Photo by: Octopi
Round thirteen of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, headed to the rainy Pacific Northwest for the 2018 Seattle SX. In a year that has seen everything, it was only fitting that we had a mudder to mix things up a little. Strangely, though, even with the torrential rainfall all day long, the guys that landed on the podiums were the same guys we have seen up there all year long.
In the 450SX class, Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac took advantage of a stall by Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson to win his sixth race of 2018. Anderson was able to get his bike restarted in time to hold on for a second place, while Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin crossed the line a distant third.
In the 250SX class, Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger was untouchable in the sloppy wet ruts of Seattle. Aaron got the lead early and checked out to a 33-second win over the GEICO / Honda rookie, Chase Sexton, and Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo.
After the very tough main events were over and the points were tallied, we gathered some quotes from riders to get their thoughts on the Seattle mud.
Eli Tomac: (1st in 450SX) “It was just really heavy and made us go slow. It made the best guys in Supercross look like we have been riding for a couple of days. (laughs) It was just a slow and heavy dirt, and the ruts were so deep that we were dragging our pegs and couldn’t get any momentum. It was one of those that we were just slow. (laughs) Today couldn’t have gone any better for us. This is motorcycle racing and we have to deal with the cards we’re given. Tonight were some of the craziest conditions I’ve had to race in, but I had a blast. I am pumped to get another win and now sit third in the points. I am looking forward to keeping the ball rolling into Minneapolis.”
Aaron Plessinger: (1st in 250SX) “The puddle was pretty cold, yeah. I told somebody I was going to do it if there was a puddle so I held up to my deal. (laughs) But I didn’t care, it was cool. I was pretty stoked. It was a gnarly race. We got down to the plywood and it reminded me of GNCC’s. It was fun, with a lot of standing up. You could tell by watching TV, any time someone sat down there bike would go all over the place. My dad always yelled at me when I took my feet off the pegs so I try not to do that any more.”
Jason Anderson: (2nd in 450SX) “The whole day was a little weird due to the delayed program, but practice went as well as it could have in the mud–I qualified first. I was up front in the heat race, but was pushing too hard so I pulled back. I ended up coming back to second. I was out front and riding awesome in the Main but had a bit of a hiccup. All-in-all I did what I needed to do tonight so it was good.”
Chase Sexton: (2nd in 250SX) “The track was pretty gnarly. I expected it to be a little gnarlier in the main, but the main was better than the heat race. It was my first time riding a SX track in the mud. It was definitely new to me. I was looking forward to it in practice, but I went out and qualified 16th so I was a little bummed. The heat race was good, but I threw it away on the last lap. In the main, I got a good start and pretty much tried not to fall.”
Marvin Musquin: (3rd in 450SX) “It’s not often that we have a muddy race like that in Supercross but we have no choice, we have to go out and give our best. The conditions were pretty tough, the mud was pretty sticky for the Main Event. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed. I got a great start but the speed wasn’t there. My intensity – I was too timid and too cautious. I should have taken more risks but I was just trying to be consistent and stay on two wheels and the other guys were just faster.”
Adam Cianciarulo: (3rd in 250SX) “Tonight in Seattle went a lot better than expected. I made an amateur mistake in the heat race and overheated my clutch, which eliminated me from the heat. From there it was all hands on deck because we had to turn around and race the LCQ, which we won, then turn around again and line up for the main event. This Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is the best. Overall, it was a good weekend because we got on the box and I am leaving healthy.”
Broc Tickle: (4th in 450SX) “It’s always exciting to come to Seattle, I got my first win here in 2010 and I’ve always enjoyed the tough conditions here. Tonight was pretty good for me, I was excited to see the rain but it ended up being really tough to ride in. I know I’m really good in those conditions just by being patient, taking my time and not getting too far ahead of myself and I felt like I did so tonight and I was consistent. It was a tough track tonight but I’m in a good position to keep building momentum and end out the series strong.”
Shane Mcelrath: (4th in 250SX) “That might have been the toughest race I’ve faced ever. I was hoping it would have been a good equalizer race, but the track didn’t even stay (enacted) for the heat race, let alone the main event. It was tough but once I almost got stuck, I just focused on keeping steady and finishing. Let’s hope that Salt Lake City isn’t like this, but it’s been known to be unpredictable as well.”
Cooper Webb: (5th in 450SX) “Felt like this all day in mud at Seattle. Struggled all day but was able to regroup for the main event with a 5th. ”
Mitchell Harrison: (7th in 250SX) “It was a solid race. I got a good start and rode really well. I just messed up a little at the end of the race. Overall I feel more confident. I know it’s a mud race, and anything can happen, but I feel like my mentality is a lot stronger. I had two good starts, and I’m going to move on to Salt Lake.”
Tyler Bowers: (6th in 450SX) “Today was crazy. I wasn’t sure what to expect tonight with how the track conditions were, but I have always felt confident in the mud and to finish in sixth, feels great. The trick tonight was to take it slow and steady and to keep it on two wheels the best you could. I can’t thank the Monster Energy Kawasaki team enough for all their support.”
Justin Hill: (9th in 250SX) “I had press day on Thursday, which was a lot of fun. I did everything from live television to radio, Skype and every interview in between. I even had the chance to catch a fish at the world-famous Pike Market. I also played an open mic night, which was a cool experience.As for the race, it was a complete mess. I haven’t ridden anything that difficult in years. In hindsight, I should have flown home to Oregon before the race and ridden in the mud to brush up on my mud skills. I’ll do that next year if they’re predicting rain in Seattle. The hardest part of the track was the whoops, but then they cut them down. The switchback section before the finish line was gnarly. Everyone had to race the track, but I’m rusty in the mud.”
Dean Wilson: (9th in 450SX) “Today was filled with tricky conditions. My qualifying was good, and I ended up qualifying third. I was trying to make the pass for third in the last corner in the heat race, but I got roosted and couldn’t see then fell. I ended up seventh in the heat. I thought I had a good start in the main but I ended up sinking in the mud, then got in a pileup in the rhythm section. I was in survival mode out there. Ninth is ok, and I’m looking forward to a dry race next weekend.”
Hayden Mellross: (10th in 250SX) “After everything that happened today I’m glad to come out with a Top 10. I dislocated my shoulder a week ago and have been working really hard to get the mobility back in it. Tonight was a good test on it as these conditions really work your physical and mental fitness. The bikes held up well all night and despite the muddy track we were able to hang with some of the factory guys. I’m ready for another week of training and hopefully better conditions at the next one.”
Weston Peick: (10th in 450SX) “It was a rainy day schedule, which is always difficult. I went into the heat race with 10 minutes of practice. It wasn’t enough track time, but given the situation I didn’t need a whole lot of time in the mud. I felt off in the heat race and did the best that I could. The track was a complete mess by the time the main event came around. It was one big rut. I made sure I didn’t crash and get hurt, with the goal of moving on to the next weekend. Being from California, I don’t have a whole lot of experience in the mud, so getting a top 10 was fair given the situation.”
Kyle Chisholm: (8th in 250SX) “What a crazy night of racing. It was pretty stressful only getting to see the track one time before the night show, but we had to make it happen from the get-go. I was moving up in the heat but had a small mechanical which the team was able to fix in time. We qualified and once again I felt like I was moving forward but the main was cut short. I felt like I had another position or two in me, but in conditions like this I’m happy to come out in one piece.”
Christian Craig: (11th in 450SX) “It was a pretty crazy night. Coming into this weekend, everyone knew it was going to be muddy based on the forecast all week. Knowing that, I tried to be open minded, but man, it was a tough day. Qualifying went well with the one practice we had. I got seventh and was actually having some fun out there. In the heat race, I didn’t get a great start and then just wore the clutch out too much and came to a stop, so I wasn’t able to finish the race. I was really frustrated after that. I went into the LCQ, which was pretty nerve-racking because you put so much pressure on yourself to make sure you transfer. Nobody wants to be in an LCQ, but then you add mud, making it more challenging, and anything can happen. I had a terrible gate pick in the main but got a relatively decent start. I made some mistakes early on and slipped back, then had to pull my goggles off a little over halfway through the race. Towards the end, I started clicking off some good laps and was able to make last-minute passes, putting me in 11th. It’s still way off from where I want to be, but I’ll take it and am happy to get out of here with a decent result considering the conditions.”
Joey Savatgy: (12th in 250SX) “Tonight didn’t go our way. I got off to a great start in the main but crashed early and after that I was caked in mud, which made it even harder to navigate the tricky conditions. We’ve got a couple races left, so we’ll regroup and try again in Salt Lake City.”
Malcolm Stewart: (17th in 450SX) “It was good to be the second fastest qualifier in the practice session. I struggled in my heat race a bit, because I haven’t used goggle roll-offs since 2012. Still, I rode well and knew what I was capable of. Then, in the main event I went down in the second corner. I pretty much came from last place to eighth, made a mistake, and remained inside the top ten until the last lap. I lost my clutch, due to the difficult conditions, but that was the case for most riders. We’ll move on to Minneapolis and the final Triple Crown event of the series. Overall, I had fun at Seattle. I sure am sore from racing in the mud! I used every single muscle in my body. Even though the race was shortened up it felt like I was out there forever.”
Josh Hill: (21st in 450SX) “Fun, really fun. Man, I’ve had a smile on my face all day long. Being back at the races is one thing–that would have been fun in itself–but being back with factory Yamaha and my old mechanic Longhorn, I couldn’t think of a better scenario to come back with. It doesn’t seem real. It’s really cool.”
Phillip Nicoletti: (11th in 250SX) “Practice went okay for me. The unseeded 250 session was faster, because the track hadn’t broken down by that point. I had a decent start in my heat race, but crashed in the first turn. Then I tipped over again, but told myself to ride normally and not rush anything. I picked off a bunch of guys and won my first 250 Supercross heat race, which was cool. I had the second gate pick for the main event and the same mentality that I did in my heat race. I had a good start and put myself in position for the best result of my 2018 season. While pressuring for fourth place I pushed too hard, went off the track, and ended up getting stuck in the mud off the side of the track. I used a lot of energy. It was like I was bench pressing 550 pounds of weight, and doing it 50 times. I was spent. It wasn’t what I wanted to happen, considering I knew what I was capable in those difficult conditions.”
