |
1:01.842 |
5. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
1:01.863 |
6. |
Marvin Musquin |
(KTM) |
1:01.991 |
7. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
1:02.332 |
8. |
Malcolm Stewart |
(Hus) |
1:02.659 |
9. |
Justin Brayton |
(Hon) |
1:02.684 |
10. |
Shane McElrath |
(KTM) |
1:02.687 |
Hunter Lawrence nabbed the top spot in 250SX qualifying on the last lap of the session. He bested Star Racing Yamaha’s Nate Thrasher and Christian Craig. Jo Shimoda and Vince Friese are also back on track after a crazy get-together late in the race last weekend.
250SX West Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
1:03.416 |
2. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
1:04.270 |
3. |
Christian Craig |
(Yam) |
1:03.735 |
4. |
Michael Mosiman |
(GG) |
1:04.041 |
5. |
Jo Shimoda |
(Kaw) |
1:04.408 |
6. |
Garrett Marchbanks |
(Yam) |
1:05.171 |
7. |
Vince Friese |
(Hon) |
1:05.678 |
8. |
Carson Mumford |
(Suz) |
1:06.232 |
9. |
Chris Blose |
(GG) |
1:06.864 |
10. |
Jalek Swoll |
(Hus) |
1:06.156 |