On this afternoon in racing, the only way to describe the event was as simple as the word “shocking”. The three biggest stories coming into round 16 in Salt Lake City, was that 250 West points leader Aaron Plessinger was going to wrap up his title, 450 points leader Jason Anderson could wrap up his title, and, of course, the “Musquin vs Tomac” battle. But, spoiler alert–none of this happened. It was a crazy night, and things will have to pick up in Vegas. Here’s how the afternoon broke down in Salt Lake City, Utah.
To start off the morning, Adam Cianciarulo qualified first by setting the fastest 250 time.
It was all about Kawasaki. Eli Tomoc clocked in the fastest 450 time.
After qualifying, it was time to kick off the “afternoon show”. Malcolm Stewart was introduced to the crowd.
Chad Reed came out in a Utah “Jazz” NBA jersey while doing his a Nac-Nac.
Justin Barcia is always a fan favorite.
And to conclude opening ceremonies, we got to see the current 450 points leader Jason Anderson enter with a big whip.
Alright, now its time to break out the 30 second board for the first races of the night. The “heats”. First up, the 250 class.
In 250 Heat 1, it was all about Aaron Plessinger. Followed behind him was the rookie Chase Sexton, and defending 250 West champion Justin Hill.
250 HEAT 1 RESULTS (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Aaron Plessinger (Yam)
- Chase Sexton (Hon)
- Justin Hill (Suz)
- Kyle Chisholm (Yam)
- Dakota Alix (KTM)
- Justin Starling (Hus)
- Bradley Lionett (Kaw)
- Brandon Leith (Kaw)
- Robbie Wageman (Yam)
Heat 2 would be one to watch.
The rider that has been dying for a place on the top step in the 250 mains is Adam Cianciarulo. He dominated 250 heat 2. Followed behind him was Shane McElrath and teammate Joey Savatgy.
250 HEAT 2 RESULTS (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw)
- Shane McElrath (KTM)
- Joey Savatgy (Kaw)
- Blake Wharton (Yam)
- Hayden Mellross (Yam)
- Phil Nicoletti (Suz)
- Michael Leib (Yam)
- Dylan Merriam (Yam)
- Mitchell Harrison (Hus)
Next up, the 450’s. Marvin Musquin would be in this one, and he would..
Have to fight hard for the win. Blake Baggett was not making it easy on him. In the end, Marvin Musquin took the win with Blake Baggett in second, and Malcolm Stewart in third.
450 HEAT 1 RESULTS (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Marvin Musquin (KTM)
- Blake Baggett (KTM)
- Malcolm Stewart (Suz)
- Benny Bloss (KTM)
- Dean Wilson (Hus)
- Chad Reed (Hus)
- Cedric Soubeyras (Suz)
- Alex Ray (Yam)
- Kyle Cunningham (Suz)
In 450 heat 2, Jason Anderson took a huge hit thanks to Christian Craig.
But, it was all about Weston Peick. He managed to steal the win, with riders Eli Tomac in second, and Jason Anderson in third.
450 HEAT 2 RESULTS (TOP 9 QUALIFY)
- Weston Peick (Suz)
- Eli Tomac (Kaw)
- Jason Anderson (Hus)
- Christian Craig (Hon)
- Justin Barcia (Yam)
- Tyler Bowers (Kaw)
- Vince Friese (Hon)
- Justin Brayton (Hon)
- Austin Politelli (Hon)
In the LCQ’s–250 riders Jess Pettis, Josh Mosiman, Marten Castello and Chase Marquier took the spots. In the 450 class–Josh Hill took the win followed by Cody Vanbuskirk, Dakota Tedder, and Scott Champion.
Alright, now its time for the races we know you really want to know about. The mains! First up, the 250 guys.
Fifth place belonged to the number 40 of Chase Sexton. He grabbed himself a bad start, and was forced to work his way through the pack.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the night that Aaron Plessinger had in mind. He needed to finish third or better to win the championship on this day. But due to a few mistakes, he fell short and finished fourth.
Joey Savatgy has a had a tough season. But he sure is turning up the heat late in the season. He grabbed a solid gate jump, and lead for multiple laps until getting passed by teammate Adam Cianciarulo and Shane McElrath. After that, he may have gotten pressure from plessinger for third, but when the checkered flag waved, he held on for a podium spot.
You can see in Adam Cianciarulo’s eyes how badly he wants to win a main event this year. He managed to make an epic pass on Joey Savatgy for first–but no more than seconds after, he was passed by Shane McElrath for first. He would have to settle for a second in SLC.
There is no doubt that this one felt great for Shane McElrath. He hasn’t won since A1 earlier this year. Can you believe that? He put together a solid performance, and made some epic passes in the whoop section for the win.
Official results: Shane McElrath (1st), Adam Cianciarulo (2nd), Joey Savatgy (3rd).
250 SALT LAKE CITY MAIN EVENT RESULTS
- Shane McElrath (KTM)
- Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw)
- Joey Savatgy (Kaw)
- Aaron Plessinger (Yam)
- Chase Sexton (Hon)
- Phil Nicoletti (Suz)
- Dakota Alix (KTM)
- Mitchell Harrison (Hus)
- Kyle Chisholm (Yam)
- Martin Castello (Yam)
- Blake Wharton (Yam)
- Dylan Merriam (Yam)
- Justin Starling (Hus)
- Justin Hill (Suz)
- Michael Leib (Yam)
- Hayden Mellross (Yam)
- Brandon Leith (Kaw)
- Jess Pettis (Yam)
- Josh Mosiman (Hus)
- Bradley Lionett (Kaw)
- Robbie Wageman (Yam)
- Chase Marquier (Hus)
250 WEST POINTS STANDINGS (ROUND 8 OF 9)
- Aaron Plessinger (Yam)–196
- Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw)–183
- Joey Savatgy (Kaw)–174
- Shane McElrath (KTM)–172
- Chase Sexton (Hon)–150
- Justin Hill (Suz)–128
- Kyle Chisholm (Yam)–124
- Mitchell Harrison (Hus)–115
- Christian Craig (Hon)–106
- Phillip Nicoletti (Suz)–94
Next up, the 450’s. To start off the top 5–we have Justin Barcia. He Capitalized on the first turn commotion, and stayed within the top 5 almost the whole race.
Christian Craig scored his career best 450 finish of a fourth in SLC. He had third on lock, until Eli Tomac rolled through and demanded a podium spot.
Blake Baggett just announced this week that he has extended his contract with RM/ATV KTM. With that being said, he rode his heart out in front of the entire Rocky Mountain staff that was in attendance. He finished third on the night.
Eli Tomac is without a doubt one of the strongest and most aggressive riders of his generation. He could’ve caught first no problem if he hadn’t have made that big mistake while going for third. After he picked himself back up, he managed to cross the line in second on the night.
At the end of the day, it was all about the number 25 of Marvin Musquin. He jumped to a solid start, and checked out from the pack. Tomac could not catch him. But, don’t think there isn’t still a chance ET3 can get him back after last weekend. I guess we will find out in Las Vegas.
Official results: Marvin Musquin (1st), Eli Tomac (2nd), Blake Baggett (3rd).
450 MAIN EVENT RESULTS
- Marvin Musquin (KTM)
- Eli Tomac (Kaw)
- Blake Baggett (KTM)
- Christian Craig (Hon)
- Justin Barcia (Yam)
- Justin Brayton (Hon)
- Weston Peick (Suz)
- Benny Bloss (KTM)
- Vince Friese (Hon)
- Tyler Bowers (Kaw)
- Chad Reed (Hus)
- Kyle Cunningham (Suz)
- Dean Wilson (Hus)
- Malcolm Stewart (Suz)
- Cedric Soubeyras (Suz)
- Josh Hill (Yam)
- Jason Anderson (Hus)
- Austin Politelli (Hon)
- Cody Vanbuskirk (KTM)
- Scott Champion (Yam)
- Dakota Tedder (KTM)
- Alex Ray (Yam)
450 SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
- Jason Anderson–338
- Marvin Musquin–324
- Eli Tomac–292
- Justin Brayton–264
- Blake Baggett–264
- Weston Peick–235
- Dean Wilson–193
- Broc Tickle–184
- Cooper Webb-181
- Justin Barcia–163
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TOP NEWS AFTER ST. LOUIS:
There is no doubt that this was the longest tire change in the history of mid-race pit stops in Supercross. Jason Anderson’s front wheel came into contact with Eli Tomac’s peg, and broke the spokes in that first turn crash. Jason had to pull off and switch the front wheel before continuing on. With this incident, Anderson and Musquin are now just 14 points apart. “They never said it’d be easy.” said Jason Anderson on Social Media on Sunday.
Josh Hill made his return to the series as a fill-in for the injured Cooper Webb . He was not pleased with his 16th in the main.
Josh commented: “I was bummed on my riding and fitness all weekend. But I still got a LCQ win, and winning any race in front of a stadium of people is a good feeling. Hoping to step it up next weekend. Huge thanks too everyone.”
2018 SALT LAKE CITY SUPERCROSS | FULL COVERAGE
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