Supercross Statistics | Atlanta in Numbers 1

Another round of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross series is in the rear-view mirror and that means that it's time to dive into even more statistics, so settle down and prepare to digest many facts and figures. In this regular feature that has become a real hit, uncover some points of interest that lurked in the shadows at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

• Chase Sexton started the thirteenth round of 2023 Monster Energy Supercross, Atlanta, by taking control of pole position in qualification. Momentum has moved from one camp to another so much this term and yet the raw pace that '23' beholds has been a constant that spectators can rely on. Sexton has been the quickest athlete at eleven of the thirteen events. Atlanta was the twenty-sixth time in his career that he has qualified on top.

• This is barely a statistic, but it is something that is cool. Sexton was 0.092 quicker than the rider in second, none other than Adam Cianciarulo. Get it? 0.092 quicker than the rider who made '92' his own? Perhaps this is bizarre, but it seemed like something that was worth noting down. Sexton and Cianciarulo occupied those top two spots in qualification just two rounds ago in Seattle. Jason Anderson was third in Seattle, so the top three was identical at rounds eleven and thirteen.

• Eli Tomac qualified in seventh place at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which was his worst performance of the year in timed qualification. Tomac is actually on a weird streak of qualification results where the pattern is trending downhill; he has qualified in 3-3-3-4-4-5-5-5-7 at the last ten events. Had he qualified in sixth, the pattern would have been rather satisfying. It was in San Diego last season, round three, that he last qualified worse than seventh (ninth).

• Tomac trended downhill, but Cooper Webb went in the opposite direction. '2' qualified fourth and that was his best performance in timed qualification since round two, San Diego, where he posted the third-fastest time. When did he last qualify in fourth place? That was at the ninth round of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross series, which is completely irrelevant. So much of the feature is though. Random facts galore!

• Winning at the Atlanta Motor Speedway did a lot for Sexton's numbers. It was the fourth time that he has triumphed in the premier class and his third win of the term. Adding another yet strike in the win column boosted his victory percentage aboard the 450F from eight to ten, which is quite a step forward. In addition, his podium percentage jumped from fifty-one to fifty-three. Tomac has a podium percentage of fifty-eight, in comparison, and Webb's is fifty-one.

• Speaking of podiums, Sexton has collected the most trophies in 2023 Monster Energy Supercross. There has been quite the swing in that category in the last two weeks; Webb has not featured on the box at all, Tomac pulled one (continuing his weird streak of rarely finishing on the podium in either second or third place) and Sexton secured two in a row. Webb and Tomac have nine apiece across the term, whereas Sexton has ten. Let battle commence!

• Tomac, Webb and Sexton have the same average finish (third) thus far. What would it take for the contenders to lower their average to second? Tomac would have to win out, Webb would have to win the next two events and Sexton just cannot do it. It is simpler for '2' in this situation, of course, because he is the only athlete who has ended inside of the top five at all thirteen rounds. That is quite an achievement.

• Atlanta marked the fortieth time that Sexton has started a 450SX main. Time moves quickly, huh? It was his sixty-eighth start in Monster Energy Supercross, including both classes, for context. Not only did Saturday mark his fourth triumph in the premier division, but it was also his twenty-first trip onto the box and thirtieth top five. It was the thirty-fifth time that he has slotted into the top ten aboard his CRF450RW.

• Sexton won the main by 07.006, which was the largest margin of victory in 2023 Monster Energy Supercross. The last time that a rider had an advantage greater than that was in Denver last year. Jason Anderson won that main event by 13.860. Atlanta was the biggest advantage that '23' has had on the CRF450RW, but the biggest advantage that he has had in his career was at the second 250SX main of the Arlington Triple Crown in 2020 (09.252).

• Tomac has still led the most laps in 2023 Monster Energy Supercross, which goes along with his win tally, but Sexton edged closer in that column via the fifteen laps that he led in Atlanta. '1' has led a total of one hundred and twenty-nine laps, whereas Sexton is sat on one hundred and seven now. Webb, in comparison, has led seventeen laps, which is a smaller total than Roczen, Anderson and Plessinger.

• Sexton really hammered down in the first half of the main, which is somewhat of a surprise. It did not seem like he yarded Ken Roczen, but the lap times really reinforce just how dominant he was. Sexton was consistently quicker than the rider in second, Roczen, until the eighth lap. Roczen was slower than Barcia, the rider behind him, on three of the first seven laps, just to add a little bit of context.

• Sexton was the fastest man on track in seven of the fifteen laps. Webb was the quickest rider on four laps, Barcia on three laps and Tomac on one lap. It was either Webb or Tomac who were the fastest in the last five laps, because their battle for fourth was going down to the wire. It was that on-track fight that was the most encapsulating, with a lot on the line, and there is simply no doubt that the pair were pushing.

• Props to Webb, who broke Tomac somewhat on laps eleven and twelve. Momentum was changing hands from one lap to the next. Tomac threw down on laps nine and ten, making huge gains, and Webb was able to respond, which is difficult to do with a guy as decorated as the current champion on your heels. The lap times that the championship contenders posted in the final seven laps can be found below.

• Truthfully, Tomac had to unearth that speed on laps nine and eleven. Aaron Plessinger was running an incredible pace and the star of the show for a period. It is quite the shock that he was not the fastest rider on track at any point – he was rather competitive! A mistake on lap twelve undid his hard work and, had it not been for that, it is quite likely that he would have factored into the title battle in some way.

• Plessinger was quicker than both Tomac and Webb in the fourth sector. It was on that portion of the track that the difference was most notable, one could argue, as the table below sends a rather clear message. Sector four covered the area from the end of the first set of whoops to the holeshot line. Atlanta was such a large track that sector times are harder to dive into, because they are so much longer than usual.

• Dean Wilson (eighth) and Shane McElrath (twelfth) were the only athletes who posted season-best results in the confines of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jason Anderson (twenty-first) was the only star who recorded his worst result of the season, so there is not much to report in this column. It is bizarre that there have not been more season-best results lately, as one would think that injuries would open the door for those further down the order to advance.

• On the subject of Dean Wilson, he has drastically increased his presence in the top ten across the last two weeks. Wilson landed in the top ten for the sixty-third time in his career on Saturday, via an eighth. '15' has only been better than eighth in twenty mains, since he entered the premier class, and he has started one hundred and twelve races aboard a 450F. Atlanta was actually his one hundred and fiftieth main event. What a milestone!

• Similarly, Shane McElrath has only finished better than twelfth in four mains since he jumped onto a 450F (all of those results were inside of the top ten). Atlanta marked his twenty-eighth start in the premier class of Monster Energy Supercross. This is officially the furthest that he has made it into a season, in addition, as he stopped after the tenth round last season. Positives can be found in anything.

• Yet another random note. Adam Cianciarulo has finished in the top ten at the last five rounds. If he can slot into the top ten at the next two rounds, he will match his longest streak of consecutive top-ten finishes aboard a 450F. Hurrah! That streak of seven occurred at the first seven events of 2020 Monster Energy Supercross, his rookie season. '9' is trending in the right direction and, hey, even the numbers support that.

• Finally, a milestone that was missed in Glendale. Aaron Plessinger started his one hundredth main event in Arizona! That means Atlanta was his one hundred and first start (sixty-eighth in the 450SX class). Atlanta was also the tenth time that he has finished in sixth in the premier division, so there is that. Random facts to conclude yet another edition of 'Supercross Statistics' on the Vital MX platform.