Round 5 of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship wrapped up the West Coast swing for the series in San Diego Saturday, February 2nd. The circuit now moves to Round 6 at Minneapolis, MN on Saturday, Feb 9th. Round 7 in Arlington, TX on Feb 16th. Before stopping in Detroit at Ford Field on February 23rd.
Tickets are still available for the Detroit event. Follow the official Ticketmaster link to purchase online.
Weather Impacts San Diego
Winter in San Diego is generally very mild. Southern California is a place to hang out while the rest of the country suffers the onslaught of Mother Nature. The Winter of 2019 has been a bit more challenging. Monster Energy AMA Supercross race day brought torrential rains to PETCO Park. Even though the track was covered the onslaught of water was more than the tarps could handle.
Standard procedure in the case of such occurrences is to treat the track with a compound of sand and lime. This helps to absorb water and firm up the racing surface. In a rare instance, the amount of water absorbed by the track was too great. The mud, sand, and lime failed to properly mix. Leaving the track a quagmire.
Race Action
Adam Cianciarulo(92) added to his win total in the 250 class. Capturing his 3rd checkered flag of the year. Adam has led all but 16 of the 58 laps run in 250SX main events in 2019. After qualifying 1st and grabbing the holeshot, Adam led all nine laps of the event. Garrett Marchbanks(61) finished 2nd, with James Decotis(64) in 3rd. Cianciarulo leads the points standings with Shane McElrath(12) 2nd and Colt Nichols(39) in 3rd. McElrath placed 4th at San Deigo, with Nichols coming in 10th.
Eli Tomac(3) won his first race of the year in the 450 class. Moving him to the top of the point standings. Just ahead of Marvin Musquin(25) in 2nd. Tomac qualified 2nd, he grabbed the lead by the time he returned to the start/finish and led all 12 laps. Musquin qualified 6th and battled to 2nd spot, he sits 2nd also in the points. Top qualifier Ken Roczen(94) grabbed the holeshot, but could only hold onto the 3rd spot at the end of the race. Roczen sits 3rd in the points standings as well.
Lime Damage to Bikes and Bodies
Lime is an extremely corrosive compound. With the excess water on the track, the lime did not mix as it normally does. A number of riders have complained on social media their bikes began showing signs lime corrosion soon after the event. Even worse some riders suffered skin burns from the substance being absorbed into their suits. Promoter Feld Entertainment was quick to respond to concerns and is taking action to assist riders involved. As well as working to prevent a reoccurrence of such an event. Feld’s official response is available online. Here is the link. https://www.supercrosslive.com/news/feld-entertainment-official-statement-san-diego
No such worries for Detroit. Ford Field’s entirely enclosed facility is an awesome venue to watch AMA Supercross. Don’t miss this year’s event. The Lasco Press will be onsite to bring you all the action.
250SX Results and Points Standings
450SX Results and Points Standings
