Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson grabbed his second win of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series at round six, the third visit to California’s Angel Stadium, at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Christian Craig once again dominated the 250SX class.
Points leader Eli Tomac stayed on Anderson’s rear fender early but settled for second in the slick conditions of Anaheim 3.
Justin Barcia posted his third podium of the year with a steady push forward through the race.
The Western Regional 250SX Class saw a clean sweep of the Angel Stadium events by Craig, who dramatically stretched out his points lead with the win.
Anderson launched out of the gate and grabbed the holeshot in the 450SX class main event with Tomac right behind and holding tight.
Frenchman Marvin Musquin pushed into third and kept the top two riders in sight as Tomac hounded Anderson. The two up front were rarely more than a second apart.
Just two and a half minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race Tomac jumped into the lead, but Anderson retaliated immediately in the next corner and took it right back.
A couple of laps later, Tomac bobbled in the whoops, which had claimed many riders earlier in the night. Tomac stayed on two wheels, but the mistake allowed Anderson some breathing room. From there the Kawasaki rider rode his own race to the chequered flag.
Just past the race’s mid-point, Musquin collided with a lapped rider and went down, dropping to seventh.
Barcia inherited third place after clawing his way forward from a slow start. Last weekend’s second-place finisher, Malcolm Stewart, carded fourth place. Musquin was able to pass his way forward after his crash to earn a top-five finish.
For Tomac, his fourth-consecutive podium helped extend his lead in the highly-competitive 450SX championship
“It was another good podium for us,” Tomac said. “It wasn’t a win, but I fought as hard as I could. I tried to take the lead early in the race and made a quick move on Jason (Anderson) for one jump, but he was able to get back right underneath me right away.
“I was really strong in the whoops the first half of the race, and then I made one mistake and lost a little bit of my edge. That’s where I felt like I lost the ground tonight – the whoops because it was my advantage.
“At the same time, once I made that mistake, I was like, ‘alright, maybe I need to back it down, too, and just stay consistent.’ It was a solid night on points, and I’m looking forward to going east.”
For GasGas rider Barcia, it was a positive night all-around with a 450SX heat-race win followed up by a strong third-place podium finish in the main event.
“It’s definitely good to be back here on the podium,” Barcia said. “The heat race was so good tonight but I’m a little disappointed with the way I rode in the Main Event – Jason and Eli had a great race. I got a decent start and fought through the pack pretty good, so a lot of positives for sure. I had a lot of fun and the track was awesome!”
Round one winner Ken Roczen was pushed wide in the first corner. He tangled with a tuffblox and emerged from the turn in last place. He moved through the pack on slick track but was only able to reach 11th place by the end.
Western Regional 250SX Class
The Western Regional 250SX class main event started wild. Three riders exited the second corner shoulder-to-shoulder and charged into the slippery whoops. Craig won that sprint and emerged in the lead with Australian Hunter Lawrence right behind.
Vince Friese was behind him, and Michael Mosiman sat in fourth. One corner later, Mosiman went off the track in the sand section and dropped back well outside the top 10.
It was soon down to a two rider battle as Craig and Lawrence distanced themselves from the pack while the whoops claimed several top riders behind them.
Then, six minutes into the 15-minute plus-one-lap race, the whoops reached up and grabbed Lawrence. The crash took him out of the race and Craig rode unchallenged to the end.
Behind him, Mosiman recovered up to second only to have his own crash in the whoops, ultimately handing the second place position to Friese. Mosiman remounted to earn the final spot on the podium.
Craig now holds a 28-point lead with a five-week break ahead and only four rounds remaining in the regional championship, including two Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown rounds that will complicate matters with riders from each region vying for the same night’s points payout.
Mosiman had a wild ride after crashing early in the 250SX West main event but he relentlessly charged back to claim his third podium finish in six rounds.
The 17-round Monster Energy Supercross series lines the racers up next on February 19 inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Minnesota kicks off the first round of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship.
Photo courtesy Kawasaki USA
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450SX Class Results:
1 Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki
2 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha
3 Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
4 Malcolm Stewart, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna
5 Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
6 Dylan Ferrandis, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha
7 Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
8 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM
9 Aaron Plessinger, Leesburg, Fla., KTM
10 Justin Brayton, Charlotte, N.C., Honda
450SX Class Championship Standings:
1 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha (134)
2 Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (122)
3 Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (116)
4 Malcolm Stewart, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna (112)
5 Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (110)
6 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (103)
7 Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (98)
8 Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (92)
9 Dylan Ferrandis, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha (92)
10 Aaron Plessinger, Leesburg, Fla., KTM (81)
Western Regional 250SX Class Results:
1 Christian Craig, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha
2 Vince Friese, Menifee, Calif., Honda
3 Michael Mosiman, Minneaola, Fla., GASGAS
4 Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha
5 Carson Brown, Ravensdale, Wash., KTM
6 Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., GASGAS
7 Robbie Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha
8 Derek Kelley, Riverside, Calif., KTM
9 Logan Karnow, Amherst, Ohio, Kawasaki
10 Ryan Surratt, Corona, Calif., Yamaha
Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings:
1 Christian Craig, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (148)
2 Michael Mosiman, Minneaola, Fla., GASGAS (120)
3 Hunter Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (119)
4 Vince Friese, Menifee, Calif., Honda (99)
5 Jo Shimoda, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki (87)
6 Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha (82)
7 Robbie Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha (80)
8 Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha (73)
9 Carson Brown, Ravensdale, Wash., KTM (73)
10 Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., GASGAS (63)