Photo by: Simon Cudby
The final round of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, and the Las Vegas SX, produced three first time Champions. It was Dylan Ferrandis winning the 2019 Western Regional 250SX Championship, Chase Sexton taking home the 2019 Eastern Regional 250SX Championship and Cooper Webb winning the 2019 450SX AMA National Championship, an FIM World Championship.
In the 450SX class, Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac scored his sixth main event win of 2019, but once again he fell short of that first-ever 450SX title. Joining Eli on the podium was the Red Bull / KTM duo of Marvin Musquin (2nd) and Cooper Webb (3rd).
In the 250SX main event, Monster Energy / Star Racing / Yamaha’s Ferrandis took the win in the 250SX East / West Shootout. Following the newly crowned 250SX West Champ over the finish line were the three GEICO / Honda’s of RJ Hampshire (2nd) and Cameron McAdoo (3rd) and Chase Sexton in (4th)—more than enough for Sexton to lock down the 250SX East title.
After the 17th round was in the books, we gathered quotes from the riders to find out how their 2019 Las Vegas SX went for them.
Eli Tomac: (1st in 450) “Man, what a season that was! Tonight we just gave it the beans and held it wide open all night long. Nights like tonight were just downright fun racing my motorcycle. I am proud of myself and the effort the whole Monster Energy Kawasaki crew put in all season long. We’ve got my 2019 KX450 dialed in right now, which has me excited to get outdoors started. I am already looking forward to the 2020 supercross season, but in the meantime, I plan to carry this momentum into outdoors and once again defend my title.”
Dylan Ferrandis: (1st in 250) “Coming into the main, I just asked my mechanic to tell me what Adam was doing and when I saw it at P-10 and P-12, I couldn’t believe it. We trained so hard coming into this weekend. It’s more than a dream come true. It’s hard to put into words. I’m just thinking about all the people that have been with me and supporting me. The team has been behind me the past few years and I’m very grateful to them for believing in me. This is incredible.”
Marvin Musquin: (2nd in 450) “I was looking for one more step than last year but overall it was a decent year. I gave my best this season and that’s all I could do. A little bit of mistakes and the end of the year took me out of the fight but I’m looking forward to next year and getting ready for outdoors.”
RJ Hampshire: (2nd in 250) ““Was a really cool day for my whole team. I rode well in practice and felt like my bike was working good. Got the holeshot in the heat and also the main. I struggled bad in the first half of the main and really had to take a couple steps back to regroup and figure out what I needed to change. For once I actually felt like a veteran and made a pretty smart call! I even let Chase by because I was getting so sketchy and I didn’t want to end up going down and taking him out with me. I followed him for a couple laps to hopefully learn something in the whoops. It started coming together then I saw my pit board said “4 laps, all out”. I went for it and it paid off! I was able to get to second. Really happy to see the team have so much success on the night!”
Cooper Webb: (3rd in 450) “It’s been an incredible journey. This KTM team believed in me, they took me in and transformed me back to where I always knew I could be. This year was not expected at all and I can’t thank them enough for giving me this opportunity to get back into this level and to do it this way is unreal. It’s a dream come true, I’ve had it since I was a little kid. It’s an incredible feeling”
Cameron McAdoo: (3rd in 250) “Honestly it was a decision I made. “I was struggling in qualifying, heat race wasn’t good. I started fourth in the main, I got into second. I saw Ferrandis in front of me and instead of saying “Let me try to latch onto this guy” I thought “Let’s try to get him. Let’s try to pass him.” Thinking that way helped me so much. All of a sudden, before I knew it, there was six minutes to go. It was just a mindset. Mentally this is one of the biggest jumps I’ve ever made in my career.”
Ken Roczen: (4th in 450) “I’m pretty happy with how tonight went. I struggled in the heat but we went back to an earlier setting and things were a lot better in the main. I still didn’t get the best start but made some passes pretty quick, working my way into fourth. I actually felt good throughout the whole race and didn’t lose steam, which is what I’ve been fighting a lot this season. We’re still trying to fully figure out what was or is going on, but it seems to be a little better than before. I’m so happy to make it through a whole supercross season and am looking forward to heading into outdoors.”
Chase Sexton: (4th in 250) “It feels super good, it hasn’t really sunk in yet, being 19 years old and winning my first championship is unbelievable. t was the longest 15 minutes plus 1 [lap] I’ve ever done, track was gnarly. I was fourth or fifth the whole moto. Yeah it was a super sketchy track, and the whoops were gnarly, had some moments with my teammate, and there were some hay bales knocked out on the track. It was really hard to decide if it was a good move or bad move to go it, but it couldn’t have worked out better.”
Zach Osborne: (5th in 450) “The track was really tough to make a move on tonight and I ended up getting passed myself in the Main Event to finish fifth place. It was a solid night. I’m making some headway and moving into the outdoors I’m pretty happy with my fitness and my riding, so we’ll just keep plugging away.”
Alex Martin: (5th in 250) “t was a pleasantly surprising weekend. The Las Vegas track was dry and slick. I felt comfortable on my Suzuki RM-Z250. We softened up the shock a bit, and went stiffer on the forks. That was the right way to go for me. The heat race was too close for comfort, and I had a far outside gate pick. The run out of the gate was smooth, and I crossed the first turn in sixth or seventh. I rode well, and it felt good to grab a top-five to end the series.”
Cole Seely: (6th in 450) “Vegas as a whole went pretty well. Practice was okay. I qualified decent but not great, which I kind of expected because I’m not normally the best qualifier, especially in Vegas. It normally takes some time for me to figure out the track. I had a good heat, running in second for most of the race, then finishing third, so I was pretty happy with that. Going into the main, I knew if I could get a good start I’d be able to end the season on a positive note. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the start I wanted and ended up just outside the top 10. I had a good a flow going though, so I knew if I just put my head down and hit my marks that I could end up in a good position. I just started picking my way through the pack. I felt like I wasn’t using a ton of energy, so I was able to maintain my pace throughout the whole race more than normal. I was really happy with how I was riding and ended up sixth”
Colt Nichols: (6th in 250) “It was tough night if you didn’t get a good start, and I definitely didn’t. I tried to push hard the whole race and all I could make it up to was sixth. I’m happy for our team and for Dylan to come away with the championship. Now it’s onto the outdoors we go!”
Michael Mosiman: (7th in 250) “To end the season healthy is awesome. It was a battle out there and it was a little bit sketchy all day with the track conditions. In the Main Event, I got passed on the last lap but to get seventh with all those guys and to get out of here healthy is really nice.”
Justin Hill: (9th in 450) “I wanted to end my rookie 450 Supercross series with a top finish. The track was tough, but I managed the racing as best as I could and came away with a ninth. I will take what I have learned and apply it to the outdoors.”
Justin Cooper: (8th in 250) “It was all about getting a good start tonight since the track ended up being really one lined in the main event. It was a bummer to not execute that start in the main and with everyone so close out there, it was hard to sit there and follow everyone around. We had a good supercross season as a whole and we’ll bring all this knowledge and experience into next year.”
Martin Davalos: (9th in 250) “I am really proud of what I’ve accomplished throughout my career. I would have liked to end this part of my career with a podium but I’m leaving here healthy and ready for outdoors. I’ve been so blessed to be a part of the best team in the pits and they really feel like family to me. I’m excited to see what the future holds for me and we’ll take it all as it comes.”
Garrett Marchbanks: (10th in 250) “I have had some great races and other races that I would have liked to forget. But I have learned a lot and know what I can work on for next year. I have the best team that has supported my progress and my tough times. I am ready to get back to motocross racing and try to improve on my results from last year”
Jordan Bailey: (13th in 250) “It was a great Supercross season. We made it through with no injuries and we got better every round so I’m thankful for that. The track was gnarly tonight and it was really intense with so much on the line for so many people, so I’m happy to be done with it and looking forward to outdoors and re-starting the season.”
Joey Savatgy: (DNS in 450) “Honestly, I am pretty darn proud of what the Monster Energy Kawasaki team and I accomplished in my rookie 450SX season. Today was one of those days where I made a minor mistake that caused me to have a pretty hard crash. Luckily it wasn’t anything too bad, but I am bummed I couldn’t give it a go for the last round here in Vegas. I think we showed a lot of consistency all season long, as well as showing that we belong up front and in the hunt. We accomplished a lot of the goals I set out for myself at the beginning of this season. To be named Rookie of the Year in the 450SX class is a huge honor and I could not have done it without my whole Monster Energy Kawasaki team. I am going to take the next two weeks to heal up and get ready for outdoors and once again show everyone what I am capable of.”
Jimmy Decotis: (18th in 250) – “Vegas was a really tough day for me, as I was under the weather and didn’t have any energy. I struggled all night. This concludes a solid second year with the program, and I’m super excited for what the future holds. Thanks to the team for all of the hard work. I can’t wait to get healthy and show the world what we have!”
Adam Cianciarulo: (20th in 250) “I felt fine as I came through that section but ended up on the ground. I think I would have been fine if the bike didn’t get mangled in the crash. It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t get back out there to fight back. There are a lot of guys that have helped me get here and as much as I’m going to be hard on myself, I wanted to get this for them too. I made the mistake and wish I didn’t. But you can’t turn back time and I have to keep looking forward. I’m going to get one of these things someday.”
Enzo Lopes: (DNQ in 250) “The day started off well. I finished ninth in qualifying, despite still dealing with a hand injury from Houston. It was the best I had felt in the whoops. The track was very tricky. I had a rough start in the heat race and finished 11th place. As I have learned, anything can happen in the last chance qualifier. I hit my hand off the start and had to pull off. It’s not the way I wanted to finish the season, but I learned a lot.”
