It was a Frenchman followed by a German at the latest round of the AMA Supercross Championships in the United States at the weekend.
Frenbch former MX2 motocross world champion Marvin Musquin (KTM) rode to his second-straight 450SX Main Event victory on Saturday, round 12 of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship in Seattle, Washington, followed over the finish line by German former MX2 motocross world champion Ken Roczen (Honda).
Third was Colorado’s Eli Tomac (Kawasaki), with Musquin’s American team-mate and the current championship leader, Cooper Webb, finishing just off the podium in fourth.
Coming off a big win at the previous round in Indianapolis, Musquin came into the weekend with great momentum and he carried it into the day’s qualifying sessions, finishing just shy of the top spot heading into the night show. With a second-place gate choice, Musquin lined up in 450SX heat one, where he finished a close second to transfer into the Main Event.
As the gate dropped for the main event, it was Musquin who powered his KTM 450 SX-F into the lead right away on the opening lap and from there he never looked back, leading all 27 laps of the race.
However, Musquin ran into an issue late in the race when he jumped through a section while the red cross flag was out, signalling that riders must keep both wheels on the ground. As a result, Musquin maintained his race win but incurred a seven-point penalty in the 450SX Championship, where he now sits 14 points behind Webb with five rounds remaining.
“I really enjoyed the track and the riding, I was super happy about everything today,” said Musquin.
“Unfortunately, I made a mistake in not seeing the red cross flag. I saw a lot of yellows and I slowed down to make sure I was safe but I did jump, and the rules are ‘no jumping.’ It’s a big bummer, hard to swallow, but it doesn’t take anything away from a big win today.”
Webb, the 11th place qualifier, had a slow start to the day but he quickly picked things up in 450SX heat two as he captured the holeshot and led all 10 laps of the heat race.
In the main event, Webb didn’t get the jump he was looking for off the gate but he clawed his way into seventh by the end of lap one. He continued charging into a top-five spot just before the halfway mark and he was soon able to pick off one more position for fourth. From there, Webb made a charge for the third-place rider, where he finished only eight seconds off the podium with fourth-place.
Next Race: Houston, Texas – March 30.
Photo courtesy KTM USA
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Results 450SX Class Seattle 2019
- Marvin Musquin (FRA), KTM (27 laps)
- Ken Roczen (GER), Honda, +02.361
- Eli Tomac (USA), Kawasaki, +07.407
- Cooper Webb (USA), KTM, +08.673
Standings 450SX Class 2019 after 12 of 17 rounds
- Webb, 262 points
- Musquin, 248
- Tomac, 243
Results 250SX West Class Seattle 2019
- Dylan Ferrandis (FRA), Yamaha (21 laps)
- Adam Cianciarulo (USA), Kawasaki, +0.571
- James Decotis (USA), Suzuki, +23.247
Standings 250SX West Class 2019 after 7 of 11 rounds
- Cianciarulo, 163
- Ferrandis, 151
- McElrath, 123