2019 Southwick Motocross | Qualifying Report

2019 SOUTHWICK MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

The field is set for the 2019 Southwick Motocross, the sixth round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Riders spent the morning learning the flow of the well-known sand track that is already treacherous and choppy after a just few hours of action. Today marks the halfway point of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and getting through this round with the maximum amount of points possible will be crucial to those in the hunt for the two titles. Here’s a quick recap of the morning sessions and combined qualifying results…

2019 SOUTHWICK MOTOCROSS | 250 CLASS QUALIFYING REPORT & RESULTS

No one was able to top Justin Cooper in the two practice sessions, as the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider posted the quickest times each time out. His best lap, 2:08.071, came when the track was relatively smooth and fast in the first practice; his best lap in session two was still fastest of the group, but was about a second and a half slower than his earlier effort.

Colt Nichols’ outdoor speed has been impressive through the summer months and the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider was second overall on the timesheets with a 2:08.749, which came in the first practice. 

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s sweep of the top three spots in qualifying was complete with Dylan Ferrandis. The winner of this race in 2018, Ferrandis was third overall thanks to a 2:08.888 time he posted in the first session.

Shane McElrath’s comfort on the bike and pace on the track has picked up in recent weeks and at Southwick, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider clocked a 2:09.532 in session one, which put him fourth in the class.

This is just Mitchell Oldenburg’s third race this summer, but it hasn’t taken long for the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider to find his rank in the field. With a 2:09.543 time, Oldenburg claimed fifth on the board and was the fourth Star Racing rider in the top-five.

Incoming point leader Adam Cianciarulo was sixth overall, as a 2:09.866 time was the best lap by the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider.

Jake Pinhancos was the fastest Southwick local in the 250 class and with a 2:11.998, was ranked thirteenth in the results.

2019 SOUTHWICK MOTOCROSS | 450 CLASS QUALIFYING REPORT & RESULTS

Many expected the pace of the second round of qualifying to be the slower of the two outings, but that wasn’t the case for all in the field. Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin figured out something in the break between the two practices, uncorked a 2:07.563 time, and moved to the top of the timesheet. It’s worth noting that Musquin won this race in 2018.

Jason Anderson made his point early in the first session and a 2:08.234 time put the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider at the top of the class. Musquin was the only rider that managed to log a faster lap in the second session and Anderson’s early time put him second overall at the end of the morning.

Ken Roczen stayed near the top of board through both of the morning sessions and his best lap, a 2:08.332 in session two, put the Team Honda HRC rider third overall.

Incoming point leader Eli Tomac was quietly quick in the morning and although we didn’t hear much hype over the track speakers about his speed, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was fourth fastest with a 2:08.722 time.

This weekend is Fredrik Noren’s first race of a summer-long fill-in ride with JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing. Although there were some concerns of adjustment to the yellow bike, Noren didn’t seem to have many troubles and was fifth-fastest in the 450 class thanks to a 2:08.800 time.