2019 Denver Supercross | Race Report
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Photos by Donn Maeda
After twenty-three years away, the Monster Energy Supercross Series returned to Colorado for a night of racing at the base of the Rocky Mountains. A week of wild weather that included sun and low 80-degree temperatures then, plus a hit of snow and mid-30-degree temperatures had everyone guessing what it would be like when the gates dropped for the fifteenth round of the season. It was evident that the weather had an impact on the track build, as Dirt Wurx seemed to mellow out the obstacles in case of mud, but when it was realized that the track was dry, all realized that the pace of the race would be intense and include a lot of laps, 21 for the 250 class and 28 for the 450 class.
2019 DENVER SUPERCROSS | 250 CLASS
Adam Cianciarulo was exceptional throughout the entire day in Denver. With the fastest lap time in qualifying and a Heat Race win, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider came into the Main Event with plenty of momentum. The last race of the night started off well, as he slotted himself into second place off the start and pressured leader Michael Mosiman through the opening laps. After five minutes of fevered pursuit and failed pass attempts, Cianciarulo managed to make a pass stick and sped off with the lead. Once up front, Cianciarulo went on to cap off his dominant day with the fastest lap of the 250 Main Event, a 44.392, and crossed the finish line 5.756 seconds ahead of the competition for his fifth win of the season.
While Cianciarulo started up front, Dylan Ferrandis started just far enough back that made a charge to the front possible but very difficult. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider made work of the field as fast as he could, thanks in part to his speed in the whoops, and reached second place by the middle of the moto. Unfortunately, the time it took to get there allowed Cianciarulo to open up a lead that was too big to close, despite very similar laps throughout the race (Ferrandis’ fastest lap was a 44.396).
After two rounds of point losses to Ferrandis, Cianciarulo’s win and the twenty-six points that came with it set his championship lead to eight points over Ferrandis with one race left in the season.
A Heat Race win made it clear that Colt Nichols was going to be one to watch in the Main Event and the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider did just that. After starting the race in sixth, Nichols rode the wave of teammate Dylan Ferrandis and picked his own way up the pack to reach third place at the end of the race. This was Nichols’ fifth third-place finish of the season and his sixth top-five result.
For much of the race, the fight for fourth place was between GEICO Honda teammates Cameron McAdoo and RJ Hampshire. McAdoo had the early advantage thanks to a solid start, while Hampshire had to get by a few other riders in the opening moments. Jimmy Decotis got in-between the red riders for a few laps, but this seemed to help Hampshire and get went by both the JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing rider and McAdoo for fourth place on lap fifteen. McAdoo and Decotis went on to finish sixth and seventh, respectively.
Mosiman’s aforementioned start and speedy laps put him up front in the early part of the race, but it was the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider’s defensive riding style that kept the second-year racer in the mix. Mosiman was unfazed by Cianciarulo and Ferrandis, as he pushed back on the two title contenders to many of their repeated pass attempts. Both got around Mosiman eventually and he later suffered a small issue that dropped him to fifth at the finish.
2019 DENVER SUPERCROSS | 450 CLASS
All eyes were on Eli Tomac anytime he rolled onto the track in Denver. As the hometown hero, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider clocked the fastest lap of the entire day in qualifying, battled hard to finish second in his Heat Race, and put on a clinic in the Main Event. Tomac crossed the scoring loop in fifth place on lap one, but with well-planned passes and raw speed on the hard pack track, he was able to take the lead within the first five and a half minutes of the race. From there, Tomac clicked off twenty-two laps in complete control of the race and stretched out a 7.774-second margin of victory in for his fifth Main Event win of the year.
Incoming championship leader Cooper Webb was not given any leeway or free passes by others on the track in the 450 Main Event. The Red Bull KTM rider was in the top-five at the start of the race, but while emerging title contender Tomac tore off with the lead, Webb was left to fight with Justin Bogle, Joey Savatgy, and Marvin Musquin. Webb managed to make the move on Bogle on lap sixth, on Savatgy on lap thirteen, and Musquin on lap twenty, but by this point it was all but confirmed that his chance at a win was gone. Webb’s runner-up finish, his eleventh podium of the season, helped him limit the damage to the championship lead over Tomac and the difference is now eighteen points with two rounds to go.
Marvin Musquin rode a consistent race, but the Red Bull KTM rider acknowledged issues on the podium that impacted his final result. A great jump out of the gate helped him claim the holeshot and he managed to build a small gap over the field in the opening laps. Unfortunately for Musquin, the cold weather and high altitude caught up to him during the feature and he soon was passed by Tomac and much later by Webb. Musquin’s third-place finish, his fifteenth top-ten of the season, was a critical result, as it allowed him to stay within less than a race of championship leader Webb.
Justin Bogle seemed comfortable throughout the entire day in Denver, as he was in the mix during the qualifying sessions and went flag to flag for the win in his Heat Race. Unlike other riders on the gate, the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM didn’t seem fazed by the cold weather and slick track. That, and a good start helped him dice for spots in the top-five for the entire duration of the Main Event, and he was fourth at the checkered flag.
It was impressive to see Joey Savatgy on the track just one week after a shoulder dislocation was suffered in Nashville, but it didn’t seem to do much to the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider. Consistent laps in qualifying and his Heat Race made it clear that little would slow the 450 class rookie, which led to a long battle for spots at the front of the field in the Main Event. Savatgy’s determination to stay in the top-five not only helped himself but also teammate Tomac, as a tussle with Webb that lasted seven laps definitely slowed Webb’s charge. In the end, Savatgy finished the race in fifth place.
