2022 San Diego Supercross | Kickstart

Dustin Pipes and his people have done a great job of bringing outside sponsors into the Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports/Suzuki team and now the front fenders of the RM-Zs feature branding from WD-40, Progressive, and Home Depot.

Important items on Christian Craig’s handlebars: ARC lever, ProTaper grips and donuts, a carbon fiber cover over the front brake master cylinder, and a heart rate monitor-watch from Polar.

Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha was one of the teams that took a tire knife to the Dunlop knobs. This mod would have been especially helpful on the slick San Diego hard pack.

Justin Barcia’s Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing machine was finished with red number plates at San Diego, a reward for his consistency through rounds one and two. Although events of round three dropped Barcia to fourth overall in the standings, he’s only three points out of the lead.

Big Beautiful Doll

Hot pink will be a common color on the Muc-Off/FXR/CLUBMX graphics this year, all thanks to the cleaner company’s new title sponsorship.

While we’re on the topic of the Muc-Off/FXR/CLUBMX team, their white/pink/blue/black gear is a new offering from FXR. The Canadian company will now offer customizable kits to the public, which will include sublimated logos-names-numbers on the jerseys. Visit fxrracing.com to see what’s available.

Chris Blose is getting setup for the next chapter in his life. The Motul/AJE Motorsports/GASGAS rider has declared that 2022 will be his final year as a SX racer, but he’ll stay involved in the industry through Fenix Suspension, a Race Tech certified shop in his native Arizona.

Fighter Pilot

Blake Savage brought a special ride to the San Diego Supercross for nephew, Griffin. The small Suzuki quad has been in the Savage family for years,but was in need of some attention after sitting idle in the garage, so Blake went through it inside and out, finished it with a race-ready look, then took it for a spin around the pits. Check out his Instagram for more details of the build.

LRT & RT

Nicholas Nisbet lined up for the Supercross Futures race in Oakland, earned the necessary points for his AMA Pro License, and signed up a week later for the San Diego. Nisbet qualified 40th in the 250 Class, enough to get into the night show, and threw a few whips on his way to a 17th place finish in the LCQ.

Florida’s finest. Think of the stories these two have from days at the compound.

Mitchell Oldenburg, 450 Main Event rider. The Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider had a tough week between Oakland and San Diego, issues that kept him from putting in any serious practice time, but he made it through race day with a 19th place overall rank in Timed Qualifying, transferred directly out of 450 Heat Race Two, and finished the feature in 16th. Freckle spent a few days on the MCR CRF250R this week to prepare for his run on the 250 East Coast Region.

Austin Politelli on the big screen. San Diego was the California native’s first race of the 2022 season.

Oi!

Good to see you, Jalek. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider’s A1 concussion sidelined him for Oakland, but after a few weeks off to decompress his body and heal a small wrist injury, he was back on track at San Diego. Swoll finished seventh in the 250 Main Event, even with a small crash, and will improve as the weeks continue.

Del Mar Mile

Another apdesigns work for Eli Tomac. The Bell Moto 10 Spherical worn by the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider had fighter plane features, all of which went well with the Blue Angels-inspired pant-jersey by Alpinestars.

We spent some time with Shane McElrath on Friday afternoon to discuss his time in the 450 Class, a return to Austrian equipment with the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM team, and what he expects of the 2022 season. Check out our SML Pre-Race News Break video to hear what Shane had to say.

Golden Hour

Did you watch “Hill Ride It” yet? Josh Hill’s latest freeride video is full of big hits, all of which make his Main Event appearances in the 450 Class even more impressive. What other guy on the starting line is doing 25-foot drops or skatepark transfers? Hill has a few more races left in his term with Team Tedder/Monster Energy/Lucas Oil/KTM, as Benny Bloss is hopeful to be back by Minneapolis.

Opening ceremonies in Petco Park.

Carson Mumford is making progress as the season continues. The BARX/Chaparral/Suzuki rider led laps in both 250 Heat Race One and the 250 Main Event, a first for him on the RM-Z, and ended the night in sixth place. Can Mumford get a top-five score before the West Coast region goes on break?

How tricky was the first turn? Riders on the inside line had to avoid getting pinched off at the first kink in the corner, a tight spot that caused a few issues through the night, then set-up for the hard left and the holeshot stripe.

Battling. Robbie Wageman and Dylan Walsh had a good fight going in the final laps of 250 Heat Race Two, with Wageman coming out with a sixth-place result and Walsh an eighth place.

It’s been a rough go for Mitchell Harrison this year. The Motul/AJE Motorsports/GASGAS rider went down in 250 Heat Race Two, the damage of which you can see on his right shoulder and came up short of one spot short of transferring into the 250 Main Event from the short sprint. A sixth-place result in the 250 LCQ meant the end of his night.

Up front in 450 Heat Race One. Cooper Webb controlled this race from start to finish…

And although he came under fire from Marvin Musquin in the final laps, the defending champion kept his Red Bull KTM teammate at bay to the checkered flag.

Hope your hand is good, Freddie.

Can you believe we’re a month into the SX season?

Alex Martin, up front. It was good to see the Muc-Off/FXR/CLUBMX rider get a chance to show his speed in San Diego, especially after a bike issue in Timed Qualifying caused him to go down in the whoops, and the lap led was an accomplishment for the rider and team.

Three very different riders with three very different styles. We’re excited to see how these guys go about racing each other as the year continues, because their three-way scrap in 450 Heat Race Two for second-third-fourth was a good one.

Don’t count Jason Anderson out in 2022. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider has one Main Event win, a Heat Race win, some fastest lap honors in afternoon practice, and the skill to do it every weekend. An issue with the right-side radiator cost Anderson a chance at the dub in San Diego, but he reportedly shook off the problem and was back to work during the week. Can this be a title chase for El Hombre? Maybe, but he isn’t going to feed into the hype. We watched him downplay questions about the topic all weekend.

Aaron Plessinger let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw that he made it through to the 450 Main Event after a hard charge from last to ninth in 450 Heat Race Two. AP was moving during the short sprint and put in laps that were on pace with the top-five, even in traffic.

Can’t keep Kyle Chisholm down. The Florida racer is dealing with an elbow injury and some lingering effects of an offseason illness, but he’s lined up for the last two 450 Main Events, won the LCQ in San Diego, and has improved each time out.

Dylan Walsh’s KX250 is a bit different than others on the line. The Revo Seven Kawasaki team swapped the rear brake system with a caliper and rotor set from MotoMaster…

And replaced the Showa suspension components for a WP fork and shock that’s been tuned by Pro Circuit.

Justin Rodbell was supposed to line up for the 250 East Coast with the Partzilla PRMX team, but after injuries struck the team and whittled down the West Coast entry list, the Maryland racer decided to jump in mid-season. Rodbell suddenly got sick to his stomach during 250 Heat Race One, which caused him to puke all over himself mid-race, then came back to win the 250 LCQ later and finish 21st in the 250 Main Event.

Dominique Thury finished fifth in the 250 LCQ, one spot short of making the 250 Main Event. The Muc-Off/FXR/CLUBMX rider waited in the tunnel in case something happened to another competitor before the gate dropped, but nothing played out in his favor. With two Main Event appearances and 17 points to his credit, Thury is ranked 17th overall in the championship standings.

Moments before the chaos.

There was a small bit of controversy caused by the start, as some people from Star Racing felt that Mosiman’s angle out of the gate indicated that he wasn’t lined up straight and with the rut, a rule that the AMA enforces for every race.

It’s tough to say who is at fault for the pile-up in the 250 Main Event. Some saw Hunter Lawrence as the aggressor since he moved over towards Christian Craig as the filed into the first turn, but Michael Mosiman admitted that he might be to blame in the post-race press conference.

Watch these two in the next few weeks. Mosiman and Lawrence are similar in speed, equally determined to make their mark on the 250 West Coast region, and not afraid to show a wheel to the other for a position.

There were a few steaming bikes at San Diego. A radiator hose on Garrett Marchbanks’ bike was torn in the first-turn crash, an incident the rider was unaware of until later in the race and that ultimately caused him to DNF. Footage from the work area showed the rider tottering next to the bike, but he told us this week that he was not injured, just tired from a recent illness and a full day of racing.

Can’t say we blame Vince Friese for his defensive lines in the final laps of the 250 Main Event. The Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider was in the running for a podium finish, something that the MCR team values highly and pays well for. Friese will be back in the 450 Class during the East Coast swing.

Small mistakes or crashes have kept Michael Mosiman from winning races these last few years, but the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider kept it together for all 20 laps in San Diego. Mosiman’s low-rev riding style probably suited the San Diego track well; watch the GoPro footage round three to hear how he controlled the throttle and clutch.

Another podium shuffle. Sure, Craig has two Main Event wins and is leading the championship, but there’s only nine points between these three riders in the overall standings with two rounds to run before the break.

All that start practice paid off for Eli Tomac in the 450 Main Event. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team has openly stated that their riders have issues getting off the gate, and it’s something they work on during the week through a system of speed sensors, video footage, and reaction timers.

Close racing at a high rate of speed.

Dean Wilson is plugging away. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider was struck with a clutch issue at the beginning of the 450 Main Event, and he soldiered through it for 26 laps to finish in 14th place. An Instagram post on Sunday morning by DW15 showed how he first noticed the problem, plus some incidental contact with Jason Anderson. Dean's post-race posts have been some of the best, thanks to his use of the team's video footage.

Chase Sexton, 450 Main Event winner. The Team Honda HRC rider has had a few victories slip through his fingers, but a dominant showing in San Diego with 23 laps led, the fastest single lap time, and a 6.001 second margin of victory proves that he’s for real as we get deeper into the season.

When will these two square off for a race win?

Props to Jason Anderson for finishing out the 450 Main Event. Once he knew the Monster Energy Kawasaki was having issues, Anderson backed down the intensity, doubled his way around the track, and did his best to maintain a top-ten finish. Check out the individual lap times on the AMA website if you get a chance; although the 21 was in damage control, his pace was steady and remarkably quick.

We’re excited to be a small part of Yamaha’s “Beyond The Gate” series this year. Inspired by Drive to Survive on Netflix, the online videos show what the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team does to race at the highest levels in Supercross. Hit the homepage to watch episode two, which covers Anaheim One and Oakland.

Chase Sexton’s CRF450R had a few signs of wear at the end of the night.

Sexton’s switch to XTRIG clamps was a big deal in San Diego. It’s rare for Team Honda HRC to favor aftermarket pieces when they have their own designed and machined items in the inventory, but Sexton’s desires for a more rigid chassis feel prompted them to make the change. Honda is having a bit of a time with bike setup right now, as Roczen and Sexton are both complaining of poor handling in the whoops.

When you realize you’re the championship leader. Although Eli Tomac has not led a lap in a 450 Main Event this year, the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider has been remarkably consistent, and he’s now one-point up on Sexton and Webb in the standings. It’s rare for ET3 to have the red plate this early in the season, and we’re sure that’s something his competition has thought about this week.

Dry, slick, and hard. How will Anaheim Two be? We’ll see soon enough.