Tomac and Lawrence Dominate San Diego Supercross

Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA — January 21, 2023

After the postponement of Supercross Round Two last weekend at Oakland, Round Three of Monster Energy AMA Supercross continues the California schedule with a visit to San Diego and Snapdragon Stadium, home of the San Diego State Aztecs. The 63rd different venue to host a Supercross race and the first since Atlanta Motor Speedway was added in 2021.

The San Diego Supercross was held in Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium 31 times from 1980-2014. The site has since been demolished. From 2015-2022 the series moved to PETCO Park, where there were eight races held. 2023 marks the 40th San Diego Supercross.

Tomac and Lawrence Off to Fast Starts

Eli Tomac led early in the 450 main during the 2023 Anaheim I. He dropped to fifth after a mid-race spill and recovered with a late charge to take his first win in a season opener. In eight previous attempts, Tomac averaged a 10th-place finish, including seventh and sixth in his title run campaigns.

Jett Lawrence rode away to victory in the Anaheim Opener for his eighth career 250SX Class victory. The 2022 Eastern Regional 250SX Class champion has his eyes set on becoming the fourth different rider to win a title on both coasts (Ernesto Fonseca ’99 & ’01; James Stewart ’03-’04; Grant Langston ’05-’06). He is tied for 22nd in 250SX Class wins with Keith Turpin, Denny Stephenson, Jake Weimer, and Dean Wilson.

250 SX Heats

RJ Hampshire(24) earned the holeshot in Heat One. But it was Enzo Lopes(56) that took the early lead. Cameron Mcadoo(48) went down on lap one and had to work his way up into a qualifying position. Lopes bobbled, and Hampshire grabbed the lead. However, it was all for naught as the red flag was displayed due to an issue among riders back in the pack.

Colby Copp(645) went down hard and had to be assisted off the track by the medical personnel. Because over three laps had been completed, a staggered start bunched the field in a straight line with Lopes back at the front.

The race restarted with 1:58 and a lap remaining in the moto. Lopes took advantage of the break and put some space between himself and Hampshire when the green flag dropped. He failed to hold the top spot again as Hampshire made the pass for the lead with just over a lap to go. McAdoo recovered to finish in the fifth position.

After posting the fastest lap to gain the first gate choice, Jett Lawrence(18) shook off a crash in qualifying to grab the holeshot at the start of Heat Two. Another wire-to-wire heat win served notice that Lawrence is the early favorite in the 250SX West division.

Levi Kitchen(43) and Pierce Brown(33) staged a torrid battle for second, with Brown ultimately taking the position.

450SX Heats

Chase Sexton(23), Jason Anderson(21), and Eli Tomac(1) all drew Heat One in the 450SX class. Continuing his hot streak, Tomac went right to the front.

Sexton got crossed up out of the rhythm section on lap one and went down sideways. Aaron Plessinger(7) ran into Sexton’s bike while Fredrik Noren(47) rode over the top of the downed machine.

The damage to Sexton’s bike was obvious. When he tried to right his Honda CRF450R, oil came pouring out of the engine’s oil tank. Sexton will have to qualify out of the last chance qualifier(LCQ). Plessinger and Noren recovered to make the main event finishing sixth and eighth, respectively.

In Heat Two, Ken Roczen(94) led the entire race ahead of Adam Cianciarulo(9) and Dylan Ferrandis(14). But, it was Malcolm Stewart(27) who made a torrid charge through the field. He capped off the run with a last lap pass four corners before the finish to take the moto win.

After coming out of the gate, Sexton was fifth across the holeshot line. Riding unhurried, he worked his way to the top spot and easily advanced to the main event out of the LCQ.

250SX West Main Event

A major crash at the start sidelined a number of riders. Out front, it was Lawrence, Lopes, Phillip Nicoletti(69), and McAdoo pulling away from the pack on lap one.

Nicoletti fell off the pace and was replaced in the top four by Hampshire. McAdoo moved to second and began to eat into Lawrence’s lead. Hampshire passed Lopes into the third position as the race moved past the halfway point.

Ultimately, Lawrence pulled away for the win. Hampshire passed McAdoo for second on the next to last lap, giving the pair their second one-two finish in the first two main events of 2023.

250SX West Results

250SX West Point Standings

450 SX Main Event

As riders crossed the finish line at the end of lap one, Cianciarulo led Cooper Webb(2), Tomac, Anderson, Justin Barcia(51), and Roczen. Stewart crashed on lap two, taking him out of consideration for the win.

It did not take Tomac long to assert himself, passing Webb and Cianciarulo for the lead. Webb and Anderson separated themselves from the pack, locking down second and third. Barcia and Roczen staged a personal battle for fourth and fifth while Cianciarullo faded down the leaderboard.

Anderson crashed and dropped to tenth. Allowing Barcia, Roczen, and Sexton to move up to third through fifth. Webb kept Tomac in sight but could not cut into the three-second interval. The drama came down to who would take the final podium spot among the three riders fighting to claim it.

Barcia held off his challengers for the third position, and Tomac is off to the fastest season start of his career, going one-one in the first two races of 2023.

450SX Results

450SX Point Standings

Next week the series heads back to Anaheim for A2. Can any other driver break the momentum of Tomac and Anderson? Tickets are still available.