2019 Denver Supercross | Kickstart

The mid-morning snowfall at Mile High Stadium was the talk of the pits on Saturday, as no Supercross in recent memory has been held in snowfall. The first two practice sessions of the day were held in light snow, making for some slick track conditions and interesting photo opportunities!

By the final qualifying session of the day, however, the skies cleared and the sun came out, drying the track into what became a hard-packed slippery surface.

You may have noticed Hallman signage on some of Thor's 2019 apparel lineup. The kits pay homage to the brand's roots and original name, Torsten Hallman Original Racewear. The Swede was one of the riders credited with bringing motocross to the United States in the 1960s, and after a successful racing career that included four 250 World Championships, he launched Hallman Products which eventually became the brand we now know as Thor.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Dean Wilson was fast all day in Denver, topping the first timed practice session in the snow. Throughout the season, you may have noticed that Wilson's O'Neal gloves sport a DW15 logo on them: the custom-made glove is made specifically to fit his long fingers and is minimalist in design, just the way he likes them. Lucky!

As they have at each round, the Autotrader/JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki RM-Z250s sported bike graphics designed to match the Answer Racing apparel the riders would be wearing in Denver.

Here's Jimmy DeCotis sporting the grey/blue/orange Answer gear that the bike was color matched to.

The Red Bull KTM pit was abuzz with activity after the first timed qualifying session, as Marvin Musquin's Frankie Latham performed a quick engine swap before the final tied qualifier. "It took about 40 minutes," he said, but after we asked him why the swap, replied, "I don't know. I just do as I am asked to do." After Musquin's third-place finish later in the night, we asked MM what he was looking for with the engine swap and he said, "Actually I don't know? Maybe the team saw some smoke or something during the session and wanted to be safe?" Ah, the benefits of being a factory team!

When the snow began to fall from the Denver skies, Marvin Musquin added a smoke-colored visor extension to his Airoh helmet. "It is good for conditions like this and also in rain," he said. "While some guys will tape a goggle lens on, it never works or looks great. It is nice that there is this perfect accessory with my helmet." When the skies cleared, the extension was removed for the night show.

Three races left for Cooper Webb. While he wasn't pumped with his runner-up finish, he was glad to put in a late-race charge that allowed him to reel in his teammate Musquin and minimize the damage. Tomac took sole control of second in the championship standings and gained three points on Webb. 18 points separate the two with only New Jersey and Las Vegas remaining.

Joey Savatgy is one of several riders in the pits who rely on AllSport Dynamics wrist braces to protect an old injury and prevent against new ones. The custom-made braces strap around your forearm in seconds and are attached to the backside of your glove with a sewn-on pocket that accepts a tab of the brace. Off-the-shelf versions are also available at allsportdynamics.com

Cameron McAdoo continues to shine in his fill-in role at GEICO Honda, and sits fifth in the Western Regional 250 SX Championship. As of yet, McAdoo has nothing lined up for the 250 MX Nationals. Here's an idea: if Austin Forkner's knee is as severe as we've heard, he will likely need surgery after Supercross wraps up. We think McAdoo would be a great fit! Hey, Mitch...

Our ongoing joke with Tyler Bowers is that he thinks some photos make him look like a vet rider. When we sent him this, he replied, "That is me almost scrubbing. I think I hit a rock." Haha!

We're not sure what to make of the butt logo on Dean Wilson's O'Neal pants....is it "IGNITED" or "DW15?" Or a mix of both? IGNITED is obviously a play on his CBD sponsor IGNITE, but the brand's name and logo have been banned by the television networks.

Privateer Josh Short had another strong main event showing in Denver with 17th. We saw the Texan getting some assistance in the Team Honda HRC pits early in the day with what looked like a possible clutch basket replacement.

It's great to see Colton Aeck back in the mix of things. A couple years ago, he suffered a spinal cord injury and has steadily been regaining his speed and strength back. He qualified 26th fastest, but missed the 450 main by a handful of positions.

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team manager Wil Hahn is an invaluable resource to his team riders Dylan Ferrandis and Colt Nichols. A former 250 Supercross Champion himself, Hahn has the experience and knowhow to finish the job his riders are setting out to do.

Colt Nichols looks super fast all day long in Denver, but a poor start in the main event left him playing catch up. Though he was happy with the third and final podium position, he left Mile High Stadium far from satisfied. After experiencing that winning feeling at Anaheim One, anything less than a win leaves the Oklahoman wanting for more.

Chad Reed's Autotrader/JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450 sits ready and waiting for its rider's return. Mechanic Ben Sheirmeyer told us that the bike was reprepped after Seattle and is ready to go.

Marvin Musquin's wife Mathilde came prepared for the brisk Denver weather with a color-coordinated beanie.

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Garrett Marchbanks had a weekend to forget in Denver. Marchbanks' bike quit running on the opening lap of his heat race and he was forced to come back and win the LCQ. A big crash on the opening lap of the main event left him banged up and sore, but otherwise alright.

Check out the Leatt gear worn by South African Bradley Lionet...The Rockwell Racing team is sponsored by Nuclear Blast, the record label that produces legendary rock band SLAYER, and all parties involved were stoked to collaborate on some special team gear for the riders. Sick!

Sean Cantrell had an off night in Denver with a 12th in the main, but his Troy Lee Designs Premix Gear was on point!

SoCal's Robbie Wageman had a great showing at Mile High after crashing out spectacularly a couple weeks ago in Houston. The younger of two racing Wageman brothers finished 13th in the 250 main.

Last month when Cameron McAdoo sat down with us for the Swapmoto Live Podcast, we talked about some of his nicknames. While we like "Big Mac" the best, it seems the guys at Fox have crafted a new one by combining his names: "CAMMAC"

We talked about Bradley Lionet's gear a few photos earlier. Not to short change the racer from South Africa, he has shown steady improvement since throwing his hat into the Supercross ring a couple years ago, and has four main events to his credit this season. We first took notice of Lionet when he swept the pro classes at the 2017 TransAm.

Shout out to Justin Starling for his Denver Broncos helmet paintjob!

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM's Justin Bogle had a great night. After grabbing the holeshot in the first 450 main he went on to earn a popular win over some very formidable competition.

Frenchman Charles LeFrancois earned a ticket into the second 450 main of his American vacation in Denver. The Suzuki rider was 18th in the main. Did you see the interview we did with him last week?

At the checkered flag of his heat race, Justin Bogle celebrated his win with a double-footed can can. "Shout out to Tommy Clowers," he later joked.

Team Honda HRC's Cole Seely grabbed the holeshot in the second 450 heat and led every lap en route to a comfortable victory. Seely is starting to look like the rider who's won many times before.

On the last lap of the heat, Cole Seely had a tiny mishap on the last lap. We sent him this photo and asked if he remembered it. "Oh, yeah!" was his reply. We don't think we'd forget that, either!

SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda's Ben Lamay was quick all day in Denver, sitting as high as seventh during the day's qualifiers. He was 12th in the main.

The cold temperatures in Colorado forced riders to stay warm any way that they could. Sean Cantrell warmed up before the main with what seemed like 100 jumping jacks.

GEICO Honda's RJ Hampshire had some flashes of brilliance, but in the end was fourth in the main event after suffering a mid-pack start. The Floridian hopes to end the series in Las Vegas with another podium finish.

Young Michael Mosiman pulled the holeshot at the start of the 250 main and fended off the attacks of Adam Cianciarulo for a full six laps. Mosiman looked cool and collected as he led the way, ultimately gaining valuable experience in the process. After succumbing to AC's pressure, the teen gave way to three more riders and finished an impressive fifth.

Is height an advantage in Supercross whoops? You be the judge. This is 6' tall Cameron McAdoo...

...and this is vertically challenged Jimmy DeCotis. You make the call!

It's always great to see good sportsmanship after a race. Dylan Ferrandis was quick to congratulate Adam Cianciarulo on his win, even though it allowed him to gain three points and stretch his championship lead to eight going in to the Las Vegas finals.

Pak X Emh brothers Justin Bogle and Colt Nichols exhange some intel about the track after the 250 main. Nichols was third in the 250s and Bogle was fouth in the 450s. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Adam Cianciarulo's mom Christy was on hand to celebrate his fifth win of the season with him.

Marvin Musquin emerged with the holeshot in the 450 main and he led the way for five laps before falling victim to the unstoppable Tomac in the whoops. Late in the race, he also gave way to his teammate Webb and he was not happy about it.

HEP Suzuki's Alex Ray enjoyed some tv time this weekend when he holeshot and won the 450 LCQ. The Tennessee native then went on to finish 15th in the main. Ray sits 20th in the series championship, but will likely finish 19th as he closely trails sidelined Supercross Champion Jason Anderson.

We're still waiting on a report on Dean Wilson. The popular rider crashed hard in the 450 main and was taken off the track in the Alpinestars medic cart.

Justin Brayton's SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda sits idle after the big Seattle crash. Brayton is still hoping to make it back before the season comes to a close.

Mike Alessi has two races left in his return to Monster Energy Supercross before he heads north of the border this summer to contest the Canadian National MX Championships for the Honda Canada/JDR Honda/Fox Racing team.

The airbox of Kyle Chisholm's HEP Suzuki RM-Z450 was drilled out in Denver to help compensate for the thin air at the stadium's elevation above sea level.

Good to see Chad Reed on hand at the races, even though he is sidelined with injury. Reedy was allowed to take off his sling last week and is still hopeful about making the Las Vegas finals.

Eli Tomac gets a new Bell Moto 9 Flex at almost every round, and this week's lid was customized by AP Designs to reflect his home-state ranch in Cortez, Colorado. The back of ET's lid featured one of his bulls, the ranch sign, and the familiar mesa that sits behind his home.

Kathy Tomac...serving up fresh fruit!

To protect his rider's hands against the cold weather, Dave Feeney installed these Pro taper handguards on Zach Osborne's Husqvarna FC 450 race bike. Take a close look at the top portion, and you'll notice a cool extender that's offered by Pro Taper to make them even more full coverage.

Meanwhile, Michael Mosiman's mechanic Daniel Castloo did some improvising to gain more coverage than was afforded by the standard guards. Duct tape, doubled up and heated by a blow torch, did the trick!

Steve Westfall has officially entered into the world of Mini Moto Dad Life. Well, his wife, Brittany has, at least. While Scuba has been on the road with the team, Mom Westfall has been taking their boys Parker and Ezra to the Swapmoto Race Series in SoCal to enter their first dirt bike races. Both are already accomplished BMX racers, however. "They can both go faster on their bicycles," joked Scuba.

Heaters were popular in the chilly Denver pits. While many teams actually rented propane-powered space heaters from local equipment rental companies, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team had this wicked number inside their pits. Wonder if Mitch hopped it up?

Team Honda HRC had heaters in their pits that conjured up campfire memories...

Cold temperatures mean tire warmers. Do they really make a difference? "Tire warmers have been around for years in road racing, where they make the most difference," said Pro Circuit's Mitch Payton. "Do they matter in Supercross? Maybe a little. But if they make a 2% difference, why not?"

We also noticed several teams with heaters aimed at the bike's engines. "That's to keep the motor oil from getting too cold and thick," added Payton. "Keeping the engines warm allows them to fire up easier in these cold temps."

Over at the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team, electric heaters were used to keep the Kayaba PSF air forks warm.

According to Kayaba's Ryan Corum, maintaining a consistent temperature in the pits is important when setting the air pressures in the

David Vuillemin said that there is no strategy when it comes to his rider Dylan Ferrandis, and the way he has to approach the Las Vegas 250 West Coast finals. "He just has to win and hope Adam Cianciarulo makes a mistake," he said. "And that is something that could happen - look at the Triple Crown races - so Dylan has to be on his best." As it stands, eight points separate Adam and Dylan. Should Ferrandis win Vegas, AC has to finish worse than fifth for the title to go to the Yamaha rider.

We're stoked for our buddy Alex Campbell, who switched from the GEICO Honda team to Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha last year for a shot at spinning the wrenches for Dylan Ferrandis. It was cool to see both Ferrandis and Campbell experience their first Supercross wins together at Seattle.

Concussions and a list of small bodily injuries have forced Justin Barcia to voluntarily sit out the last rounds of Supercross in order to heal up and prepare for an all-out assault on the 450 Nationals this summer.

Josh Grant told us that he is doing as well as one could expect him to as a fill-in for Aaron Plessinger on the Monster Energy Yamaha team. "I came straight off the couch," he said. "But, i am having a lot of fun!"

FXR-sponsored riders like Justin Starling were pumped in the snowy practice sessions, as the apparel manufacturer makes cold-weather riding vests that match the jerseys perfectly.

Troy Lee/Red Bull/KTM's Sean Cantrell didn't have a cool matching vest, so he elected to ride the first two practice sessions in his official team jacket.

Arenacross hero Chris Blose was credited with 15th in the 250 main after a massive crash before the triple sent him flying through the air, sans bike. Blose has otherwise been enjoying a solid season with the Gas Monkey Energy/AJE Motorsports team.

The plywood panels on the sides of the track were even more slippery than usual thanks to the snow, as Mike Alessi discovered on the first lap of the first practice. Even when he remounted, it was difficult to gain the traction needed to rejoin the track!

Token ARay shot for Roger.

We were stoked to see Jeff Zielinski and Ryan Fudger on hand at Mile High Stadium to cover the Toyota Triple Crown of BMX. Jeff and Ryan were editors at TransWorld Ride BMX but like us, were laid off when AMI acquired our brands. If you're into BMX, please check out ourbmx.com and give @our_bmx a follow on Instagram for the best coverage in the sport.

An umbrella for snow? Why not!

Hey man, it's gonna be cold tonight. Naw, man, that helmet ain't gonna be enough to keep my head warm...

Brazilian Enzo Lopes finished 10th in Denver with a heavily taped wrist. The JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing crashed out of practice at Houston two weeks ago and suffered a fracture in his wrist. Tough kid!

Whe you're known best for your OG number but earn a National number, what's a player to do? You improvise. Creative jersey work by the guys at Thor for the Seven Deuce Deuce.