NRG Stadium, Houston, TX — January 16, 2021
With California under strict Coronavirus restrictions, the AMA Supercross series opened their season at NGR Stadium in Houston, TX. It was the first season opener to be contested outside of the State of California in 25 years.
250 SX East
Christian Craig(29) qualified first among the 250 SX riders and beat out RJ Hampshire 24 for the win in Heat 2 by a second and a half. Austin Forkner(38) was the winner in Heat 1.
In the Main Event, Hampshire rocketed out of the gate to take the holeshot. But, his lead was short-lived as Craig rode to the front and never looked back. A minor bobble at mid-race had Craig hitting a tuff block, he stayed upright and cruised the rest of the way for the win.
Forkner recovered from a poor start to take the 2nd spot, and Colt Nichols(64) worked his way through the field to earn a podium spot with his 3rd place finish.
Hampshire had a couple of incidents during the race with an early fall and a collision with Jett Lawrence(18) on the final lap of the moto. Lawrence lost control mid-turn and as he struggled to get his bike upright Hampshire ran over his ankle. Fortunately, Hampshire’s boot protected his leg, and he recovered to follow Hampshire (5th) across the finish in 6th place.
Jo Shimoda(30) finished in 4th on the night.
Round 1 250 SX East Results
| POS. | # | RIDER | HOMETOWN | BIKE | INTERVAL |
| 1 | 29 | Christian Craig | Temecula, CA | Yamaha YZ250F | 20 Laps |
| 2 | 38 | Austin Forkner | Richards, MO | Kawasaki KX250 | 5.057 |
| 3 | 64 | Colt Nichols | Murrieta, CA | Yamaha YZ250F | 6.665 |
| 4 | 30 | Jo Shimoda | Menifee, CA | Kawasaki KX250 | 19.522 |
| 5 | 24 | Rj Hampshire | Minneola, FL | Husqvarna FC 250 | 20.302 |
| 6 | 18 | Jett Lawrence | Wesley Chapel, FL | Honda CRF250R | 30.11 |
| 7 | 42 | Michael Mosiman | Menifee, CA | GASGAS MC 250F | 35.213 |
| 8 | 49 | Mitchell Oldenburg | Aledo, TX | Honda CRF250R | 43.499 |
| 9 | 115 | Max Vohland | Granite Bay , CA | KTM 250 SX-F | 46.638 |
| 10 | 95 | Joshua Osby | Valparaiso, IN | Honda CRF250R | 19 Laps |
| 11 | 55 | John Short | Pilot Point, TX | Suzuki RM-Z250 | 7.855 |
| 12 | 241 | Joshua Varize | Perris, CA | KTM 250 SX-F | 10.364 |
| 13 | 85 | Kevin Moranz | Topeka, KS | KTM 250 SX-F | 16.84 |
| 14 | 76 | Grant Harlan | Justin, TX | Honda CRF250R | 24.434 |
| 15 | 99 | Hunter Sayles | Chassell, MI | KTM 250 SX-F | 39.321 |
| 16 | 773 | Thomas Do | Murrieta, CA | KTM 250 SX-F | 48.786 |
| 17 | 88 | Logan Karnow | Amherst, OH | Kawasaki KX250 | 18 Laps |
| 18 | 604 | Max Miller | Springfield, OR | KTM 250 SX-F | 3.968 |
| 19 | 384 | Lorenzo Camporese | Campodarsego, ITA | Kawasaki KX250 | 11.3 |
| 20 | 116 | Tj Albright | Mount Marion, NY | Kawasaki KX250 | 37.615 |
| 21 | 122 | Jeremy Hand | Mantua, OH | Honda CRF250R | 14 Laps |
| 22 | 260 | Dylan Woodcock | Rayleigh, ENG | Kawasaki KX250 | 7 Laps |
450 SX
Defending Champion Eli Tomac(1) was eager to start the defense of his title. However, finishing 4th in his heat behind Justin Barcia(51), Ken Roczen(94), and Adam Cianciarulo(9) was just a precursor to the remainder of the evening.
Barcia made Supercross history winning the season opener for the 3rd year in a row. To make it more special, it was Barcia’s 100th Monster Energy Supercross start.
The Main Event saw Barcia jump out to an early lead and despite a charge from Roczen that had the riders side-by-side, Barcia prevailed. Marvin Musquin(25) finished 3rd.
Tomac dropped his bike in a collision and got booted off track later in the race. Vince Friese(40) was involved in both incidents with Tomac, who could only manage a 13th place finish. Defending 250 SX Champion, Case Sexton(23), riding in the 450 SX class for the 1st time finished 14th.
Local competitor, Broc Tickle from Holly, MI, finished 17th.
Round 1 450 SX Results
| POS. | # | RIDER | HOMETOWN | BIKE | INTERVAL |
| 1 | 51 | Justin Barcia | Greenville, FL | GASGAS MC 450F | 28 Laps |
| 2 | 94 | Ken Roczen | Clermont, FL | Honda CRF450R WE | 1.015 |
| 3 | 25 | Marvin Musquin | Corona, CA | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 20.076 |
| 4 | 9 | Adam Cianciarulo | New Smyrna Beach, FL | Kawasaki KX450 | 22.281 |
| 5 | 27 | Malcolm Stewart | Haines City, FL | Yamaha YZ450F | 24.399 |
| 6 | 10 | Justin Brayton | Charlotte, NC | Honda CRF450R | 29.005 |
| 7 | 14 | Dylan Ferrandis | Lake Elsinore, CA | Yamaha YZ450F | 30.39 |
| 8 | 7 | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | Yamaha YZ450F | 32.385 |
| 9 | 2 | Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 36.778 |
| 10 | 16 | Zach Osborne | Clermont, FL | Husqvarna FC 450 RE | 37.172 |
| 11 | 17 | Joey Savatgy | Clermont, FL | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 41.265 |
| 12 | 15 | Dean Wilson | Murrieta, CA | Husqvarna FC 450 RE | 45.477 |
| 13 | 1 | Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | Kawasaki KX450 | 48.863 |
| 14 | 23 | Chase Sexton | Clermont, FL | Honda CRF450R | 27 Laps |
| 15 | 21 | Jason Anderson | Rio Rancho, NM | Husqvarna FC 450 RE | 2.854 |
| 16 | 40 | Vince Friese | Menifee, CA | Honda CRF450R WE | 6.879 |
| 17 | 20 | Broc Tickle | Holly, MI | Honda CRF450R | 8.539 |
| 18 | 36 | Martin Davalos | Tallahassee, FL | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 21.051 |
| 19 | 11 | Kyle Chisholm | Valrico, FL | Yamaha YZ450F | 26 Laps |
| 20 | 722 | Adam Enticknap | Lompoc, CA | Suzuki RM-Z450 | 25 Laps |
| 21 | 28 | Brandon Hartranft | Brick, NJ | Suzuki RM-Z450 | 24 Laps |
| 22 | 83 | Alex Ray | Milan, TN | Kawasaki KX450 | 19 Laps |
