Eli Tomac Earns 1st Win of the Year at Anaheim 2 Supercross

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Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA — January 29, 2022

Round 3 brought the early season of Monster Energy AMA Supercross clearly into focus. In the 250SX class, Christian Craig lost his first race of the year and allowed Hunter Lawrence and Michael Mosiman to cut into his season-long points lead.

Chase Sexton earned his first 450SX main event win, 688 recorded riders have qualified for a 450SX Class Main Event with countless others having made attempts. Only 65 have ridden their way to the podium’s top step including the latest victor Sexton. Sitting only one point away from the red plate, Sexton is currently Honda’s best chance at securing their first 450SX Class title in 19 years.

450SX Top 10

Eli Tomac battled through the field to nab his 74th career podium and took the points lead away from Justin Barcia. Unfortunately for Tomac, he is leading the closest points battle through three races in the history of Supercross with only 14 points separating himself and 10th-place Dylan Ferrandis.

Before 2019, the closest the top-10 were through three rounds was in 1997 when Doug Henry led 10th-place Mike Craig by 27 points. From 2019 to 2022 every season has been under that previous record (19 in 2019, 24 in 2020, 20 in 2021, and 14 in 2022) proving the racing has never been more competitive in Supercross history than in the last four seasons.

Making Noise

Malcolm Stewart is the least accomplished rider of the Top 10 with no 450 titles, wins, or top-5 point-standing finishes. He has one podium in his 71 career 450SX Class starts and didn’t score a top-five finish through his first 46 starts. He sits seven points off the red plate and combines with Tomac as the only two riders with top-five finishes in each of the last two rounds.

Aaron Plessinger was not viewed as a title contender pre-season with his one podium through 44 starts but has emerged on his new KTM with a career-best second-place finish and two other top-10 finishes placing him only five points away from the red plate.

After having his first 19 450SX Class starts scrutinized and analyzed, Dylan Ferrandis proved his Supercross naysayers wrong with a gutsy come-from-behind podium finish, just the second of his career and first since Round 2 of last season. As mentioned above, his surprising ride places him right in the thick of the points chase behind new teammate Eli Tomac.

250SX

Vince Friese(62) took the early lead in Heat #1 of the 250SX class. The track layout, this time at Anaheim, has a short sprint from the starting gate into a sharp left-hand turn. Last week’s main event winner, Michael Mosiman(29) got squeezed into that corner and lost a bit of momentum at the start.

Graphic Courtesy of Feld Entertainment Inc.

Mosiman recovered quickly and was challenging Friese for the lead. Vince held him off until hitting a tuff block and going down as the clock was winding down to the final lap. Mosiman took over the lead and held it to the finish, Friese recovered to finish 2nd, Jalek Swoll(31) took the 3rd spot.

Yamaha rider Nate Thrasher(49) grabbed the top spot out of the first turn in Heat #2, with Hunter Lawrence(96), and Thrasher’s teammate, Christian Craig (28) hot on his trail. Craig quickly dispatched Lawrence and respectfully battled past his teammate for the lead. The trio easily moved away from the rest of the field to finish 1-2-3. Craig kept his Heat race winning streak alive through the first four events of the year.

Craig had a scary moment earlier in the weekend with a wicked-looking crash during press day. Fortunately, the accident was not as serious as it looked, the safety net doing its job to protect the rider.

250SX Main Event

The start of the 250SX Main Event was a replay of Heat #1 as Vince Friese led Michael Mosiman out of the first turn. However, Mosiman passed quickly this time in an effort to separate himself from Christian Craig who dropped to 4th after being passed by Joe Shimoda(30) on Lap 1.

By the halfway point of the race, Craig had moved to 2nd position and was tracking down Mosiman who led by less than one second. Friese held 3rd, but after a slow start, Hunter Lawrence was closing the gap back in 4th.

With just under five minutes to go, Craig made the pass for the lead. Mosiman had a couple of shots at the points leader but could not recapture the top spot. Craig pulled away for his 3rd win of the season.

Christian Craig(28) Makes the Pass Around Michael Mosiman(29) / Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment Inc

The battle for 3rd heated up as the race entered the final two laps. Friese became unseated through the whoops and went down allowing Lawrence to take the position. Unfortunately, as Friese attempted to get up and retrieve his bike he stumbled directly in front of Shimoda whose front tire hit the side of Friese’s helmet. The ugly collision sent Vince crawling off the track seeking a safe spot outside of the tuff blocks.

The post-race report on Vince Friese was good news. Despite biting his tongue to the point of needing stitches, he escaped serious injury.

250SX Main Event Results

Position # Rider Hometown Bike Points
1 28 Christian Craig Temecula, CA Yamaha YZ250F 26
2 29 Michael Mosiman Minneaola, FL GASGAS MC 250F 23
3 96 Hunter Lawrence Wesley Chapel, FL Honda CRF250R 21
4 49 Nate Thrasher Livingston, TN Yamaha YZ250F 19
5 31 Jalek Swoll Clermont, FL Husqvarna FC 250 18
6 910 Carson Brown Ravensdale, WA KTM 250 SX-F 17
7 30 Jo Shimoda Menifee, CA Kawasaki KX250 16
8 43 Carson Mumford Simi Valley, CA Suzuki RM-Z250 15
9 69 Robbie Wageman Newhall, CA Yamaha YZ250F 14
10 74 Derek Kelley Riverside, CA KTM 250 SX-F 13
11 101 Dylan Walsh Southam, GB Kawasaki KX250 12
12 161 Cole Thompson Brigden, ON Yamaha YZ250F 11
13 64 Mitchell Harrison Leesburg, FL GASGAS MC 250F 10
14 67 Logan Karnow Amherst, OH Kawasaki KX250 9
15 98 Dominique Thury Schneeberg, GER Yamaha YZ250F 8
16 79 Hunter Schlosser El Paso, TX Yamaha YZ250F 7
17 55 Justin Rodbell Prince Frederick, MD Kawasaki KX250 6
18 503 Mcclellan Hile Atascadero, CA Honda CRF250R 5
19 62 Vince Friese Menifee, CA Honda CRF250R 4
20 432 Kaeden Amerine Great Bend, KS KTM 250 SX-F 3
21 141 Richard Taylor Woodland Hills, CA Yamaha YZ250F 2
22 66 Chris Blose Phoenix, AZ GASGAS MC 250F 1

250SX West Point Standings

Position # Rider Points
1 28 Christian Craig 99
2 96 Hunter Lawrence 88
3 29 Michael Mosiman 85
4 30 Jo Shimoda 66
5 49 Nate Thrasher 63
6 62 Vince Friese 58
7 43 Carson Mumford 54
8 69 Robbie Wageman 51
9 161 Cole Thompson 45
10 47 Seth Hammaker 44
11 910 Carson Brown 40
12 66 Chris Blose 37
13 35 Garrett Marchbanks 35
14 31 Jalek Swoll 34
15 101 Dylan Walsh 30
16 74 Derek Kelley 26
17 40 Dilan Schwartz 26
18 98 Dominique Thury 25
19 58 Ryan Surratt 22
20 64 Mitchell Harrison 20
21 67 Logan Karnow 20
22 216 Devin Harriman 16
23 79 Hunter Schlosser 16
24 260 Dylan Woodcock 9
25 432 Kaeden Amerine 9

450SX

Aaron Plessinger(7), Eli Tomac(3), and Dylan Ferrandis(14) were in a dead heat out of the first turn of Heat #1 in the 450SX class. Ferrandis could not keep up with the other two who staged a great battle for the Heat win. Tomac stalked Plessinger all race long until he made the pass for the win in the last minute of the moto.

Chase Sexton(23), Shane McElrath(12), Ken Roczen(94), and Jason Anderson(21) cruised through the first turn in Heat #2 and set themselves up for a shot at the checkered flag. Sexton dashed their hopes as he continued his dominance from last week’s main event win into this week’s action. Roczen moved into second as McElrath faded and Anderson made a mistake veering off track to avoid a tuff block allowing Justin Barcia(51) to take the 3rd spot.

450SX Main Event

Ken Roczen, who won the series opener here at Anaheim, got a great start and surged to the lead. The surprise was Malcolm Stewart(27) in 2nd with points leader Jason Anderson 4th, Eli Tomac in 5th, Chase Sexton in 7th, and defending champion Cooper Webb in 9th.

Anderson was the man on the move early as he passed Stewart for 2nd and set his sights on Roczen. At the 15 minute mark, the two exited the sand section side by side and collided with Roczen going down.

Tomac then moved into position to challenge for the lead and took the top spot when Anderson overjumped a triple heading into a corner forcing his bike high and almost off the track.

Tomac easily moved away to a three-second lead, Anderson recovered to hold onto 2nd and last week’s winner Chase Sexton securely positioned himself into 3rd. Each held their positions to the checkered flag with Tomac taking his first win of 2022 and increasing his points lead.

The 450SX Podium at Anaheim 2 Jason Anderson(L), Eli Tomac(C), and Chase Sexton(R) / Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment Inc

Roczen could only manage a 13th place finish after his incident with Anderson and dropped from 7th to 9th in the series standings.

Aaron Plessinger, off to a great start in 2022, went down early and walked off the track holding his arm. He was credited with a last-place finish and hopefully did not suffer a serious injury.

450SX Main Event Results

Position # Rider Hometown Bike Points
1 3 Eli Tomac Cortez, CO Yamaha YZ450F 26
2 21 Jason Anderson Rio Rancho, NM Kawasaki KX450SR 23
3 23 Chase Sexton Clermont, FL Honda CRF450R WE 21
4 14 Dylan Ferrandis Tallahassee, FL Yamaha YZ450F 19
5 27 Malcolm Stewart Murrieta, CA Husqvarna FC 450 RE 18
6 25 Marvin Musquin Corona, CA KTM 450 SX-F FE 17
7 51 Justin Barcia Greenville, FL GASGAS MC 450F 16
8 1 Cooper Webb Newport, NC KTM 450 SX-F FE 15
9 15 Dean Wilson Murrieta, CA Husqvarna FC 450 RE 14
10 12 Shane McElrath Oakland, FL KTM 450 SX-F FE 13
11 34 Max Anstie Wesley Chapel, FL KTM 450 SX-F 12
12 41 Brandon Hartranft Brick, NJ Suzuki RM-Z450 11
13 94 Ken Roczen Clermont, FL Honda CRF450R WE 10
14 19 Justin Bogle Wesley Chapel, FL Suzuki RM-Z450 9
15 54 Mitchell Oldenburg Aledo, TX Honda CRF450R 8
16 11 Kyle Chisholm Valrico, FL Yamaha YZ450F 7
17 26 Alex Martin Clermont, FL Yamaha YZ450F 6
18 751 Josh Hill Huntersville, NC KTM 450 SX-F 5
19 200 Ryan Breece Athol, ID Yamaha YZ450F 4
20 61 Fredrik Noren Indian Trail, NC KTM 450 SX-F 3
21 10 Justin Brayton Charlotte, NC Honda CRF450R 2
22 7 Aaron Plessinger Hamilton, OH KTM 450 SX-F FE 1

450SX Points Standings

Position # Rider Points
1 3 Eli Tomac 85
2 23 Chase Sexton 79
3 21 Jason Anderson 77
4 1 Cooper Webb 73
5 51 Justin Barcia 72
6 27 Malcolm Stewart 70
7 14 Dylan Ferrandis 64
8 25 Marvin Musquin 64
9 94 Ken Roczen 62
10 7 Aaron Plessinger 55
11 15 Dean Wilson 47
12 34 Max Anstie 40
13 12 Shane McElrath 37
14 41 Brandon Hartranft 32
15 17 Joey Savatgy 27
16 10 Justin Brayton 24
17 9 Adam Cianciarulo 23
18 54 Mitchell Oldenburg 23
19 11 Kyle Chisholm 18
20 26 Alex Martin 15
21 751 Josh Hill 13
22 19 Justin Bogle 10
23 200 Ryan Breece 9
24 61 Fredrik Noren 8
25 95 Justin Starling 6