Toggle

View From The Floor: We Got Exactly What We Wanted 4

Round one of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross season is in the books, and we got just about everything we could have possibly wanted out of it.

64 GuyB https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/users/64/avatar/c50_110811guyb_redbud_1449985751.jpg?1449984985 https://www.vitalmx.com/community/GuyB,64/all 07/10/06 9278 3572 45650 890 2315 29752 36 1644 2 183

GuyB
1/7/2019 12:02 AM

View From The Floor: We Got Exactly What We Wanted

We got just about everything we could have hoped for out of the first round of the sparkling new Supercross series, with lots of good racing, some drama, unexpected results, and maybe best of all, a full field heading into next week. Here are some of what we saw, along with post-race audio chats from Aaron Plessinger and Dylan Ferrandis.

Once things got going, Dylan Ferrandis grabbed the holeshot and promptly hit the deck. In the mayhem me got his front brake cable ripped off, but he still came back to qualify.

We're not sure what's up with Jason Anderson, but he sure didn't appear to be his usual speedy self at round one. We are sure that a 14th is not where the defending series champ wanted to finish in round one.

We got a sneak peek of the night's main event in the first 450 heat race, where Ken Roczen and Dean Wilson battled for the win. Kenny took this one.

The first round gave some rookies a chance to flex a bit, like Joey Savatgy beating up on Jason Anderson in their heat race.

Malcolm Stewart turned a lot of heads with the speed that he showed in both the heat race and main event. While a crash in the main dropped him to seventh in the standings, he could have finished much higher than that. Could we see some podiums from him this season?

Justin Barcia took the other 450 heat race win...but everyone knew that rain was on the way, and just about no one knew how the main would play out.

While Lurch was on hand Saturday night, it was sort of a farewell visit. He recently announced that he'll be opting out of the series, and spending a lot more time at home with his daughter (left).

Honda is donating a special Ken Roczen replica 450 to the Road 2 Recovery...this one is number 94 off the production line. Kenny's also backing the cause. Those are good vibes all around.

Adam Cianciarulo lining up on the gate for the 250 main event, and his mechanic, Brandon Zimmerman, is working on removing the tire covers from the bike. With the rain coming down, and the track getting muddier by the second, none of the riders in either class opted for a sight lap.

Adam sent it into the first turn, outbraking Jacob Hayes (156), Colt Nichols (39), and Shane McElrath (12). He jumped into the lead momentarily, but that bump that he's hitting also upset the bike enough that he went down.

RJ Hampshire looked good early in the main, running in third spot before an OJ and crash dropped him out of podium contention,

Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM riders are always good bets for Anaheim wins, and Shane McElrath was running in second for the majority of the main.

Colt Nichols had taken over the lead after Cianciarulo went down, and rode a steady and smart race to grab his first-ever 250 SX win.

Dylan Ferrandis moved from fourth at the start to sneak by McElrath with three laps to go in the 16-lap 250 main,.

Here's your winner of the A1 250 class, Colt Nichols.

Colt and Dylan made it a 1-2 sweep for the Star Racing Monster Energy Yamaha squad.

While lining up for his first 450 main event, Aaron Plessinger and Billy Hartle were watching their old teammates (and current training partners) celebrate. Check below to listen to Aaron talk about his first night in the 450 class.

So. Many. Contenders. Webb, Musquin, Wilson, Anderson, and Barcia dive into the first turn. Not all of them made it through. Cooper Webb went down.

Dean Wilson made it through the first turn with the lead, and is already gone in this shot. But look at the lineup of talent giving chase. Malcolm Stewart ran in second for a little more than half the main, before a crash and a couple riders that caught him in the latter stages.

Ken Roczen and Aaron Plessinger were battling early in the main.

Cole Seely's starting position matched his bike number, and he came home in tenth...a solid result after being out of action for an extended period due to injuries.

Eli Tomac avoided the pitfalls that befell him last season, riding a steady race, and picking off a trio of riders late in the main to grab third on the night.

Despite the first turn crash, Cooper Webb was impressive. He came from 20th at the end of the first lap, to a solid fifth at the end, and turning in the fastest lap along the way. We can't wait to see what he does when he gets a clean start.

Ah, Deano. For a bunch of the main, it looked like we might have a privateer winner. He led 14 of the 20 laps, before Justin Barcia got by. Dean eventually settled in fourth spot, also getting nicked by Ken Roczen with four to go, and Eli Tomac on the last lap.

Yep, add another win to Justin Barcia's total, and some red plates on his bike for next weekend.

Justin has made quite a turnaround from a year ago, when he wasn't sure who he'd be riding for.

After hosing down his team and family with champagne, the first thing Justin Barcia was looking for was some dry clothes and a jacket. Now, the series heads to Glendale, AZ, for round two.