Photos by: Chase Yocom

Round fourteen of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, headed back indoors for the final “Triple Crown” event of 2018 inside US Bank Stadium for the 2018 Minneapolis SX.

In the 450SX class, Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac went 1/4/3 to edge out Rockstar Energy / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson’s 2/6/1 to win his seventh race of 2018. Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin finished third on the night with a 7/1/2 score.

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In the 250SX class, GEICO / Honda’s Jeremy Martin finished with a 3/3/1 score and took home his second win of the year ahead of Rockstar / Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne’s 4/1/2 and Troy Lee Designs / KTM’s Jordon Smith’s 2/2/3.

After the six “Triple Crown” motos were over and the points were tallied, we gathered some quotes from riders to get their thoughts on the Minneapolis SX.

450 podium

Eli Tomac: (1st in 450SX) “We’re just going for the overalls and thankfully we’ve done that the past two weekends. Yeah, it’s tough. I want to look forward to outdoors, and reset the points. You just look at the [SX] points and shake your head. It’s all on me. I’ll try to do better next year when it comes to that situation. I feel like, I’ve been fortunate that I’ve stayed healthy for the most part. We’re here and still able to win races, so just keep trucking.”

 

Jeremy Martin: (1st in 250SX) “[On race] I was beyond happy. Like you said, to get the home town win is unbelievable. I went kind of crazy after the win and celebrated pretty hard because it’s a moment I’ll cherish for the rest of my life basically. [On crowd] Yeah, I could hear them. It was really neat and a memory I’m going to cherish forever. [On track] It was definitely one-lined. It made it where you had to really get in there and stick it in on the guys pretty hard. I don’t really like to do that, but I had to in that last one. [On triple crown] It’s just another race to me. They’re just trying new stuff. If you have a bad main event, you wish you had “Triple Crown,” and if you have a good main event you’re like, “Let’s be done.” It’s all on how you did I guess. Hopefully they can figure out what they’re going to do in the future and we’ll stick to that. Read full interview.

 

Jason Anderson: (2nd in 450SX) “I feel like tonight went really well. I feel like I gave away the win a little bit, but at the same time, I felt like I was riding great all night. That’s all I can ask for. I’m doing good as far as points, but I really want to win some races as the season goes on. [On Broc Tickle’s suspension for dirty urine] I know Broc personally and I’m with him all the time. He’s such a good dude, and he would never do anything on purpose. He works his butt off and he does everything right. I think what he got caught for…I talked to him and there’s so many little things you can take and get in trouble for. You can get in trouble for having too much tobacco in your system from too much chewing tobacco. I understand there’s gotta be rules, but it’s not like it was a gnarly thing that he was taking. I mean, he didn’t even know. I feel bad for him ’cause I know he just got the call on Thursday. He shows up, is getting ready for press day and he gets a call that he’s suspended. I’m so gutted for the guy. I have his back 100%, no mater what.” Read full interview here.

 

Zach Osborne: (2nd in 250SX) “All in all it was a pretty good night. I was fastest in all three sessions and came into the night show feeling really good. I got a bad start in the first main event, but turned it around in the second main event with a win. I got off to a good start in the last main event, went back to fourth, then had to work my way up. I gained some points, and I’m really happy with the way I’m riding.”

250 podium

Marvin Musquin: (3rd in 450SX) “That was a tough one to start the night off with seventh place in the first Main Event. I wasn’t feeling good out there and not riding like myself but we got a lot better for the second Main. I proved that I was better because of the riding – I had a lot more intensity and I was able to get a win on the second one, so that was amazing and good for everybody. Going into the third, I wanted to do the same but unfortunately the start wasn’t there. I was able to make up a lot of ground and come back to second place, which is good. I’m really happy with the riding and getting on the podium considering my first terrible main.”

 

Jordon Smith: (3rd in 250SX) “Tonight was really great for me and I felt like I rode to my full potential. It’s definitely a lot of points between us and first (12 points), but it’s nice to know we are putting the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM team in a good spot with two rounds to go. I’m glad the Triple Crown races are over, but they were fun and provided something different for the fans.”

 

Cooper Webb: (DNF/Crash in 450SX) “Little update for you guys. Last night in Minneapolis I was involved with some carnage in the rhythm section right off the start and I ended up getting landed on in the 1st main event of the night. I ended up with a fractured tibia as of now. Have an appointment Monday with an ortho to see the final word. Extremely bummed to say the least… but I do know it’s hard to beat someone who won’t give up. I’ll be back soon #GodsPlan Thank you to all my sponsors and people in my corner for the uplifting.”

 

Sean Cantrell: (4th in 250SX) “Getting that breakthrough race feels amazing. I remember how disappointed I was after the last race because I felt like everything was going against me and tonight it seemed like we did it right. I’m so thankful to the whole team for their support and getting me to this point. I’d love to get another top five before the end of the season.”

 

Austin Forkner: (10th in 250SX) “Each pic pretty much describes how my mains went last night. Pretty bummed about my riding in the second and third mains. Just think I was being impatient in the second one which caused more mistakes and then ended the night in that third one. Pretty sure just a broken collarbone from what I’ve been told as of right now, which is pretty much what I felt as soon as I crashed. It’s not from a lack of effort, just doesn’t go ur way sometimes. But I guess I’ll see u guys in outdoors.”

A penalty for being “on the gas while off the track” cost Jason Anderson the win.

Christian Craig: (9th in 450SX) “Tonight was tough, honestly. All day I struggled with my breathing and I’m not sure why because this hasn’t happened to me before. I was able to put a fast time down for practice, qualifying fourth. In the main events, I struggled and kept having to remind myself to breath, which was spiking my heart rate. I almost felt like my body was shutting down. The first race was the worst after my crash. I got better with it through the night, luckily, but still nowhere near happy. I was able to push through my own battles and finish ninth overall. It’s been a hard couple weekends but I’ll get through it. I’m going to focus on a lot of things this week and come back fresh next weekend in Foxboro.”

 

Brandon Hartranft: (7th in 250SX) “There were a lot of positives tonight, The first main, was definitely rough, but I rode really good. I just regrouped and kept my head up for the last two mains. I got my best finish of the year so it’s a good day. I wasn’t injured in the crash I had, but my knee was hurting pretty good. It went away, so I’m good.”

 

Michael Mosiman: (11th in 250SX) “My day started off well. I’ve been learning a lot this week. The practices went well and I felt good on the bike. I got off to a good start in the first main event and made it up to seventh. I got an even better start in the second main event and was running fifth. I had a big crash and ended up spraining my foot. I raced the third main event but rode a little tentative. It’s a lot better to leave here racing all three motos. Overall I built some confidence and I’m looking forward to the next round.”

 

Weston Peick: (11th in 450SX) “I had an awesome night going in Minneapolis for the final Triple Crown round of the series. I went 5-3-11 for sixth overall. I was running third in the final main, but had an unfortunate crash that put me back. I’m looking forward to some more fun battles next weekend in Foxborough. Special thanks to my team. I want to finish off the series strong.”

 

Kyle Peters: (DNF/Injured in 250SX) “I’m extremely bummed about Minneapolis. I was riding well in the opening qualifying session and establishing a good flow on the track. Then, without warning, I crashed in the ice and snow on the way to the final qualifying session and injured my knee. I tried to suit up and race, but the pain was too much. Hopefully I receive good news about my condition and can line up for Foxborough this weekend.”

After dominating the first moto, Austin Forkner crashed five times in the final two motos and left Minneapolis with a broken collarbone.

Dean Wilson: (13th in 450SX) “The triple crown is tricky. I had a decent start in the third moto and was riding sixth, but got connected with another rider and went down. I worked my way back up and ended up 10th overall on the night. I’m going to keep charging.”

 

Malcolm Stewart: (15th in 450SX) The bright spot was qualifying second fastest. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. I felt flat when the night show came around. I had several crashes and didn’t help myself any. There are three rounds to go, and I’m excited to move forward and make a big impact in this series.

 

John Short: (8th in 250SX) “I really like my motorcycle this year. I didn’t necessarily have the testing or the funding to get good equipment. This year I’m on the Yamaha, the equipment is good and I’m really comfortable on the bike. I had an injury that took me out and kept me from riding until mid-January. I had 8 hours on my practice bike before Arlington.”

 

Author

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