Before a week off to begin April, Supercross returned to Seattle for the first time since 2019, surprisingly dodging some inclement weather as well. The big headline for the week was the 250 West Class returning to action for the first time in over a month. Christian Craig was dominating this series the last time we saw him, and he looked to keep that up in the Pacific Northwest. However, guys like Hunter Lawrence and Michael Mosiman would try their best to give the veteran a run for his money. On the 450 side of things, can anyone stop Eli Tomac? A win on Saturday would mean five in a row and 44 on his career.
Be sure to catch up on all of our Supercross coverage.
Injury Report
Some more 450 riders were on the mend for this weekend, including one who got hurt in qualifying. Starting there, Chase Sexton had a nasty get-off in the final qualifying session. Despite getting back on the bike, Honda HRC confirmed 90 minutes before gate drop that he would be out for the evening. Others who missed Seattle were Justin Brayton of MotoConcepts Honda, along with Shane McElrath of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbldSxEFaKG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Heat Racing Recap
250 West Class
Nique Thury pulled off a surprise holeshot and held off the field to officially lead lap one. He lost the lead however when Craig made a monster move going into the split corner, moving from third to first. For the points leader, that was all he needed to cruise to an easy heat race win. Impressive and quick march through the field, with Lawrence and Chris Blose rounding out the podium.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CblxTVwlEZX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Vince Friese stole a holeshot in the second heat over Nate Thrasher and others. That group didn’t include the fastest qualifier Mosiman, who struggled in the early goings of this race before finishing in fourth. Not the finish he was looking for but it could have been worse. Back up front, Thrasher did a great job running down Friese at the end but wound up losing by .155 seconds.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CblzvW3ALMM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
450 Class
Justin Barcia came storming out of the gates with a holeshot over Marvin Musquin. The big surprise however was Cooper Webb, who had a brutal start which had him in 11th across the line. Luckily the defending champion found himself in a top-five spot in no time at all. Bam Bam cruised to an easy win out front, throwing a whip a bit early as well on the last triple. The battle for the last transfer spot meanwhile got interesting, with Cade Clason getting wrecked out of ninth with three corners left. Miraculously, however, he got back up, lost no positions, and transferred to the Main Event.
Jason Anderson picked up the Heat 2 holeshot, but Mookie Fever can only be contained for so long. Malcolm Stewart went big in the opening rhythm section to get by both Anderson and Tomac, then proceeded to pull out to a three-second lead. On the last lap, however, that gap was erased as both riders got back by Stewart in just a matter of a few sections. Anderson would be the one winning here, with Tomac in second, Stewart in third.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cbl276vvUfd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
250 West Class Roundup
No. 96 Hunter Lawrence – Honda HRC (1st Place)
You can say this win was in part due to Craig getting the chrome horn if you must, but Lawrence ran a masterful race. He held off the points leader when he was clearly faster and picking guys off in the late goings as well. This win doesn’t bring Lawrence significantly closer to Craig in points, but it can’t hurt. You never know what can happen in these showdown races, in which both have yet to occur.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cbl9W3XvDVB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
No. 28 Christian Craig – Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha (2nd Place)
Craig still had a good chance to maybe rally back to a win last night, he just needed another couple of laps to do it though. After pulling off the holeshot and early lead, he was run down by Mosiman. The GasGas rider ended up taking him out on a pass that was more aggressive than dirty but still angered the points leader all the same. Much like at San Diego, he made a mad dash back up into a podium spot, only here he had fewer bikes to pass and less time to do so. The good news is Craig is up exactly 26 points on Lawrence, meaning he can clinch the title a round early if the cards fall right.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cbl9K0-tpuc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
No. 29 Michael Mosiman – Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing (3rd Place)
As for the other rider in that tangle-up, Mosiman may have been the best rider period in the opening six minutes, but 250 Main Events are double that and some change. He didn’t have anything for Lawrence when he got to his rear wheel, and soon after Craig as well. Hard to fault Mosiman for the pass attempt given the points situation he is in, but he should understand if Craig repays the favor down the road.
250 West Class Seattle Top 10
1st No. 96 Hunter Lawrence
2nd No. 28 Christian Craig
3rd No. 29 Michael Mosiman
4th No. 30 Jo Shimoda
5th No. 62 Vince Friese
6th No. 35 Garrett Marchbanks
7th No. 66 Chris Blose
8th No. 31 Jalek Swoll
9th No. 69 Robbie Wageman
10th No. 74 Derek Kelley
450 Class Roundup
No. 3 Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha (1st Place)
ET3’s points lead is officially over a two-round advantage and he now is tied with Chad Reed for fourth on the all-time wins list. Last night’s performance was undoubtedly Tomac’s best on the stretch of five straight wins as well. After taking the holeshot, his lead maxed out at well over 15 seconds before the night ended. Domination in every sense of the word, there’s no other way to put it. The odds of Tomac clinching the title in Foxborough, then walking into his hometown race (Denver) as the new champion continues to grow.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbmENt3s__9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
No. 25 Marvin Musquin – Red Bull KTM (3rd Place)
How about Marv picking up back-to-back podiums? Musquin quietly was great all day, and it was no shock to find him near the front by the end of the night. Don’t look now, but after this nice run he has been on, finishing top five in points is a realistic scenario. With five rounds now remaining on the season, he sits only two points back of his teammate Webb who currently occupies fifth in points.
No. 51 Justin Barcia – Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing (5th Place)
Barcia had another strong evening going until a date with a tuff block ended that for him. Even afterward, Barcia was able to hold off a hard-charging Webb to secure the final spot in the top five. Bam Bam’s recent run of success has not gone noticed either. He has arguably been one of the three best riders in the 450 Class in recent weeks in terms of the eye test.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbmCGJ4jagn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
No. 1 Cooper Webb – Red Bull KTM (6th Place)
Webb, like Sexton, also had a notable get-off in qualifying and looked to be banged up. Despite that, he was a full go for the evening last night. In the Main Event, things did not start off well for the champion. His stay just outside of the top 10 was enough to question how he was feeling, but Webb got into a rhythm shortly after and was fine from there. Not his best night by any means, but a good display of grit and toughness by the reigning champion.
450 Class Seattle Top 10
1st No. 3 Eli Tomac
2nd No. 21 Jason Anderson
3rd No. 25 Marvin Musquin
4th No. 27 Malcolm Stewart
5th No. 51 Justin Barcia
6th No. 1 Cooper Webb
7th No. 15 Dean Wilson
8th No. 19 Justin Bogle
9th No. 54 Mitchell Oldenburg
10th No. 41 Brandon Hartranft
Week 12 PulpMX Fantasy Supercross Lineup
250 West: Hunter Lawrence (All-Star +4), Chris Blose (+2), Let’s not talk about the other two
450: Malcolm Stewart (All-Star +4), Alex Ray (+14), Justin Starling (+6), Joan Cros (+12)
FFL: Christian Craig (250; Successful)
As a reminder, no Supercross next weekend. The series gets its one bye week before returning to St. Louis the week after.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk
Follow Jack Gaffney on Twitter @JackGaffneyPTST
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
