Eli Tomac has found a level nobody can touch at the moment. Photo by: Ryne Swanberg
Round fifteen of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, and the penultimate round of the Western Regional 250SX Championship headed to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Salt Lake City SX for the first time since 2013.
In the 450SX class, Red Bull / KTM’s Ryan Dungey and Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac shared the red plate coming into round 15, but Tomac was the only rider to leave with it. The #3 rode the race of his life—coming from 20th place to catch and pass Dungey for the win. Joining Tomac and Dungey on the podium was Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson.
In the 250SX class, Star Racing / Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger looked poised to make it two wins in a row and extend the championship until Vegas, but a trip over the bars through the whoop section basically handed the title to Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Justin Hill. With a third place finish on the night, Justin clinched the 2017 Western Regional 250SX Championship.
Carrying the night in the 250SX main event in Salt Lake City were the Troy Lee Designs / KTM boys, Shane McElrath and Mitchell Oldenburg. The duo brought home a 1-2 finish for the TLD squad. After the riders finished their main events in Salt Lake, we gathered some quotes to get their thoughts on the 2017 Seattle SX.
Eli Tomac: (1st in 450SX) “It was pretty awesome, really! If you want to talk about the heat race, I had some good battling in the heat race there. In the main event, I’m feeling good—feeling confident—and ended up getting buried on the start. That wasn’t part of the plan at all. I actually went backwards on lap two, and by that point, I had no choice but to go forward. I was able to do that. I was able to make up big chunks of time, especially in the whoops and in the sweeper turn.” Read full interview>>>
Justin Hill: (3rd in 250SX—crowned champion) “This feels pretty good. I’m booking my flight to go watch Moto GP right now. (laughs) I’m going to go watch those guys now. When it’s business and you think you think you have another race to win the championship, you can’t do stupid stuff. Now I’m pumped I get to do that. I’m stoked I won the championship, but I’m bummed that Aaron [Plessinger] crashed. I stayed safe, I stayed up, I stayed solid and I did what I had to do. We won and it’s awesome.” Listen to full interview>>>
Ryan Dungey: (2nd in 450SX) “At the beginning I was really good [through the whoops] but all day it was tough. In the beginning I found a good line but that line started to go so I switched and started jumping but I think that was a no-no. Eli was riding really good through the whoops so that chunk of the track he was gaining on me tremendously – I felt him coming pretty quick.”
Shane McElrath: (1st in 250SX) “This one really feels good. This one feels like Anaheim 1 [win] again. I feel like we went through another off season—dealt with injuries—and fell back a little bit. We’ve had to kind of dig ourselves out of a hole again. I didn’t expect much tonight. I wanted to keep making progress and that’s what we did this week. I took a week off after Seattle from the practice crash. Every day has been better, but it’s tough to come in confident when you’re really not confident on the bike with your riding.” Read our full interview>>>
Jason Anderson: (3rd in 450SX) “I got a great start in the heat race with a third. I made some changes to my bike after that and ended up getting a great start in the main. I rode in third the rest of the race and felt pretty good.”
Mitchell Oldenburg: (2nd in 250SX) “I can honestly say I wouldn’t be up here if it weren’t for Shane so being up on the podium together is unbelievable. I am so ecstatic to go 1-2. To back up my best finish from the last race is such a great feeling. I can’t wait until Vegas where we can try and do it again.”
Marvin Musquin: (4th in 450SX) “I was struggling with my starts in the heat race and in the Main Event. I had a really bad start in the Main and it put me in a really bad position but we put our head down and came back to 4th place, which is good on a track like that. With the conditions that aren’t my favorite, hard-packed and slippery, I was able to make some good passes and showed good speed so I’m happy with my riding.”
Martin Davalos: (4th in 250SX) “Salt Lake City was good. I was pumped to come here because it’s kind of like Ecuador with the altitude. I felt really good throughout the day, and I seemed to ride well all day. My lap times were good and I was feeling confident. I was able to put in a good charge in the main event and make the pass for third in the last lap. Today was the best I’ve ridden all year.”
Dean Wilson: (10th in 450SX) “I felt like I rode well all day. I qualified fifth and had good speed. I was one spot out in the heat race, but had a good semi and got the win in that. For some reason my rear wheel sunk in the main right as I got off the gate, so I didn’t get a great start. I was in 9th but then made a silly mistake in the last lap and finished 10th. Other than that I came through the pack and was pushing hard. Overall, it was good.”
Austin Forkner: (6th in 250SX) “Disappointed tonight. I felt really confident coming into this race after taking a weekend off and believed I had something to prove. Unfortunately, I made a few small mistakes and ended up on the ground. There’s always next weekend.”
Josh Grant: (5th in 450SX) “Today was awesome. Started the day off qualifying second and then went on to win my heat race. We got a great start in the main and held onto fourth until the final laps where I got passed for fifth. The bike felt amazing tonight up here in the altitude which gave me confidence.”
Jimmy Decotis: (5th in 250SX) “Salt Lake City was a tough day for me. I struggled all day in practice with the track. My team did such a great job keeping me positive and on track. I got a bad start in the heat and finished sixth. The main event I put myself into a great position starting in the top five, and I ran fourth for a while and eventually ended up in fifth. It wasn’t my best race of the year but I was happy with my execution of the main event and that I made positive changes after the heat race. I can’t wait for Vegas to mix it up with the east coast boys!”
Christian Craig: (11th in 450SX) “Today was a great experience. I didn’t have huge expectations for tonight because I wasn’t sure where I’d stack up to all these guys with it being my first 450 Supercross race other than Monster Energy Cup, but I had honestly hoped for a top 10. I qualified sixth in practice, which I was pretty happy with. I went into the heat and just rode tight the first couple laps, made some mistakes, and I think the nerves just got the best of me. I transferred out of the semi with a fourth. In the main, I got a bad start and just tried to make little passes here and there and take advantage of people’s mistakes. With minimal time on the bike, I wasn’t too far off my goal by finishing 11th. This was a good preview of what I can expect leading into the summer. I’m excited for the opportunity that Honda has given me.”
Aaron Plessinger: (DNF—crash—in 250SX) “Last night was going the way I wanted and then had a little mishap. You know, I could be down on myself but it gets me nowhere so my heads high. I’m focusing on the next race. But thank you to everyone sticking behind me. All I can say is, we got outdoors and next year.”
Cooper Webb: (9th in 450SX) “Salt Lake City was a struggle to say the least. Struggled all day and bad start ended up 9th in the main. Get to work this week and rebound in New Jersey”
Tyler Bowers: (10th in 250SX) “I’ve really missed being back at the races. I don’t think I rode to my full potential; however, I know Top 10 is pretty strong after this much time off. I’ve got that race under my belt and I’ll work my butt off for the next two weeks and be ready for Vegas.”
Hayden Mellross: (8th in 250SX) “Even though this wasn’t a career best finish for me, I still feel it was the best I have rode all season. I was able to ride strong for the entirety of the race and set some of the fastest times of the night.”
