2020 Salt Lake City One Supercross | Monday Kickstart
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2020 SALT LAKE CITY ONE SUPERCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE
One down, six to go. After 85 days of waiting and working to create a plan, the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series is going again. With no crowds in the stands and strict rules that enforce social distancing, the first day at Rice Eccles Stadium was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in our years of covering the sport, but it’s racing and we’re so damn glad that we get to see it in person. The next month is going to be interesting…
Since there will be so many races in quick succession and limited access is allowed in the pits, Kickstart is going to be a fun project to put together every few days. Drop us a line in the comments if you want us to look into something or talk about different racing topics for upcoming posts. If it’s not mentioned here, then click the COMPLETE COVERAGE link above or poke around the site. We’ve probably mentioned it in a podcast, a separate post, or our Instagram page.
Look, we’re not fans of wearing a mask in the 90+ heat for hours on end, but if that’s what it takes to have the races, then we’ll do it. Everyone on site at the stadium is required to have a face covering on at all times, with the only exception being the riders when they have their helmets on. Race officials are doing their best to set a good example by keeping theirs on even when they are alone and recording the necessary Zoom riders meetings, too. There are numerous operational changes to race day, like the way riders have to take their bikes to the starting line alone and all that, which caused some Day One issues, but it’ll get better as we get used to our temporary normal.
Big smile under the helmet. Colt Nichols made his return to action after a shoulder injury sidelined him at the start of the season and it didn’t take long for the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider to get up to speed. Third in the final Timed Qualifying results and second in his Heat Race to teammate McElrath, things were going well for Colt until a crash in the early moments of the Main Event…
After Nichols remounted his twisted YZ250F, he went to work and salvaged what was left of his day by posting lap times that were on pace with the front runners, including leader Shane McElrath and Chase Sexton, all while staying out of their battle for the lead.
Malcolm Stewart will be one to watch in these next few races. Steady results put the SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider sixth in the championship standings before the break and he was on the gas during the morning practice sessions in Salt Lake City. Poor starts and a tip-over snapped Stewart’s streak of top-10 finishes, an impressive stat for any rider, but that 11th place showing is still solid and a sign that he’s realizing his potential.
Back at it. A shoulder injury at the Atlanta race slowed Kyle Cunningham’s progress and put him on the sidelines for a short spell. Until the Utah races were announced, that is. We’ve heard that the HEP Motorsports Suzuki rider has very limited time on the bike prior to this race, but he did what he could to get back to the starting line, secured one of the transfer spots from the LCQ, and posted a 14th place finish in the Main Event. You can always count on KC being on the track.
Jason Anderson’s past issues with altitude were brought up almost as soon as the Utah plan was announced, because many were concerned that the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider would be bogged down during the month-long run. Since the issues gradually get better the longer one is exposed to them and to address it, Anderson went home to New Mexico and did his pre-race training on a private track that’s at elevation. JA’s fourth place finish in the 450 Main Event was a bit overlooked due to the battle at the front of the field, but it’s a sign that he’s ready to be a factor for podiums and race wins. Standing on the pegs through a rutted bowl turn is just badass, too.
And that’s the full bingo card! Chad Reed made the switch from Honda to KTM during the downtime (it helps to have a dealership that stocks multiple OEMs be the title sponsor of your team) and can now say that he’s raced a Supercross Main Event on every major OEM (Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Husqvarna, Suzuki, Honda, KTM for those following at home). Reed had some issues with the bike during the Main Event, as the fuel boiled in the tank due to the heat and altitude, but it’s something he and mechanic Ben Schiermeyer aim to correct for the next race.
And yeah, CR22 can toss the orange bike around just like he could on the others.
New and old at the same time. Justin Starling was lured back to the Gas Monkey Energy/AJE Motorsports team to complete the 2020 season and all of 2021, an offer that Chaparral/FXR/Honda team owner Michael Lindsay agreed was a good deal, and Starling will run the remainder of the East Coast region races aboard the black and grey bike.
Red Bull KTM bolted their suspension data acquisition equipment onto Cooper Webb’s bike for the practice sessions, which allowed them to get an idea of what the bike was doing on the rather mellow track. Just because this is a weird time in the world doesn’t mean that teams are going to give up a chance to learn more about their motorcycles for further events.
Loaded up with laminates. Goggle prep must have been tricky on Sunday because the hard-packed dirt would be soaked to the point of being muddy in some sections and dusty in others. A light sensitive or tinted lens was a must due to the harsh sunshine that made us all squint the entire time we were outside (it’s difficult to shoot photos in sunglasses).
A return to racing requires a new Red Bull painted helmet. AirTrix laid this rad paisley print to the Ken Roczen’s Fox Racing V3.
Zach Osborne really benefitted from the break in racing. A hard practice crash before Atlanta left him with broken vertebra and ribs, bruised lungs, and a sprained wrist, which he spent weeks recovering from. Now healed and back on the bike, Osborne was quietly a front-runner during the Sunday race and he posted a fifth-place finish, his third of the season.
Big opportunity for a Midwest kid. Illinois racer Carter Stephenson started the year as a privateer on a Kawasaki and will finish the SX season aboard a Rock River Yamaha YZ450F. A deal that got pulled together quickly, Stephenson had a slam in the LCQ and will learn the blue bike as the month of racing continues on.
Did anyone else notice how many Honda CRF250Rs there were in 250 Heat Race One? Of the 22 riders on the track, eight of them were on red bikes and seven of them secured transfer spots directly to the Main Event.
Chris Blose is a badass. The Chaparral/FXR/Honda rider was badly injured at the Glendale Supercross (arm/hip/internal damage) and he was on the mend for much of the last few months. The announcement of Supercross returning came up just as Blose was cleared to ride and he quickly got back on the CRF250R to get ready for the SLC races, won the LCQ, and took 12th in the 250 Main Event. Not bad for a guy that had like two days on the bike.
Team Talking Boy. Seriously, we’re always stoked for our friend Michael Lindsay because he’s put in a ton of effort to get the Chaparral/FXR/Honda team off the ground and has supported guys that are worthy of a steady ride, including newcomer Coty Schock.
Respect to Justin Rodbell. Signed to SGB Racing/Maxxis Tires/Babbitt’s Kawasaki during the break, Sunday was one of his first days on the team’s KX250 and even with some issues, he went all-out on the track during his Heat Race and the LCQ in an attempt to make the Main Event in his debut, only to come up short and finish seventh. Not bad, dude, not bad.
Friendly battle at the front of the pack. Ken Roczen and Adam Cianciarulo made 450 Heat Race Two look like a practice day at the Moto Sandbox when they took to the top-two spot and pulled away from the field. We were eager to see them square up again in the Main Event, especially after Cianciarulo got a very good start and ran in second place, but his big crash and contact with Cooper Webb forced AC out for the rest of the day. Hopefully Adam’s able to recover and line up again on Wednesday. Roczen, meanwhile, had his own oh shit moment in the closing laps of the feature race and wisely backed it down to finish in third place.
You know what these empty stadiums remind us of? Old hair metal music videos that they would shoot of bands playing in arenas before the crowds showed up. We’re gonna turn on a Motley Crue masterpiece after we publish this.
Is this a new rivalry? Garrett Marchbanks and Jeremy Martin traded passes for position during the 250 Main Event, with some contact made, and it was a thrill to see after weeks of inactivity. Martin is an established guy in the 250 Class while Marchbanks is a youngster that’s quickly making a name for himself with his Main Event win at Daytona and third place result on Sunday.
Up and comers. We watched Pierce Brown and Jalek Swoll closely during the day in Salt Lake City…
Pierce Brown is legit. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider has limited experience in Supercross (SLC One was just his third race) yet it’s clear he knows how to get around the track at speed. A wild wreck at the start of the 250 Main Event put Brown at the tail of the field and he spent the full duration of the 15-minute plus one lap race picking through the pack to reach fifth place at the checkered flag. A native of nearby Sandy, Utah, he’s really at home here.
Jalek Swoll is another guy with only a handful of SX races to his credit that is quickly getting up to speed in the small-bore class. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider didn’t make the cut for the Main Event at his Tampa debut, but he’s certainly learned a lot since then and ran in the top-five for a good chunk of the 250 Main Event until some late-race passes by others pushed him to seventh at the checkered flag. With 9-9-9-7 scores to his credit this season, Swoll should be a top-five guy very soon.
Tomac’s goggles and face covering were clutch during the brief dust storm that kicked up prior to the Main Event.
Tyler Bowers was one of the many riders to have issues with the heat and altitude. After rolling the track with an ice pack on his neck during the sighting lap, the Triggr Racing rider put in a hard effort for a few laps and then felt lightheaded and out of sorts, which forced him to pull out of the Main Event. With Wednesday’s race going to be at night, temperature shouldn’t be as big a factor and riders will likely be acclimated to the elevation.
Three riders in a title fight in a battle near the front of the pack. What more could a race fan ask for?
Blake Baggett’s burst of speed in the opening laps of the 450 Main Event was a surprise. The Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM rider launched out of the gate and to the front of the field, then quickly built a gap on the competition. Baggett settled into a groove and led 11 of the 29 laps, but was overtaken by Eli Tomac’s charge and soon slid back to seventh place. Just when you think Baggett is out of contention, he does something like this and reminds everyone that he could be a spoiler at any time.
He gone. Eli Tomac put in a very Eli Tomac ride during the 450 Main Event, one that saw him overcome a so-so start, battle with his championship rivals, rip off a series of very fast laps in the middle of the race, and then bolt from the pack to his sixth win of the season. Now eight points ahead of Roczen and 32-points on Webb, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider is inclhing closer to his first career 450 SX title.
