The 250 East and 450 Supercross Titles both were up for grabs on Saturday night, but neither would be claimed one round early. A first-time winner in the 250 East class would spoil things, and a new winner in the 450 Class would get overshadowed by title fight implications. All in all, it was an exciting night of racing in Salt Lake City.
250 Class
Christian Craig Injury:
The biggest development in the 250 East title fight, would be from Star Yamaha’s Christian Craig. During qualifying, Craig went down hard in a rhythm lane and came up putting seemingly no weight on his left foot. Despite being carted off to the back, Craig would attempt to run his heat race, to no avail. He would roll around on the first lap and ride back to the Star Yamaha hauler. This would be the last time he would be on the bike, as he got shut down for the evening afterward.
.@_ChristianCraig with a big one in 250SX Q2 😳 #SupercrossLIVE #DropTheGate pic.twitter.com/w6emUZpCbF
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) April 24, 2021
Craig shortly after the 250 main concluded, stated on Instagram said that it looks like he fractured his fibula on top of a sprained ankle. Also, Craig said he will get it checked out when he gets back home and try to be ready to run outdoors. Worth noting that he will run Motocross with the 450 Star Yamaha team.
Jo Cool:
For the first time in his young career, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda found the top step of the podium in Supercross. After an excellent start, Shimoda would face pressure all night long from Colt Nichols, Micheal Mosiman, and Jett Lawrence. Every single time he faced any significant pressure from behind, Shimoda was up to the task to hold riders off. For an 18-year-old in his second-ever season of Supercross, this was a mighty impressive performance.
Also, Shimoda becomes the first-ever Japanese-born rider to win at any level of Monster Energy Supercross. He shared a wholesome moment post-race with friend and former teammate Lawrence, who was elated for him. Shimoda in his post-race interview said that his whole family was able to be at the race to see him win. “My family is actually here from Japan right now, and it’s really nice to do it in front of them…Just imagining coming from Japan with only a part of your family, and one day you’re racing supercross, and now to compete for winning, that’s incredible to me.” Probably the feel-good win of the season. Shimoda is going to be a force in the 250 class for years to come.
Rest of the Field:
Nichols saw his points gap balloon with the injury to Craig, going from an eight-point gap, to now a 23-point gap. Nichols had a rough start in the 250 Main but was able to slice his way up to a fourth-place finish. Lawrence meanwhile was a man on a mission in the later stage of the main. He was one of the fastest riders on track and almost got his third win of the year, but just ran out of time. When he passed Mosiman, he looked back and showed him an individual finger, you can probably guess which one. Mosiman and Lawrence had a couple of run-ins earlier in the season for some context. Lawrence in the post-race presser called Mosiman “Brainless” to boot.
Related: Atlanta 3 Observations
450 Class
No. 25 Marvin Musquin- Red Bull KTM (First Place)
In a season that could best be described as disappointing, Marvin Musquin was finally able to get back to the top step of the podium. In his first win in over two years, Musquin ended up inheriting the lead after a Ken Roczen wreck out of a corner. The over the last few minutes, kept teammate Cooper Webb at bay to secure the win. This was the ninth 450 Main win for the Frenchman, which puts him 23rd all-time. With his career seemingly winding down, it is nice to see Musquin get back to winning form at least one more time. But hopefully, there is more in the tank.
No. 2 Cooper Webb- Red Bull KTM (Second Place)
Webb now sits at the precipice of his second supercross championship in three years with another status quo performance. Despite a lackluster start with a relatively good gate pick, he turned up the pace at the halfway point and started making moves. After holding off Malcolm Stewart, Webb got by former training partner Jason Anderson, after a triple. After passing a downed Roczen, Webb would try to battle his teammate Musquin for the win but could not make a last corner effort stick. While a win would have been great, it was once again another big picture night. Webb’s championship path is the easiest of any rider in the sport headed into next Saturday.
No. 27 Malcolm Stewart- Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha (Third Place)
This is the closest the sport has been to reaching peak “Mookie Fever” since he moved to the 450 class. Stewart, who was fast all day, ended up getting his first podium since moving to the premier class. It was no surprise that Stewart earned his keep in the whoops. He was consistently better than his opposition there, especially in the main event. His third-place result on Saturday also is his best finish since he put up a fourth at Indianapolis Three. With Stewart not running the Motocross slate, this is a good way to end his 2021.
No. 94 Ken Roczen- Honda HRC (Sixth Place)
It happened again. Roczen had a win on a silver platter and let it slip away, again. He decided for the Main Event, to line up on the third most inside gate which was an interesting call. Roczen then ended up with the proverbial royal flush, getting the Main Event holeshot with ease. For the first half of the Main, Roczen was the class of the field and held a respectable gap over his competition. However, around midway, he seemingly was getting run down by Musquin slowly but surely. Then Roczen, and stop if you heard this one before, made a mental mistake coming out of a corner and fell. This wreck saw him lose multiple spots along with the win, as Roczen would settle for a sixth.
Every Roczen shortcoming this season is somehow worse than the last. If Roczen was able to hold on for the win, he would have been down 11 points entering next Saturday. Now he enters down 22 points, needing a 1992 Damon Bradshaw style collapse from Webb to win the title. Considering how dominant he looked in the opening six rounds, 2021 has turned into a disaster for Roczen.
No. 1 Eli Tomac- Monster Energy Kawasaki (Tenth Place)
As of the finish of Round 16, Eli Tomac’s title defense is officially over. It felt like that for a while now, but now the defending champion is mathematically out on points. Tomac would fall out of a rhythm lane near the halfway mark and seemed to pack it in for the rest of the evening. His tenth is now his second-worst result of the season, only better than his 13th at the opener in Houston.
2021 is also now guaranteed to be his second-worst season at Kawasaki from a win output standpoint. His three (or four depending on what happens next week) wins only outdo his opening year with the team in 2016, winning just once. On the plus side of things, Tomac has clinched his fifth consecutive top-three finish in Supercross Points. Currently, he sits well clear of fourth place Justin Barcia, however too far back of third-place Roczen.
No. 36 Martin Davalos- Team Tedder KTM
Would be remised if Martin Davalos did not get a proper shoutout. The longtime veteran had a decent get off on Friday at press day. Davalos would break his collarbone and give him a concussion. His plan was to retire after the final round of Supercross, unfortunately, this injury sped up that timetable. Davalos had a very respectable pro career in America. He got his start in 2006, racing the 250 East Supercross tilt, and ended up ninth. From there Davalos would be a respectable rider, who became a veteran presence on teams like Rockstar Husqvarna, Pro Circuit Kawasaki, and Rockstar Racing (Suzuki).
Davalos would also be at the center of one of the crazier situations over the last number of years. In 2016 while leading the 250 East points, he would be forced to miss Toronto that year due to a visa issue. Davalos, who is a native of Ecuador for context, ended up losing the points lead and never got it back. In his last three healthy 250 seasons, he finished fourth in points all three times. A career highlight for Davalos would be him podiuming in the 450 class at Washougal MX in 2017. Then again, the next week in Unadilla, both times with Rockstar Husqvarna. Congrats on a great career and best of luck on what is next. Marty Nation forever.
Championship Clinching Scenarios for Points Leaders:
For Webb to win the 450 World Championship, all he must do is finish 19th or better in the Main Event. Justin Cooper to win the 250 West Regional Championship, must finish 17th or better in the Main Event. Nichols to win the 250 East Regional Championship, must do is finish 20th or better. Seems easy, but crazier things have happened.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
