Photos by Spencer Owens. 
On this night in Las Vegas, fans piled in as history was made. The 30 second board went sideways, and the gates dropped for the final time in 2018 under the lights. There were multiple factors heading into the night, and all eyes were on all three series points leaders (Zach Osborne, Aaron Plessinger, Jason Anderson). And in the end, they all rode to glory. Tonight we would also see the second 250 East/West Shootout to close out the series. With that being said, here’s how the day panned out.
Qualifying went down around 11:30am on Saturday May 5th, and Adam Cianciarulo was the fastest qualifier for the 250 West.
Zach Osborne took the top of the boards for the 250 East.
And Marvin Musquin took the fastest lap in the 450 class.
Next up, was opening ceremonies. All the Monster Girls were ready to kick off the night!
Ted Parks gave away a bike to one lucky fan during the early part of the night.
But the fans were really going crazy for the 30+ young recruits for the U.S military that were sworn in, in front of the Las Vegas crowd.
Dean Wilson was one of the first riders introduced to the fans as far as riders went.
All smiles from Malcolm Stewart.
Eli Tomac whips for the fans.
Redbull KTM had a massive support system in the stands.
Marvin Musquin was “boo’ed” by most of the fans in the stands due to his take-out move on Eli Tomac in Foxborough.
Free t-shirts anyone?
After the t-shirts were thrown and the pyro cleared the air, it was time to drop the gate for the first 250 East heat race.
In the 250 East heat, Michael Mosiman (64) jumped to the early lead. But Zach Osborne (1E) was not far behind. Eventually, he took the lead away and the eventual win. Followed behind him was Jordon Smith in second and Jeremy Martin in third.
250 EAST HEAT RACE (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Zach Osborne (Hus)
- Jordan Smith (KTM)
- Jeremy Martin (Hon)
- Michael Mosiman (Hus)
- Sean Cantrell (KTM)
- Kyle Peters (Suz)
- Jacob Williamson (Hon)
- Luke Renzland (Yam)
- Anthony Rodriguez (KTM)
Next up, the 250 West.
Right off the bat, Joey Savatgy (17) jumped to the lead and snagged the win. His teammate, Adam Cianciarulo (92) crossed the line in second, followed by Shane McElrath (28) in third.
250 WEST HEAT RACE (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Joey Savatgy (Kaw)
- Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw)
- Shane McElrath (KTM)
- Aaron Plessigner (Yam)
- Kyle Chisholm (Yam)
- Hayden Mellross (yam)
- Mitchell Harrison (Hus)
- Chase Sexton (Hon)
- Justin Hill (Suz)
Next up, the 450’s.
At the start, Chad Reed (22) jumped to the early lead and got the crowd on their feet. Unfortunately for Reed, Eli Tomac (3) wanted to win just a little more than he did. He worked his way through the pack, and stole the win. Chad Reed (22) would finish second followed by Tyler Bowers (69).
450 HEAT 1 RESULTS (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Eli Tomac (Kaw)
- Chad Reed (Hus)
- Tyler Bowers (Kaw)
- Dean Wilson (Hus)
- Justin Barcia (Yam)
- Malcolm Stewart (Suz)
- Justin Brayton (Hon)
- Alex Ray (Yam)
- Cade Aurenteth (KTM)
In 450 Heat 2, we would see the current pontoons leader Jason Anderson.
But it was really all about Marvin Musquin (25). He jumped to the lead right away, and took the checkers. Jason Anderson (21) took second with Blake Baguett (4) in third.
450 HEAT 2 RESULTS (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Marvin Musquin (KTM)
- Jason Anderson (Hus)
- Blake Baggett (KTM)
- Christian Craig (Hon)
- Benny Bloss (KTM)
- Weston Peick (Suz)
- Vince Friese (Hon)
- Cedric Soubeyras (Suz)
- Kyle Cunningham (Suz)
The LCQ’s were an exciting on to watch for the fans.
250 LCQ (TOP 4 QUALIFY)
- Martin Castelo (Yam)
- Josh Osby (KTM)
- Brandon Hartranft (Yam)
- Justin Starling (Hus)
450 LCQ RESULTS (TOP 4 QUALIFY)
- Austin Politelli (Hon)
- Henry Miller (Suz)
- Josh Hill (Yam)
- Dakota Tedder (KTM)
In the “halftime” portion of the night, they introduced “Makeup 2 Mud” featured female Kiana Clay. The crowed went crazy for this young girl, as her story inspired many. She rides with one arm and is currently apart of the U.S. Paralympic Team.
Meanwhile, Adam Cianciarulo was picking gates for the East/West shootout.
Once the gate dropped, it was Shane McElrath (28) with the early lead, After about 10 laps, he was passed by Jordon Smith (45) and Adam Cianciarulo (92). McElrath would settle for third.
After Passing Shane McElrath (28) for second, Jordon Smith (45) would apply serious pressure to Adam Cianciarulo (92) for first. But in the end, he would cross the line in second.
And Adam Cianciarulo clinched the win he has been searching for all season. It came to him easily, as he executed every section perfectly. He has been struggling all season due to an ACL injury, and he will take the outdoor’s off to repair it.
250 MAIN EVENT RESULTS
- Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw)
- Jordan Smith (KTM)
- Shane McElrath (KTM)
- Joey Savatgy (Kaw)
- Jeremy Martin (Hon)
- Chase Sexton (Hon)
- Zach Osborne (Hus)
- Aaron Plessinger (Yam)
- Brandon Hartranft (Yam)
- Hayden Mellross (Yam)
- Sean Cantrell (KTM)
- Michael Mosiman (Hus)
- Kyle Chisholm (Yam)
- Luke Renzland (Yam)
- Justin Hill (Suz)
- Josh Osby (Suz)
- Mitchell Harrison (Hus)
- Kyle Peters (Suz)
- Anthony Rodriguez (KTM)
- Martin Castelo (Yam)
- Justin Starling (Hus)
- Jacob Williamson (Hon)
But in bigger news, Aaron Plessinger managed to clinch his very first career championship. The 250 West title! He struggled a bit in Vegas, but he pulled through and made it happen. He also proposed to his girlfriend (bottom left) on the podium.
250 WEST POINTS (10 OF 10 ROUNDS)
- Aaron Plessinger–211
- Adam Cianciarulo–209
- Shane McElrath–193
- Joey Savatgy–193
- Chase Sexton–167
- Justin Hill–136
- Kyle Chisholm–134
- Mitchell Harrison–121
- Christian Craig–106
- Hayden Mellross–101
And Zach Osborne clinched his second, 250 East title on this night. It was all smiles and champagne showers at the podium.
250 EAST POINTS (9 OF 9 ROUNDS)
- Zach Osborne–196
- Jordan Smith–188
- Jeremy Martin–175
- Austin Forkner–137
- Luke Renzland–118
- Kyle Peters–112
- Sean Cantrell–108
- Brandon Hartranft–103
- Anthony Rodriguez–76
- John Short–58
After the first two championships were clinched, it was time to see what the 450 class had to offer.
Eli Tomac (3) was the fan favorite coming into Las Vegas. He recognized his role as “the spoiler”, and he played it perfectly all season. He won the Main Event by four seconds over Marvin Musquin in Las Vegas.
Marvin Musquin did all he could to win of the title over Jason Anderson but it was not enough. He finished the season out strong coming into the summer for outdoors. He finished second behind Tomac.
Blake Baggett was on a roll toward the back-end of the season. He finished third in Las Vegas.
Christian Craig jumped at the opportunity to be a fill in rider for HRC Honda this season. He fit the part well, and finished his season with a fourth.
When it came down to the end, it was Jason Anderson’s show–100%. He took a page out of the “Dungey Playbook”, and stayed smooth all season. He’s kept the red plates since Arizona (round two), and managed to hang on even with a few mistakes in the season. He pulled off his first 450 championship of his career on this night.
450 MAIN EVENT RESULTS
- Eli Tomac (Kaw)
- Marvin Musquin (KTM)
- Blake Baggett (KTM)
- Christian Craig (Hon)
- Jason Anderson (Hus)
- Benny Bloss (KTM)
- Weston Peick (Suz)
- Dean Wilson (Hus)
- Justin Barcia (Yam)
- Vince Friese 9Hon)
- Chad Reed (Hus)
- Justin Brayton (Hon)
- Malcolm Stewart (Suz)
- Cedric Soubeyras (Suz)
- Alex Ray (Yam)
- Henry Miller (Suz)
- Dakota Tedder (KTM)
- Cade Aunteneth (KTM)
- Josh Hill (Yam)
- Tyler Bowers (Kaw)
- Austen Politelli (Hon)
- Kyle Cunningham (Suz)
450 SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
- Jason Anderson–356
- Marvin Musquin–347
- Eli Tomac–318
- Blake Baggett–285
- Justin Brayton–275
- Weston Peick–251
- Dean Wilson–208
- Broc Tickle–184
- Cooper Webb181
- Justin Barcia–177
2018 LAS VEGAS SUPERCROSS | FULL COVERAGE
The post 2018 LAS VEGAS SUPERCROSS | THE AFTERMATH appeared first on Motocross Action Magazine.