Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson grabbed his third win of the season at round seven of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Minneapolis at the weekend.
In the Eastern Regional 250SX class, Aussie Jett Lawrence took the win and the early points lead in what looks to be a very competitive class.
The top finish inside the domed U.S. Bank Stadium closed Anderson to within three points of the championship points lead, still held by Colorado’s Eli Tomac.
Cooper Webb crossed the finish line in second, earning his second podium of the season with Frenchman Marvin Musquin taking third place, Musquin’s first podium of 2022.
When the gate dropped for the 450SX class main event, defending champion Webb pulled the holeshot and jumped out into the early lead.
Within three corners Chase Sexton moved into second and right onto Webb’s rear fender. With Anderson right on Sexton’s tail, the three quickly pulled a slight gap on the rest of the field.
In the opening minute of racing, Tomac tangled with his team-mate Dylan Ferrandis and set his bike down on the face of a triple jump. The minor crash dropped Tomac to last place.
With just over five minutes off the race clock in the 20-minute plus one lap main event, Sexton muscled his way around Webb and sealed the pass with a strong drive through the whoops.
But the top-three rider breakaway didn’t extend its gap on the field. Instead, Malcolm Stewart charged up from fourth place and re-established contact as Anderson pressured Webb for second.
When Anderson and Stewart got past Webb in quick succession, Webb’s team-mate Musquin had the defending champ in his sights.
In another flip of the traditional script, Webb mounted a charge on Stewart, who slid out in a flat corner with just under three minutes left on the race clock.
Just when the finishing order looked settled, Sexton’s front wheel tucked and torqued the bike to a quick stop on a jump face.
The bike flung Sexton into the air. The crash warped the bike’s front wheel and the impact took Sexton out of the race in spite of trying to remount the machine.
The Monster Energy Supercross finish line flames signalled Anderson’s third win of the season. Webb took second place and Musquin tallied his first 2022 podium.
Tomac’s speed allowed him to recover to a sixth-place finish to hold onto the championship points lead.
Eastern Regional 250SX class
There were opening round jitters and anticipation as the Eastern Regional 250SX class kicked off in Minneapolis.
Austin Forkner jumped into the lead at the holeshot stripe with Australian Jett Lawrence quickly into the second spot ahead of Forkner’s team-mate Cameron McAdoo.
Lawrence put an aggressive inside-line pass on Forkner less than a minute after the gate drop then rode a smooth and effortless-looking race to his first chequered flag of the Eastern Regional 250SX class competition.
Forkner held second place to the end, and McAdoo grabbed third after fending off a mid-race challenge by Jeremy Martin. RJ Hampshire rounded out the top five after closing on Martin but ran out of time for a pass attempt.
Next Saturday the Supercross series makes its first 2022 visit to Texas with the second of three Triple Crown Events set for February 26, inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Photo courtesy Kawasaki USA
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450SX Class Results:
1 Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki
2 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM
3 Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
4 Malcolm Stewart, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna
5 Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
6 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha
7 Aaron Plessinger, Leesburg, Fla., KTM
8 Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
9 Dylan Ferrandis, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha
10 Justin Brayton, Charlotte, N.C., Honda
450SX Class Championship Standings:
1 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Yamaha (151)
2 Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Kawasaki (148)
3 Malcolm Stewart, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna (131)
4 Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (128)
5 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (126)
6 Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda (123)
7 Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (119)
8 Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (107)
9 Dylan Ferrandis, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha (102)
10 Aaron Plessinger, Leesburg, Fla., KTM (97)
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results:
1 Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda
2 Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki
3 Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki
4 Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Yamaha
5 RJ Hampshire, Minneola, Fla., Husqvarna
6 Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS
7 Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna
8 Enzo Lopes, Indian Trail, N.C., Yamaha
9 Levi Kitchen, Washougal Wash., Yamaha
10 Phillip Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., Yamaha
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings:
1 Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (26)
2 Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (23)
3 Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki (21)
4 Jeremy Martin, Rochester, Minn., Yamaha (19)
5 RJ Hampshire, Minneola, Fla., Husqvarna (18)
6 Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS (17)
7 Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna (16)
8 Enzo Lopes, Indian Trail, N.C., Yamaha (15)
9 Levi Kitchen, Washougal Wash., Yamaha (14)
10 Phillip Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., Yamaha (13)