Round 16 of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, headed to Rice-Eccles Stadium for a the second special day race in a row and the 2018 Salt lake City SX.
In the 450SX class, Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson just needed a 4th to clinch the 450SX title, but a crash in turn one and a broken wheel postponed the celebration for at least another week. Instead, Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin ran away with his fourth win of 2018 ahead of Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC / KTM’s Blake Baggett. Jason now leads by just 14 points heading into next weekend’s finale.
In the 250SX West main event, Troy Lee Designs / KTM’s Shane McElrath returned to the top of the box for the first time since the A1 opener. Finishing 2nd and 3rd were the Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki duo of Adam Cianciarulo and Joey Savatgy.
Check out quotes from many of the top finishing riders in Salt Lake below.
Marvin Musquin: (1st in 450SX) Yeah, for the points, I definitely did not expect that tonight. Jason’s been consistent all year. I really thought, even if I was going to win tonight, Jason would have been consistent, safe and got the points, you know what I mean. That’s how crazy Supercross is, anything can happen. I didn’t know what happened to Jason until I got to the podium and Frankie told me. At one point I was catching lappers and maybe expected to see Jason ’cause I knew he was going to try and be safe, stay on two and get some points but I never saw him. I was like, “Okay”. But then Frankie told me at the end what happened. It’s definitely going down to Vegas.”
Shane McElrath: (1st in 250SX) “At some point in the race I almost had to ask myself, ‘Am I going to do it again?. The whole team worked really hard this week to dial in the bike. They really blow me away with how much they want it and it pushes me harder when I’m out there to give them the win. I’m really blessed and thankful to be here (on the podium).”
Eli Tomac: (2nd in 450SX) “It took me a while to find my groove in the main. Once I found it I was able to make a lot of passes and catch the leaders. The crash was unfortunate, but I’m pumped to still finish second. Once again, the fans were awesome here in Salt Lake and I could hear them with every pass I made, that is so cool.”
Adam Cianciarulo: (2nd in 250SX) “I think the day could of been better, but it could have been worse too. The last four races I went 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, so that’s difficult for me to take some times. Especially when the wins are right there for me to take. There’s a couple of things I could execute better, but I just gotta make it happen in those clutch moments, you know. Today when Shane [McElrath] was in front of me, he was skimming the left side of the whoops and I was skimming the middle trying to make that work. That didn’t work and it took me way too long to find the left side in the second set of whoops before the finish line. That’s where he won the race. Looking back at that, if I would have changed that sooner things could have been different. I’ll never really know, but that’s the kind of stuff that bums me out. I’m clearly able to win races, I just have to close these things out.”
Blake Bagegtt: (3rd in 450SX) “It was gnarly out there and the wind. It was like racing in a concrete gravel pit. That’s basically what it was. It was hard behind lappers, and you couldn’t really see. We had a lot of gnarly obstacles. This track was by far the mentally and physically toughest just because you would be in a full drift around the first turn, you would catch a rock if you stepped and it was kind of an unknown. It makes things tough but at the same time everybody races it.”
Joey Savatgy: (3rd in 250SX) “We had a good shot at making up a lot of points today, but couldn’t quite get it done. Overall, the bike and the team were on point and we’re still in contention for the championship.”
Jason Anderson: (17th in 450SX) “I was pretty good in practice all day. I had a solid heat race and qualified well. I just went down in the first turn in the main and had to go all the way around the track. I broke some spokes in the first turn and had to come into the mechanics area to get my front wheel changed. By that time I was two laps down. I was able to unlap myself and get up to 17th and at least get some points. I’m going into next week in Vegas with a 14 point lead.”
Chase Sexton: (5th in 250SX) “Felt good on the bike all day and qualified fourth out of practice. I was happy with my riding. In the heat race, I got the holeshot but hit neutral going into the corner which let AP (Plessinger) around me. I pretty much just followed him the whole race besides for a mistake on the last lap which gave him a gap. Ended up second. Going into the main I felt good and was ready to get my first win but lined up a little too far outside which was my fault and got pushed wide. Fought my way from mid pack to fifth. For awhile I was right on the front four but unfortunately I made way too many mistakes which left me with a fifth. Not a good night but not a bad night either! I’m putting my head down this week to come out swinging in Vegas to the season on a high note!”
Christian Craig: (4th in 450SX) “I made some mistakes in practice and had to regroup in order to go out there and do a good heat. In the main I thought, ‘I’m just going to try to get a good start and stay up there with those guys,’ which is exactly what I did. I latched onto the top two and put in my laps. It was a long main, especially on this track. I stayed with [Blake] Baggett for as long as I could. Eli [Tomac] was just on a mission. He passed me but fell, and I thought I might get a podium if he stayed down long enough. He got by me again, but it was a fun race. I’ve had some bad races since Daytona, and you begin to wonder if the Daytona ride was a fluke. It feels good to back up that fourth place.”
Phil Nicoletti: (6th in 250SX) “Honestly, the altitude was difficult. Fortunately, we had the ability to find a variety of setup options that really worked to our benefit. I made some quick passes in the main and was on the tail end of the leaders. Late in the main I had a few bad passes through the whoops, which took me out of it. I was within striking distance. The chassis on the Suzuki RM-Z250 worked really well, and I’m happy to get my best finish of the season.”
Weston Peick: (7th in 450SX) “It was the same kind of deal as last weekend. I felt good all day. I went into the main event expecting to be on the podium. The start wasn’t there again. I got antsy. I didn’t leave too late, but had a bit of wheel-spin in the dirt and got tangled up in the first turn. From there I had to play catch up. With the track being so slick and difficult it was hard to make up time. I settled in and finished seventh. It wasn’t the best weekend, but I had some speed. I am putting the pieces together. With one Supercross race remaining my plan is to get a good start in the main and put my Suzuki on the podium.”
Mitchell Harrison : (8th in 250SX) “My first two practices went really well and I felt confident. I crashed twice in my heat but got back to ninth and finished with a solid ride. Then I went down in the first lap in the main, but I came back strong to eighth. I can’t complain. I’m making gains so I’m happy.”
Vince Friese: (9th in 450SX) “I ended up 9th, which is the best I’ve done for this season so far. Decent day for me. It was a rough start, though. Man, the track was brutal. I’m sure you’ve heard it from other guys. It was a tough day but I finished it up strong. I led a couple of laps there in the heat race. That was cool but I kind of popped myself there and got a little tired. I kind of pushed too hard in that one, but then I found a good flow in the main. I think I had a little bit more in me than that, but it is what it is. It’s good to finally get a good result. I’ve had so many 11th’s and 12th’s this year so it was good to get one inside the top ten. It’s good to end the season strong, build some momentum and end the season strong.”
Justin Hill: (14th in 250SX) “I was feeling good, but then jacked my foot up in practice. It was muddy and I framed the triple. I was chasing the leaders in the main event, switched up my line, and came up short again on a jump. After that I was riding around cautiously. Initially I thought I broke my foot. There was no way I was going to pull off, but my result suffered. My foot seems to be okay, and I plan on racing the Supercross finale. It’s a bummer deal, but that’s how it goes.”
Tyler Bowers: (10th in 450SX) “It wasn’t the best day for us, but it wasn’t the worst day. I struggled with traction all day today with the dirt being so rocky, but a top 10 is solid after a day like today. It was also good practice for Vegas conditions next week. I feel very confortable on my KX450F right now and I’m looking forward to finish the season off strong.”
Hayden Mellross: (16th in 250SX) “I’ve been working really hard and feel like my results won’t show that tonight, but I felt awesome all day. Qualifying and Heats went really well and I posted some of my best times of the year which is a big plus for me. I think I brought the intensity tonight but disappointed with my Main, the way I approached the second set of whoops, but I’m ready to finish off the season on a positive note next weekend.”
Dean Wilson: (13th in 450SX) “I felt amazing on the bike and qualified fourth. I didn’t get a great start in my heat race, but I came back to fifth and was feeling good for the main event. I had around a top-10 start in the main but then was cleaned out by another rider and had to go to the mechanic’s area. I only made it up to 13th, but there was nothing I could do. I’m just going to come back strong.”
Mitchell Harrison: (8th in 250SX) “My first two practices went really well and I felt confident. I crashed twice in my heat but got back to ninth and finished with a solid ride. Then I went down in the first lap in the main, but I came back strong to eighth. I can’t complain. I’m making gains so I’m happy.”
Justin Brayton: (6th in 450SX) “It wasn’t too bad. I really struggled throughout the day. I couldn’t really find any speed. I wasn’t that great in the whoops. It’s typically my strength and I’m usually one of the better guys through them, but I couldn’t figure it out. I made a couple changes before the main and I was proud to put myself in a good position. I was really proud of my ride. Me and [Justin] Barcia kind of yo-yo’ed back in forth for 5th and 6th and I ended up 6th. Overall, not my best night but not my worst either.”
Kyle Chisholm: (9th in 250SX) “We’re really closing the season off on good notes. I feel like we were running up front all day and I had one of my best heats of the year finishing in 4th. I was putting in good laps in the main, but that one little mistake sent me off and I had to spin around on the start straight. I lost some time but I’m happy I landed another Top 10 and closed in on more points. One round to go and I’m excited to end it with some momentum moving into the summer.”
Malcolm Stewart: (14th in 450SX) “Overall, I was looking for more. I felt at home on the Suzuki RM-Z450 and was moving in the right direction, but I had a crash that set me back. The conditions were tricky. We’re going to move on and make the most of the last round of the Supercross series in Las Vegas. I want to finish the season on a high note.”
