Dylan Ferrandis backed up his first-ever Monster Energy AMA Supercross win last weekend in Seattle with another stellar victory at the third and final Triple Crown of 2019, Saturday night at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. His Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing teammate Colt Nichols capped off a solid night with a win in the third main to join Ferrandis on the podium.
A chaotic start with riders coming together nearly had Ferrandis on the ground in the first 250SX main event. Sitting in eighth position by the end of the first lap, the Frenchman put his head down and flew through the pack to score a valuable second-place finish behind his championship rival. Nichols also didn’t get the best of starts, but steadily worked his way through the field to finish in the top five.
In the second main event, Ferrandis got off to a much better start. In the lead group, he didn’t waste any time getting into the lead and was able to maintain it to the finish. Nichols, on the other hand, had a rough start but was able to work his way back from 10th to third. On the last lap, the Anaheim 1 race winner hit a neutral and went over the bars. Nichols was still able to salvage a fourth, a valiant effort for the Oklahoma native who is riding through an injury to his leg from last weekend’s crash in Seattle.
Nichols made up for his start woes in the first two mains and took the holeshot. Ferrandis was right behind, making for a Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team battle, but Ferrandis wisely ran his own race to avoid risking the overall win. Nichols went on to lead flag-to-flag and finished third overall in front of family and friends.
With the win, Ferrandis was able to close the gap further on his rival, now just five points behind the 250SX West leader with two rounds remaining. Nichols also made ground in the title chase, sitting third in the standings trailing by 40 points.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team’s 250SX East riders return to action next weekend at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, April 6.
Dylan Ferrandis
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It feels good to get two wins in a row. It gave me even more confidence in myself and my riding. Like I said last time, I really like the Triple Crown format. I just needed to be consistent tonight to get a good result. It’s what I did and I finally took the win. I’m now five points from the leader, which gives me a chance for the championship. We have the weekend off next week, but once again I will train hard to be ready for the final two rounds.”
Colt Nichols
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“The bike was great. Made a change to the suspension after the first main and it was great, so huge thank you to the team for suggesting and making the change to the bike. The track conditions were awesome, and the dirt here in Texas is great. Quick turnaround between the mains, so fitness was key and I was happy with how I felt all night. The main thing that hurt me in the first two mains was my starts. I finally got off to a good start in that last one with the holeshot. I almost rode a little tight in the lead… It just felt so good to win again. Overall, it was an awesome night in Houston.”
2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Seattle Results
1. Dylan Ferrandis (2-1-2)
2. RJ Hampshire (3-2-4)
3. Colt Nichols (5-4-1)
4. Adam Cianciarulo (1-10-3)
5. James Decotis (6-5-6)
6. Cameron McAdoo (9-6-5)
7. Justin Starling (12-8-8)
8. Seth Cantrell (11-7-13)
9. Garrett Marchbanks (10-3-19)
10. Chris Blose (8-19-7)
2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship Standings
1. Adam Cianciarulo 182
2. Dylan Ferrandis 177
3. Colt Nichols 142
4. RJ Hampshire 126
5. Shane Mcelrath 123
6. James Decotis 112
7. Chris Blose 111
9. Cameron Mcadoo 111
9. Michael Mosiman 110
10. Garrett Marchbanks 99
Wil Hahn
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager