Cycle News Staff | May 6, 2023
Welcome to the Mile High City, where we’re going Supercross racing for round 16 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series. This is the penultimate round of the series with a lot on the line. If Eli Tomac can gain eight points on Chase Sexton tonight, he’ll clinch the title. In the 250’s, Jett Lawrence needs to finish 10th or better to lock up his championship.
At the end of the night, Chase Sexton and RJ Hampshire topped their respective podiums.
450SX Main Event
What a turn of events tonight in the 450SX main event! Eli Tomac put himself up front by the end of lap one and looked to be checked out with another win and another few points closer to another championship. But on lap three, Tomac cased a jump and found himself out of the race with a ruptured achilles tendon. This is a huge blow to Tomac and the team as they confirmed he’ll be out for the rest of the year.
This put Adam Cianciarulo in the lead for the next few laps until Chase Sexton ultimately took over and ran away the win. The Honda rider earned another victory and now finds himself leading the championship standings. With Tomac out for the final race, it looks like the championship could be Sexton’s to lose. He’s now the points leader by seven with one round remaining.
Ken Roczen arguably had the ride of the night. The Suzuki rider fell in turn one and found himself dead last on the first lap. He fought his way back to second by the end of the race, passing Adam Ciancuarulo late in the race. This is another podium for Roczen who will likely take over second in the championship standings with Tomac now out.
Adam Ciancuarulo ran up front for most of the race and even led three laps in the middle of the main. The Kawasaki rider found himself battling with Ken Roczen late in the race and was eventually overtaken. Cianciarulo brought it home for the final spot on the box, earning his first podium since Houston 2021.
450SX Final Results (Top 10)
1. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
28 Laps |
2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
+08.361 |
3. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
+24.452 |
4. |
Justin Hill |
(KTM) |
+45.389 |
5. |
Shane Mcelrath |
(Suz) |
27 Laps |
6. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hon) |
+10.392 |
7. |
Josh Hill |
(KTM) |
+20.693 |
8. |
Kyle Chisholm |
(Suz) |
+26.900 |
9. |
Grant Harlan |
(Yam) |
+29.439 |
10. |
Justin Starling |
(GG) |
+36.197 |
250SX West Main Event
The 250SX main event came down to the final lap for another fantastic race. RJ Hampshire made his way to second behind Levi Kitchen in the early stages. He stalked the leader for the first few laps and tried to make a pass but ended up off-track on the side of the big double. During his pass attempt he hit neutral on the jump face which caused the mistake in the first place. Hampshire then mounted a charge that saw him catch back to the rear of Kitchen. The Husqvarna rider sealed the deal in the whoops and held off Kitchen for the final few laps. This is Hampshire’s first win of the 2023 season.
Kitchen held on for second. He took over the lead early on from Max Vohland and looked to be running away with the race after the incident with Hampshire. Kitchen then ran into lappers as Hampshire charged back from his mistake. He gave up the spot in the final few laps and eventually settled for second.
Jett Lawrence only needed to finish 10th or better to clinch his second Supercross title. He started 10th and was in no hurry to make passes early on, especially after his heat race crash. The number-18 cruised through the first few laps but turned it on in the second half of the race. Lawrence found his way as far up as third, which was clearly good enough for the championship.
250SX West Final Results (Top 10)
1. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
21 Laps |
2. |
Levi Kitchen |
(Yam) |
+01.353 |
3. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
+21.231 |
4. |
Enzo Lopes |
(Yam) |
+31.607 |
5. |
Mitchell Oldenburg |
(Hon) |
+35.983 |
6. |
Max Vohland |
(KTM) |
+37.591 |
7. |
Derek Kelley |
(KTM) |
+38.334 |
8. |
Carson Mumford |
(Kaw) |
+48.160 |
9. |
Cole Thompson |
(Yam) |
20 Laps |
10. |
Robbie Wageman |
(Suz) |
+04.331 |
QUALIFYING
450SX
Its a full on time attack for the top spot in the 450SX. All the heavy hitters traded times but again it was Chase Sexton who found himself with the fastest 450 time of the day. Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac rounded out the top three times.
450SX Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Chase Sexton |
(Hon) |
43.968 |
2. |
Ken Roczen |
(Suz) |
44.378 |
3. |
Eli Tomac |
(Yam) |
44.603 |
4. |
Adam Cianciarulo |
(Kaw) |
44.714 |
5. |
Dean Wilson |
(Hon) |
44.882 |
6. |
Justin Hill |
(KTM) |
44.942 |
7. |
Colt Nichols |
(Hon) |
45.390 |
8. |
Kyle Chisholm |
(Suz) |
45.741 |
9. |
Josh Hill |
(KTM) |
45.958 |
10. |
Anthony Rodriguez |
(Hon) |
46.167 |
250SX West
We’re back on the west coast for round 15 which means Jett Lawrence and the rest of the gang are back on track here in Denver. Jett set the fastest time of anyone in either track. For the 250’s, he was a full second over RJ Hampshire and Enzo Lopes. The number-18 is on track to grab another title tonight.
250SX West Combined Qualifying (Top 10)
1. |
Jett Lawrence |
(Hon) |
43.893 |
2. |
RJ Hampshire |
(Hus) |
44.730 |
3. |
Enzo Lopes |
(Yam) |
44.860 |
4. |
Max Vohland |
(KTM) |
45.639 |
5. |
Mitchell Oldenburg |
(Hon) |
45.693 |
6. |
Levi Kitchen |
(Yam) |
45.766 |
7. |
Carson Mumford |
(Kaw) |
46.274 |
8. |
Derek Kelley |
(KTM) |
46.381 |
9. |
Hunter Yoder |
(Kaw) |
46.541 |
10. |
Cole Thompson |
(Yam) |
46.570 |
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