The 2018 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series brought the curtain down on the season in Las Vegas with three Champions being crowned. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne locked down back-to-back Eastern Regional 250SX Championships with a 7th place finish and Monster Energy / Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger won the Western Regional 250SX Championship with an 8th place finish in the Davey Coombs Sr East / West Shootout and Rockstar / Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson celebrated his first-ever 450SX AMA / FIM Supercross Championship with a 5th in the main.
Yamaha, KTM and Husqvarna took home the three big trophies in Las Vegas, but Monster Energy / Kawasaki dominated the main events. Eli Tomac outlasted Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin for the 450 win and Adam Cianciarulo went from 8th to 1st to win his first race of ’18 and second Las Vegas SX in a row.
Check out post race comments from over two dozen riders and a few team managers about the final SX of ’18 and the season.
Jason Anderson: (450SX Champ) “Today was really stressful, but I feel like I handled it really well and came out with the championship. I’m so excited. We put our whole lives into this, we’ve been riding dirt bikes for so long and to win this championship, me and my team, it’s the most surreal moment of my life up to this point.”
Zach Osborne: (250SX East Champ) “This year has been tough for me. I’ve had to fight every inch for this championship. Jordon and the rest of the guys rode really awesome this whole season and gave me a heck of a challenge. This was the hardest one so far, I would say, but it’s amazing to be a three-time champion.”
Aaron Plessinger: (250SX West Champ) “It was a long season and, I’m glad it’s done. (laughs) It was a crazy race tonight. Once I got behind Zach I didn’t need to push any more ’cause that was 8th place and that locked me up the Championship. I just cruised behind Zach and cruised it into the finish. It’s unreal. I don’t even think it’s set in yet.”
Eli Tomac: (1st in 450SX) “Our starts were on point all day. I feel good about how we rode throughout the day and finished out here, especially with the challenging track. We ended the season on the podium and healthy so I’m happy with our results and ready to suit up to take on the outdoors!”
Adam Cianciarulo: (1st in 250SX) “This win feels so good and I felt great on the track all day. It’s been a struggle all year, especially racing with an injury the entire time but I really put it all out there tonight and rode like I didn’t have anything to lose. I’m glad I could end the season on top of the podium with a win for me and my team.”
Marvin Musquin: (2nd in 450SX) “I knew it was going to be a tough Main Event. It’s Vegas, it’s hard and slippery. My start in the Main Event was awesome but Eli was a little bit better and we were first and second right away. My goal was to keep charging and keep pushing. We both made mistakes and we pushed hard. I made a mistake with the lappers in the rhythm before the finish and definitely lost the connect with Eli and after that, the gap stayed the same. I gave my best, and on a track like that, I improved so much from last year and I’m really proud about it.”
Jordon Smith: (2nd in 250SX) “We had a little bit of a slow start to the season, but really put in a charge in the end and finishing strong is how I wanted to remember it,” said Smith. “I felt really good tonight and it helped when I came out fifth after the start. The track had slick spots and you had to be on it the whole race to make sure you didn’t make a mistake that would cost you. It’s great to bring home second in the championship, I just wish we were a little closer coming in to put up a fight tonight.”
Blake Baggett: (3rd in 450SX) “It was a good race. I had good starts all night, and with the track being difficult, it helped being at the front. I’m happy with how I rode and to end the season on the podium.”
Shane McElrath: (3rd in 250SX) “The west coast had some stiff competition so to come out with two wins and two more podium finishes is a good feeling. I’m thankful we are heading into outdoors healthy and it’s time to see what we can do this summer. Every year I want to look back and see that there have been improvements made. I know I still have room to grow, but overall we had a good season.”
Christian Craig: (4th in 450SX) “Today started off pretty good. I felt comfortable on the bike right away, which I think showed throughout the entire day and night. I just had a good flow and was feeling relaxed. After qualifying seventh during the day, I went into the night just wanting to put in a solid result to finish the season on a high note. The heat race went pretty good; I felt like I put in some good laps to finish fourth. In the main, I actually picked the first gate on the inside. I don’t know why I’m confident there, but I always find myself picking one of those tight inside gates and seem to get good starts. I came off to a fourth-place start, sticking myself in behind [Blake] Baggett, and just clicked off my laps. I just put in my laps, rode consistent, and tied my best finish with another fourth. I’m really happy. There’s a lot more left in me and I feel like I have some podiums in me, so there’s a lot of confidence heading to outdoors.”
Joey Savatgy: (4th in 250SX) “It’s been a good season. Obviously we went out there to win tonight so these weren’t exactly the results we were hoping for, but I’m happy for my teammate and proud of what me and my team have achieved this season.”
Benny Bloss: (6th in 450SX) “I had a great night. Tonight, I showed my speed and that I belong up at the front. It felt great to put in my best ride of the season here at the last round to end the supercross season on a positive.”
Jeremy Martin: (5th in 250SX) “Felt solid all day in Vegas on the GEICO Honda. Had a good flow going all day and a great start in the East versus West Showdown. But I was too nice in the main behind Shane. I should have tried to force it, but I unfortunately fell into his pace which allowed the guys behind me to catch up and make some moves on me. Still, we had a solid ending to the supercross season–got some wins and momentum going for a few weeks and that felt good. Looking forward to next year’s supercross season and working on a few weaknesses so we can win the title next year!”
Weston Peick: (7th in 450SX) “The result wasn’t what I was looking for. After finishing inside the top five several times this year, I wanted to end the series on a high note. I was slightly off timing during the start and had to work my way forward. It wasn’t easy to pass on the track, but I made it happen. I’m excited to finish the series in sixth, walk away healthy, and move on to the outdoors.”
Chase Sexton : (6th in 250SX) “Practice was pretty good for me, qualified fourth, but I never really felt the flow on the track,” said Sexton. “It was muddy but then got really dry. But coming into the heat race the track looked much better! Heat race had a good jump off the start but got swallowed up and came out way back. My riding was good and I tried to make passes as fast as I could, got back up to eighth. That gave me 15th gate pick in the main event, but luckily there were some good gates open still and I managed to pull a good start around sixth. Got into a good flow in the beginning of the race but I lost it midway through. I wanted to get to the front, but I lost the back of Savagty. Just didn’t have the intensity I needed all the way through! Came out sixth for the night and was able to get rookie of the year which was awesome! Overall, I’m happy with my season and I’m ready to come back and go for the title next season! Bring on the outdoors!”
Dean Wilson: (8th in 450SX) “The last round of SX was really a tough weekend. I’ve been dealing with nagging injuries all season and last weekend I injured my thumb from something that wasn’t my fault, so that was kind of frustrating because I was riding with pain all day. Seventh overall in the series is not that great of a result but I finished the season. I know I’m better than what I did but injuries kind of held me back this season.”
Hayden Mellross: (10th in 250SX) “Ending the season with a Top 10 is huge for me. I really liked the track today and felt like I was on it during practice and qualifying. Chiz and I put the 51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha YZ’s back to back in qualifying and the Heat which was super cool and I was able to come through the pack pretty well in the Main. I knew I had to be up there to get the Top 10 overall in points so I kept my head down and kept charging. Another solid year with the team and happy to end it on a high note.”
Malcolm Stewart: (13th in 450SX) “The goal was to end the Supercross series with another top ten finish. I was feeling good on the track, which had some really high-speed sections. I crashed while running third in my heat race. It took the wind out of my sails. Anyway, I’m thankful for the Autotrader/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team for giving me the opportunity in Supercross. It has been fun.”
Sean Cantrell: (11th in 250SX) “It’s been a huge learning year and to have some solid showings at the final rounds makes me optimistic for the future. Each week I’ve tried to make sure I was moving forward and these final few races felt like that overall. I’m ready to tackle my second season of outdoors and try to get some career-best finishes.”
Michael Mosiman: (12th in 250SX) “My rookie season has come to a close! It was a good day. I really felt good, I kind of got into my flow and started playing with the bike and moving things around and it was good to find some consistency.”
Kyle Chisholm: (13th in 250SX) “There’s a lot of positives to take away from tonight. I qualified really well and kept that momentum going in the Heat Races as well. In the Main I felt like I was riding great, making passes on some fast guys, but unfortunately got taken out there in the last corner. I guess that’s racing, and I’m glad it didn’t put me out of the series points. This is my second season back on the 250 and I’m stoked to finish out the year in 7th. Big thanks to the 51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha Team and all of those who make it possible.”
Tyler Bowers: (20th in 450SX)”I came out tonight feeling really good after my results in qualifying and the heat race. I definitely didn’t want the night to end this way, but I had fun out on the track today and put it all out there knowing this was my last race of the season. It’s a bummer to see it come to a close. I really enjoyed filling in as I continued to progress with the Monster Energy Kawasaki crew and wish it kept going all year. I look forward to what’s next and I am so grateful for all of the support from the team.”
Justin Hill: (15th in 250SX) “I’m not going to lie, Las Vegas was a rough one. I wanted to end my 250 Supercross career with a bang, but it just didn’t happen. That’s racing. I’m looking forward to hopping on the Suzuki RM-Z450 next season and seeing what I can do.”
Mitchell Harrison: (17th in 250SX) “Tonight’s finish definitely wasn’t what we were looking for to end the season, but I feel like I was riding well all night. I’m happy to end the season healthy.”
Kyle Peters: (18th in 250SX) “Racing with a bum knee wasn’t the best situation, but after Foxborough I knew that anything is possible. My goal was to secure sixth place in the 250 East standings, and I accomplished that. This week I’ll have surgery to repair my knee in preparation for the 2019 season. Thanks to the Autotrader/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Teams for their hard work and dedication!”
Phil Nicoletti: (DNQ in 250SX) “It was a disappointing day, to say the least. I’m not happy with how things worked out, because I put in the effort during the week to finish inside the top five. We’ll just have to regroup and get ready for the start of the outdoors.”
Bobby Hewitt: (Rockstar Husky Team Owner, Double Champ) “This is what we’ve worked for. It’s definitely a milestone – for us, for Husqvarna, for Rockstar, for all the staff – everybody. No one realizes how much work goes into it and to be able to bring home two championships – one in each class; very few are able to do that. I’m proud of the staff, I’m proud of the riders, I’m proud of everybody. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Erik Kehoe: (Honda HRC Team Manager) Tonight was a great way for Christian to gain confidence and momentum before transitioning to outdoors. After his fourth in Daytona, he had a string of bad races so he kind of started to lose some faith in his ability to be up there, but to get a fourth last weekend and then to back it up again here, is huge from him. I think he was just putting too much pressure on himself before, so this weekend he was more settled down. Obviously, the season was tough overall with both of our main riders getting injured, but bringing Christian in and him performing how he did, really helped turn the season around. I’m proud of his efforts for us and am looking forward to motocross.”
Jeremy Albrecht: (JGR Team Manager) “This was the most difficult Supercross race of the whole series. Thankfully, Peick rode well and served as the bright spot in an otherwise forgettable night. Weston tried as hard as he could to come back and make up spots, which he was able to take advantage with really good whoop speed. Stewart had a good heat race going, but crashed on the last lap and got banged up. He rode hard in the main event, and his result isn’t indicative of his effort. I am thankful to have worked with Malcolm during the Supercross series. He won’t be racing the Nationals for the Autotrader/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Team, but we’re providing him with a Suzuki RM-Z450 for the summer.”
