The headlines of two racers extending their win streaks belie the thrills delivered at the Indianapolis Supercross, round 11 of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series.
Eli Tomac’s victory stretched his championship points lead to 48 and places him one win away from fourth on the all-time win list.
Justin Barcia led for most of the 450cc class main event and was on Tomac’s wheel at the end, but he had to settle for the runner-up spot in Indy.
Frenchman Marvin Musquin spent most of the main event with the lead in sight but only reached as high as third place to grab the final podium spot in the premier class.
The Eastern Regional 250SX Class served up another exciting race and Australian Jett Lawrence captured the win, his fourth in five rounds of the division’s championship.
Barcia jumped into the lead in the 450SX class main event ahead of Jason Anderson, Malcolm Stewart, Tomac, and Musquin.
In the early laps it looked like Tomac would slice his way to the front as he dove under Stewart, but Tomac’s forward progress stalled as the top five battled fiercely in a tight pack. As Anderson fought with Barcia, Stewart came back on Tomac to reclaim his spot.
Barcia got off-plane in the whoops and Anderson took over the lead seven and a half minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race. Less than a lap later Barcia cut across a tight right-hand turn into Anderson.
The riders collided, and Anderson went down and dropped outside of the top five. As Tomac got his turn to hound Barcia for the lead he found Musquin nipping at his own rear wheel.
The top three riders fought for position, battled the deteriorating track, and strategised passes on lapped riders; only two seconds separated all three positions.
When Stewart and Chase Sexton closed in, there were suddenly five riders with less than five seconds separating the group.
With just under five minutes left on the race clock, Tomac jumped past Barcia and quickly pulled clear from a retaliation pass.
Soon after, Stewart crashed hard, going over the bars after shorting a jump in the rhythm section. As Barcia made a final push to get Tomac, Cooper Webb did all he could to pass Sexton for fourth.
At the chequered flag, Tomac took the win, his fourth in a row. Barcia was right behind in second, Musquin was comfortable in third, and Sexton held off Webb at the line for fourth.
“It was another great night! It’s kind of unbelievable to have four in a row now,” Tomac said. “We’ve been tested by all kinds of conditions, so it’s cool to win in all of these different ones. I just have to give it up to the team, the crew, and everyone that has put me in this position.
“This is one of the hardest tracks to ride because the ruts get so deep here. You have to manage your race well, and try to figure out where to really push and where not to push. I was able to do that tonight, so it was another great night for us, and I look forward to next weekend.”
Barcia scored a fighting runner-up finish at the super tough Indianapolis SX.
“It was a nice start, it felt good! The team gave me a good bike tonight. I didn’t get the win but second is pretty good, I’ll take it.
“The track was insane. Man, it was wild! That pass with Jason [Anderson], I’m going to have to watch it. It’s a bummer, I don’t want to see anybody go down. I’m happy with my race and I’m pumped and ready to go next weekend.”
While he came within striking distance, Musquin wasn’t able to make it happen, ultimately securing his second podium of the season in third.
“I love these conditions and I love this place but I knew coming in that this year in Indy it was going to be tough. It was a tough day, I’m not going to lie, but I was there when it counts. In those conditions, you have to be smart and you can’t override this track. I was being so patient while trying to be consistent, precise and not make any mistakes, and I was able to pass Malcolm and get third tonight. It was awesome, I’m really happy.”
Eastern Regional 250SX
The Eastern Regional 250SX class main event saw Lawrence snatch the holeshot with Cameron McAdoo right behind. Jace Owen, Jordon Smith, Mitchell Oldenburg and Pierce Brown were all up in the mix early. Initially, Lawrence looked uncomfortable in the whoops and inconsistent in some of the rhythms while McAdoo was on his game.
Two and a half minutes into the 15-minute plus one-lap race McAdoo closed. A lap and a half later he pushed past Lawrence and into the lead.
Then Lawrence found his flow and took the battle back to McAdoo. At the race’s midpoint, Lawrence re-gained the lead and slowly stretched it from there to capture his third win in a row.
Behind them, Brown reached third place but RJ Hampshire pushed past late into the race. The two were nearly side by side at the chequered but Hampshire held on for his first podium of the 2022 season.
The series now crosses the country to match the racers up again next Saturday night at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
The open-air stadium looks, as of press time, to have clear weather for a round that has played spoiler to many racers over the years when rain mixed with Pacific Northwest soil to create DNF-inducing mud.
The round also brings the return of Western Regional 250SX Class racing for Round 7 of that division and Round 12 of the premier 450SX Class.
With four rounds remaining, McAdoo is 11 points out of the lead with another triple crown and two east/west showdown races still to play out.
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450SX Class Results:
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha
- Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki
- Dean Wilson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna
- Malcolm Stewart, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna
- Vince Friese, Menifee, Calif., Honda
- Ryan Breece, Athol, Idaho, Yamaha
450 Points Standings:
1 Eli Tomac 255
2 Jason Anderson 204
3 Justin Barcia 204
4 Malcolm Stewart 202
5 Cooper Webb 191
6 Marvin Musquin 185
7 Chase Sexton 183
8 Dylan Ferrandis 141
9 Dean Wilson 135
11 Ken Roczen 133
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results:
- Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki
- RJ Hampshire, Minneola, Fla., Husqvarna
- Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS
- Mitchell Oldenburg, Aledo, Tex., Honda
- Enzo Lopes, Indian Trail, N.C., Yamaha
- Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha
- Jordon Smith, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda
- Jace Owen, Mattoon, Ill., Yamaha
- Cullin Park, Clermont, Fla., Honda
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings:
- Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (125)
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki (114)
- Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS (87)
- RJ Hampshire, Minneola, Fla., Husqvarna (81)
- Enzo Lopes, Indian Trail, N.C., Yamaha (81)
- Jordon Smith, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda (78)
- Mitchell Oldenburg, Aledo, Tex., Honda (68)
- Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna (67)
- Phillip Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., Yamaha (58)
- Jace Owen, Mattoon, Ill., Yamaha (55)