Photo by: Chase Yocom

Round seven of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, and round one of the Eastern Regional 250SX Championship in Minneapolis was dominated by the Monster Energy / Kawasaki boys in both classes. Eli Tomac made it three main event wins in four weeks in the 450SX class while Joey Savatgy made it five straight wins for Mitch Payton’s squad. Saturday night marked the third time in 2017 that Monster Energy / Kawasaki riders won both classes.

In the 450SX class, Eli was accompanied on the podium by Red Bull / KTM teammates Marvin Musquin in second and Ryan Dungey in third. In the 250SX class, Troy Lee Designs / KTM’s Jordon Smith (2nd) and Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne (3rd) grabbed podiums along side Savatgy at the Eastern Regional opener.

After the podium celebrations were over and the points were tallied, some of the top riders talked about the inaugural event inside the new US Bank Stadium. Check out the riders post race comments below. Click here for all 2017 Monster Energy Supercross results.

Eli Tomac trimmed five points off Ryan Dungey, but the #3 still trails the #1 by 24 points.

Eli Tomac: (1st in 450SX) “Well, I can’t back off when I have these two guys sitting next to me. This was by far I think on par with Oakland for being one of the tougher tracks of the year, because of the shorter lap times. We did whatever it was—twenty-four, twenty-five laps—so there was a lot of going around there. Lappers were tough, like those guys said. It was kind of just a night of survival, for sure. The night could not have gone better. I qualified on pole again and earned two great starts in my heat and the main. I got into a grove and made my way to the front. Once I got there I just rode my own race, it was all about being smooth and consistent. Great win and valuable points, bring on Atlanta!”

 

Joey Savatgy: (1st in 250SX) “We struggled for the most part. I didn’t feel good and I didn’t ride good all day honestly. That main event was a struggle for me—we’ll say that. I would of liked to have ridden better, but we were dealt the cards we were dealt and I did what I could with what I had. We’ll go back to the farm this week with Ricky and Jeanie Carmichael and get back to work on fixing things for Atlanta. We’ll try to keep the ball rolling.”

 

Marvin Musquin: (2nd in 450SX) “It started off rough, for sure. I went down—Cole Seely hit me from behind. That second right-hander was actually really, really tight off the start. I was trying to go through safe, but it didn’t work out. I went to the semi and we were able to win and get a decent gate pick. That was the goal. It’s actually not that bad going to the semi. Eli [Tomac] or Ryan [Dungey] proved it many times in the past. It doesn’t mean much other than that you do more laps. I was able to learn more of the track. Main event, I was able to make some good passes at the beginning and then I was third. They had a good gap on me, and I was trying to put on a charge. Actually, for three laps they were actually a little bit quicker than me. I said, “Actually tonight it’s going to be a third place. It’s going to be tough to catch those guys.” But after that, obviously Ryan made a mistake and the lappers [were tough]. The track was actually pretty short once again—like last weekend in Dallas—and we had a lot of lappers. The sand section was really difficult, but I was able to go through it pretty clean and put on the charge on Ryan. To get a second place tonight was awesome, and I’m really happy.”

Joey Savatgy has won his last two main events including the 2016 Las Vegas finale.
Joey Savatgy has won his last two main events including the 2016 Las Vegas finale.

Jordon Smith: (2nd in 250SX) “The first day was a bit of a rollercoaster but we came away with a podium and it’s a great way to start. We want to learn something every time we’re on the track and I think we did that this weekend. I struggled all day like in practice and stuff. I just didn’t have the speed there. I got tangled up with a few people in a heat race, and barely made it through in the heat. I knew I just needed to get a good start there. The track was really one-lined, so I knew it was going to be tough to pass. I got a really good start from the outside, just tried to hit my lines and tried to stay clear of the lappers. It was pretty tough out there with all the ruts and stuff. Overall, it was a good first race and I’m just glad to get out of here with a good finish.”

 

Ryan Dungey: (3rd in 450SX) “Nah, I definitely had a close call there. That section was tricky all day. I just got to the top and I must have just misread it and it sent me into a dive. I was like, “Ah, this is going to be close.” I don’t know if I’m going to go over or not. I saved it and then I was able to jump off the side of the track and kind of recover and it was good. I had a good charge there in the beginning with Eli [Tomac]. I felt really good. Then I got off his wheel and he was able to break away and I just lost him. A coupe mistakes and then there was Marvin [Musquin], and he was riding really good. When he passed me I saw some of his lines—they were actually pretty good. I was losing some time there. It’s good to be back. Home’s good.”

 

Zach Osborne: (3rd in 250SX) “It was great to be the fastest in both practices. I got an okay start in the main and someone went down in front of me and I had to check up. I caught up to the leaders and got into second, and got really close, then just washed my front end out in a sandy corner. I was able to remount and actually come all the way back and almost get back into second. I feel really good and I’m really positive for this season. I really want to get that first win monkey off my back and just focus on the championship.”

Zach Osborne was the fastest 250SX East qualifier and had the fastest laps of the main event, but a crash ended his shot at his first-ever win.
Zach Osborne was the fastest 250SX East qualifier and had the fastest laps of the main event, but a crash ended his shot at his first-ever win.

Jason Anderson: (4th in 450SX) “I’ve been pretty consistent lately. I pulled the holeshot and won my heat race, which was great. I was decently up front in the main and was able to come up to fourth. There wasn’t anyone behind me so I rode by myself pretty much the whole time. The track was pretty hammered.

 

Adam Cianciarulo: (5th in 250SX) “I feel really good coming into the season. I’ve done a lot of laps to prepare and I did what I wanted tonight. My goal was to keep it on two wheels, keep safe and be in it for the long haul. I believe I can be up front and be a championship contender which is definitely my goal, but I need to be patient and I think I’ll be there at the end.”

 

Cole Seely: (5th in 450SX) “I was feeling good coming into the main event and was really pumped on the holeshot. It was a little tricky out there and I just made a small mistake. I was happy I was able to get up quickly so I didn’t lose too much time.”

Ryan Dungey has only won one main event in the first seven races, but his consistency has him sixteen points ahead of Marvin Musquin in 2nd.
Ryan Dungey has only won one main event in the first seven races, but his consistency has him sixteen points ahead of Marvin Musquin in 2nd.

RJ Hampshire: (4th in 250SX) “I’m pretty happy with the result, but not too happy with the riding. I feel like I struggled all day, didn’t even jump the big rhythm, and somehow I got fourth. My starts weren’t good, I got lucky with those crashes and just put in 15 minutes plus one. I rode like crap but I’ll take a fourth any weekend”

Josh Grant: (14th in 450SX) “Tonight went really well. After taking a week off to heal a fractured thumb, I rode twice this week and felt nearly 100%. I started off the night well by qualifying straight out of my heat and backed it up with another great start in the main. Unfortunately, I went down twice and ended up 14th. Overall a really good night to build off.”

 

Dean Wilson: (12th in 450SX) “It was a decent night. I wish I had a better main event. I didn’t get the best of starts, then I collided with another rider and went down after the first turn. By the time I got going I was well behind last and just tried picking guys off. I got up to 12th, which isn’t amazing, but I qualified third which is a positive.”

Christian Craig came into the 250SX East opener as a favorite for the Championship, but after qualifying 3rd and dominating his heat race by 8 seconds, a crash and mistakes in the main left him with 12th place points.
Christian Craig came into the 250SX East opener as a favorite for the Championship, but after qualifying 3rd and dominating his heat race by 8 seconds, a crash and mistakes in the main left him with 12th place points.

Christian Craig: (12th in 250S) “I honestly was having a great day in Minneapolis. I qualified third and felt good. The track was really easy which kinda makes it hard to separate yourself or make passes, but I got the hole shot in my heat and took off. I ended up with almost a nine second lead when I finished. I was really happy with how I rode in the heat, and everyone on the team was really pumped with how I rode and we were all expecting great things for the main. But I got a horrible start and kind of just fell apart mentally. I wasn’t riding like myself and kept making stupid mistakes. I was able to work my way up to 12th after being almost last but I should have been way more up there than that. Luckily, I got my bad race out of the way and can learn from it. I started in 17th last year at A1 so it’s an improvement this year I guess!”

 

Broc Tickle: (7th in 450SX) “It was awesome to be back in Minneapolis. I always enjoy racing in the Midwest, especially in a domed stadium. We had a great weekend. I felt good in practice and made a bunch of laps. We made some changes to the bike last week and that really paid off on Saturday night. The bike felt great. I had to race my way through the semi to get in the main but everything still felt pretty good. Outside of the first 20 seconds, the main event was awesome. My start wasn’t as good as it should have been but I made some quick passes and got into a good flow. I was actually in good position to race for fifth of sixth but I made a couple mistakes and lost some ground. That was good motivation to keep pushing forward. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. We’ve had a little bit of a slow start but things are rolling in the right direction. We’re making progress every week.”

 

Justin Bogle: (DNQ in 450SX) “I came up short in that rhythm section, went over the bars, and that was the end of my night. We were having a good day and I felt good on the bike. I just missed my mark through that section and it bit me. I went to the hospital and everything checked out fine. I’m just sore. We’ll be ready for Atlanta on Saturday.”

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.