Ryan Nitzen | March 18, 2023
Round 10 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross kicks off today in Detroit. Another unpredictable night of racing sees Chase Sexton and Hunter Lawrence take top honors in the Motor City.
450SX
A wild race in the 450SX main event as Aaron Plessinger took off with the early race lead. The KTM rider sprinted away and gapped the field by five seconds almost right away. Plessinger led until two laps to go when he crashed spectacularly after catching his foot on an inside rut. He was credited with 13th position.
Chase Sexton was the man on the move tonight. After a lackluster start, the Honda rider began chipping away at the leaders and slowly passed his way around Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb. Sexton ran the majority of the race in second place. It looked like Plessinger would take the win, but Sexton was there to capitalize after his misfortune. This is Sexton’s second win on the season. After the race Sexton was docked seven points for jumping on the red cross flag.
Cooper Webb debuted the red plate today and ultimately further extended his points lead with a second place finish. Webb ran a strong race from start to finish and held off his title rival Eli Tomac for the final podium spot. Once Plessinger fell, Webb bumped up to second. He now leads the points by three over Tomac.
Eli Tomac rounded out the podium tonight. After dealing with “neck soreness” last weekend, everyone was wondering how he’d fare in Detroit. Tomac was hot and cold throughout the main event, battling with Sexton, Webb, and Barcia for most of the race. This is the first time we’ve seen Tomac without the red plate, but he lost another two points to Webb tonight. He’ll sport the white backgrounds for at least another week.
450SX Results (Top 10)
1. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
23 Laps |
2. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
+06.335 |
3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
+15.405 |
4. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
+18.265 |
5. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
+24.842 |
6. |
Christian Craig |
(Hus) |
+35.775 |
7. |
Justin Hill |
(KTM) |
22 Laps |
8. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
+04.619 |
9. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
+23.562 |
10. |
Josh Hill |
(KTM) |
+28.149 |
250SX
Hunter Lawrence was again the man to beat in the 250SX class. The Honda rider got out to the lead on the opening lap and led all 17 laps wire to wire, finishing over seven seconds up on second place. He’s now five for six in race wins this season and further extends his points lead.
Nate Thrasher claimed another second place finish. He fought hard in the opening stages of the race but didn’t have enough to close the gap to Lawrence who got away early. Thrasher now jumps to second in the overall points.
Haiden Deegan might’ve been the most exciting rider on the track as he finished third. He had a controversial moment in his heat race with fellow Star Racing teammate Jordon Smith, and carried that momentum into the main event. Deegan battled with Jeremy Martin early on in the main but held on for his second career podium. He’s now third in the overall standings.
250SX Results (Top 10)
1. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
17 Laps |
2. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
+07.685 |
3. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
+11.215 |
4. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Yam) |
+14.192 |
5. |
Chris Blose |
(Kaw) |
+39.953 |
6. |
Tom Vialle |
(KTM) |
+40.356 |
7. |
Cullin Park |
(Hon) |
+49.252 |
8. |
Coty Schock |
(Hon) |
+52.561 |
9. |
Henry Miller |
(Hon) |
+55.472 |
10. |
Michael Hicks |
(Hon) |
16 Laps |
QUALIFYING
450SX
The course is tight tonight which means times are close. Chase Sexton still topped the charts just 0.06 seconds over Jason Anderson. Last week’s winner Ken Roczen clocked third, two tenths back.
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
51.439 |
2. |
Jason Anderson |
(Kaw) |
51.491 |
3. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
51.643 |
4. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
51.927 |
5. |
Ei Tomac |
(Yam) |
52.109 |
6. |
Cooper Webb |
(KTM) |
52.162 |
7. |
Christian Craig |
(Hus) |
52.292 |
8. |
Justin Barcia |
(GG) |
52.413 |
9. |
Aaron Plessinger |
(KTM) |
52.946 |
10. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hon) |
53.277 |
250SX
Hunter Lawrence continues his hot streak with another pole position in 250 qualifying. His 51.999 puts him fifth overall on the day. Jordon Smith and Nate Thrasher rounded out the top three in qualifying.
250SX East Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Hunter Lawrence |
(Hon) |
51.999 |
2. |
Jordon Smith |
(Yam) |
52.261 |
3. |
Nate Thrasher |
(Yam) |
52.583 |
4. |
Haiden Deegan |
(Yam) |
53.003 |
5. |
Max Anstie |
(Hon) |
53.053 |
6. |
Jeremy Martin |
(Yam) |
53.100 |
7. |
Chris Blose |
(Kaw) |
53.393 |
8. |
A J Catanzaro |
(Hon) |
53.707 |
9. |
Jeremy Hand |
(Hon) |
53.833 |
10. |
Jace Owen |
(Hon) |
53.936 |
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