2022 Oakland Supercross | Kickstart

Red Plates. Christian Craig and Ken Roczen have both held the championship lead before, but there’s some added importance this time around. Will either/both have it at the last race of the season, when it matters?

Craig’s Oakland win extended his points lead and time with the special background, while Roczen’s 450 Main Event finish dropped him to fifth in the standings.

Cheyenne Harmon missed A1 after a positive test result, took the necessary time off, and was back to his spot in the pits for Oakland. The Texas privateer has been on a variety of bikes in the last 16 months, including Yamaha and GASGAS, but is back on a Honda through a ride with STR Racing.

Suzuki’s presence in the pits is good to see. Everyone knows that the OEM has gone through its share of changes and challenges in the last few years, most notably the shutdown of its in-house team and then JGRMX, but they’ve found good partners in the privately-owned BARX and HEP Motorsports operations. BARX continues to handle the 250 Class program with a four-rider lineup of Dilan Schwartz/Carson Mumford/Derek Drake/Preston Kilroy, support from industry brands like FLY Racing/FMF/Motul/ProTaper/Chaparral, and sponsorship from FuelMe, a group brough in from the owner’s trucking connections.

Working Man Style with Deven Raper. The privateer has a knack for coordinating the colors in his O’Neal gear/Shoei helmets/Oakley goggles/Alpinestars boots.

Second-year pro Dilan Schwartz is getting the hang of Supercross. The BARX/Chaparral/Suzuki rider told us he had hard time learning new layouts and technique needed to get over the obstacles in 2021, but now that he knows the spacing of the triple jumps and rhythm lanes are the same from week to week, he can focus on stringing together motos.

Justin Barcia and Michael Mosiman really are teammates. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing riders train together through the week, a program that Barcia said makes him feel like a 250 Class youngster and Mosiman said taught him to ride more assertively, and they are quick to find each other after sessions on the track to compare notes.

Electric water pumps are the new must-have part for 250 Class teams, and we spotted battery-powered accessories on the MCR CRF250, BARX RMZ-Z 250, and Star Racing YZ250F. The accessory piece complete replaces the mechanical water pump located inside the engine that’s powered by the crank, which allows the engine to operate more efficiently and increases the tuning capabilities.

Carson Mumford’s move to the Suzuki has been productive, as it’s given him a chance to learn how to set-up of a different bike. “With the Honda, I’d been on it for so long that I kind of just relied on settings, where here, I’m making new ones,” he told us on Friday. The second-year racer also mentioned that having Larry Brooks as a team manager and Davi Millsaps as a trainer has been very helpful, saying, “They’re not someone that people frown upon. Both of those guys are pretty reliable people and are good for our sport, so it’s nice to surround myself with them.”

If memory serves right, this season is Josh Hill’s first time aboard a KTM in race conditions. Big Hill has ridden a wide variety of bikes through his career, from Factory Yamahas to RCH Suzukis and personal Kawasakis, so these early rounds have been an introduction to Austrian equipment. Hill told us a few months ago that he planned to ride select SX races like usual in 2022, but that most of his offseason had been spent filming for a Monster Energy project.

Pepsi’s purchase of Rockstar Energy meant changes to sponsorship of the Husqvarna race teams. The drink company has cut back in a few areas for 2022, including the Rally effort and other European divisions, but will continue as a title sponsor of the US SX-MX race program. While it’s never good to see a major sponsor scale back, especially an energy drink, this new commitment proves they see value in the five-rider factory team and Supercross as a whole.

Who has been more impressive through the first two rounds? Marvin has been very quick, but a bit chaotic, and 4-8 results have him seventh overall. Plessinger went from being admittedly “off” and ninth at A1 to contending for the lead and finishing second at Oakland, which has him fourth overall.

Seth Hammaker’s sophomore season is going well. He is 2-2 on podium finishes, has shown speed/staminarace craft, looks like he could score a win on any night on the West Coast region, and is in tight with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. Is it too early to say, “2023 title contender?”

AP’s hats are made by Justin Boots. Future collab for the PowerParts catalog?

Lars Lindstrom’s appointment as Team Manager at Team Honda HRC makes perfect sense. He’s done almost every job in the race department over the past 22 years, including parts stocker, practice mechanic, engine technician, suspension technician, special projects, and crew chief of the 450 Class program. The Lindstrom family connection to Honda runs deep: Lars’ father, Gunnar, managed the SX-MX team in 1979 and 1980.

Red Bull KTM’s post-race press release mentioned that Cooper Webb was under the weather at round two, saying, “Tonight was a tough one, to say the least. I came down with a cold yesterday and fought through it the best we could today but definitely didn’t feel great at all… It was definitely tough battling the sickness but I’m going to get healthy this week and go into San Diego with a fresh body and fresh slate.”

Two members of Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha Factory Racing’s 450 Class program. Rich Simmons, on the left, took on a technical role with Yamaha in the offseason. Ricki Gilmour, on the right, was appointed to the team by KYB in 2021 and maintains the suspension on Eli Tomac’s YZ450F.

After a wide-open Anaheim One and positive tests throughout the pits, we noticed more elite riders taking precautions at Oakland in an attempt to avoid further issues. Ken Roczen flew in a private plane with Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo, kept a mask on when in groups, and kept to himself in the staging areas. Roczen has openly stated he does not have the vaccine or an exemption to testing, which means that a positive result could end his championship hopes.

Fried.

Work never stops on Saturday mornings. When we first saw Ken Roczen’s CRF450R at 9 AM, Jordan Troxell had it completely together and race ready. An hour or so later, before bikes ever hit the track, he had the front-end disassembled and the front forks in the truck for a setting change.

Yuzo Takara’s starting technique is impressive. The Suzuki tech climbed aboard Justin Bogle’s RM-Z450, found top-dead-center with a few slow pushes on the kick starter, and fired the bike up with one hard trust.

Personal preferences at Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. Malcolm Stewart likes the broad power profile created by this FMF Racing exhaust…

And opts for the thinner seat foam, a tall hump, and a ribbed cover offered by GUTS Racing.

Dean Wilson’s FMF Racing header is a little shorter than the one on Stewart’s bike, and it offers a bit more power from the mid to top.

Wilson has used this style of GUTS Racing seat for years, as the taller foam with extended sides help the tall rider keep his legs in place. The bowed-out edges look even bigger on the latest generation of the Rockstar Edition.

The AMA’s ban of helmet-mounted accessories now applies to Pro Racing, which means GoPro sponsored riders and teams must be creative with their mounts. Here’s the billet piece that Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing has tucked behind their front number plate.

And the small cutout that the camera lens sticks out of. The footage captured from this angle is something else. You can hear the rev of the engine, especially on Justin Barcia’s bike, and see just how close riders are to each other when barreling to the first turn or making passes on the track.

Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports/Suzuki tried putting the Hero cameras on the front plate during practice but took them off for the night’s race. We’ll be on the lookout for an updated mount or location at the next few races.

Machining marks on Justin Barcia’s GASGAS MC 450F billet shift lever.

Personal preferences at Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha Factory Racing. Dylan Ferrandis asks for the lower piece of the side plate to be removed, wants nothing on his frame rails, and prefers the feeling of the KYB kit shock.

Eli Tomac’s setup is a bit different. He doesn’t mind the bottom portion of the side plate, has a big piece of grip tape installed on the spar, and has KYB’s factory shock mounted into the chassis.

Morning smoke.

Jensen Hendler stepped into the 250 Team Manager role at Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha over the offseason.

Jerry Robin was another rider that missed A1 due to the 1-9. The privateer scored a fourth-place finish in LCQ and lined up for the 250 Main Event, but a lack of energy and recent riding time caused him to cut the feature short. A creative deal with graphic company SKDA and gear company CANVAS means that Robin will have a new sports-centric setup at every round, like this Raiders look at Oakland.

Nick Schmidt is now with the Team Partzilla/PRMX squad, a replacement rider for the injured Justin Hill. Schmidt raced Anaheim One as a privateer aboard his usual AllSouth-supported Husqvarna, but the opportunity to ride the Kawasaki for the team came together in time for Oakland. The Assassin got caught up in an LCQ pile-up and finished in 15th.

Brake issues were the reason Garrett Marchbank didn’t get many laps in during the first run of Timed Qualifying. The Muc-Off/FXR Moto/CLUBMX rider came into the mechanic’s area twice to have the binders looked at before he withdrew from the session all together.

Head shots. Justin Barcia in a Troy Lee Designs SE5…

Jason Anderson and an Airoh Aviator 3…

Dean Wilson wearing an Alpinestars SM10…

Eli Tomac in a Bell Moto 10 Spherical.

Sure, Adam Cianciarulo’s shoulder injury has made a few tasks a bit tougher to do…

But he’s doing what he has to on the track. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider showed speed with a 59.932 during Timed Qualifying and laps led in the 450 Main Event, but when the strength in his arm faded, he slid back to 12th place. AC told us that he’s riding completely within his means during the races and that doing so gives him some peace of mind about the current situation.

The past two weeks have been tough for Justin Bogle, and with Colt Nichols’ injuries and Ryan Federow’s passing on his mind going, we were just happy to see him on the bike. The Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports/Suzuki rider was 16th overall in Timed Qualifying, finished seventh in 450 Heat One, and was eight laps into the 450 Main Event when the weight of the situation hit, and he pulled off the track.

Justin Starling is the top privateer two rounds into the Supercross season. He’s made both 450 Main Events aboard his FXR/SKDA/JSR Motorsports MC 450F and 21-19 results have him ranked 20th overall in the point standings. A shipping issue with UPS cost Starling a set of A Kit suspension, but he and the Vurbmoto crew crowd-sourced the funds for replacement WP parts tuned by REP Suspension.

Zoom in to see the battle scars on Ken Roczen’s V3. The helmet took a hell of a hit, evident in the chinbar cracks and gouges around the eyeport, and Fox Racing has retired it from Roczen’s rotation.

Malcolm Stewart pointed out two things in his HWYW interview. First was that starts are the key issue to the Main Event results, something he first noted after Anaheim One and continues to work on with the team. The second was how the swing in results had kept the championship standings close; this is a new and important detail for Stewart to think about as a 450 Class rider.

We saw you kick him, Alex.

RJ Wageman’s privateer pit.

“It’s a damp cold.” Although the temperatures were still in the 50s, a few teams put heaters near their bikes when sun went down to keep the engines and suspension parts closer to operating temperature.

Team Honda HRC wrapped the Showa fork legs on Ken Roczen’s bike in electric blankets. This was a must-do tactic during the “air fork era,” as it keeps the internal oils and metals at a consistent temperature and prevents a sudden change in performance on the track.

Couple of notes about Oakland’s opening ceremonies. First, the sound system at the RingCentral Coliseum BUMPS. Second, Malcolm Stewart didn’t pick “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd to be his opening ceremonies song.

250 Heat Race One was one of the night’s better battles. Michael Mosiman and Jo Shimoda traded plenty of close passes, Seth Hammaker ran a close third, and Mosiman scored a win for the hometown crowd with a little bit of style.

Gared Steinke qualifying for the 250 Main Event was one of the weekend’s biggest stories, and for good reason. The popular privateer has been very clear in what his intentions are with the project (line up, represent sponsors, be as competitive as possible, enjoy the fun) and core fans are down with it. The last few laps of the Heat Race were cool to hear, as the crowd’s cheers followed his KTM 125 SX around the track and to the finish line.

One-hundred feet out of the gate in 450 Heat Race Two.

3 & 9

Shane McElrath’s starts are excellent. The Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM rider is still getting up to speed on the big bike, but being one of the first out of the gate and to the holeshot stripe has helped him make an impression on the 450 Class.

It’ll take more than a torn ACL to sideline Joey Savatgy. The Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM rider hurt his knee in a crash on Tuesday and said that the pain was its worst on Saturday, but because the damage can’t get much worse, he’ll continue to line up. He left Oakland with an 11th place finish and is now ranked tenth in the championship standings.

It’s good to see Dylan Woodcock back on the track. The British rider has recovered from the spinal injuries he suffered last year in Houston, something that he’s still feeling the effects of, and is living the SX dream with a group of friends in SoCal. Give his Oakland vlog a watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNR0TSFJYhA

Jo Shimoda was credited with the holeshot in the 250 Main Event.

Carson Brown’s hard crash at Anaheim One cost the AEO Powersports KTM rider a tooth, but with some help from Dr. Joe Willardsen of True Dentistry, he was back on the track in Oakland and finished 13th in the 250 Main Event.

Four shots of Jo Shimoda’s 250 Main Event somersault. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider held onto the bike all the way around, remounted, and raced back to a seventh-place finish.

Vince Friese isn’t afraid to run it in on anyone, something that Garrett Marchbanks experienced for himself in the 250 Main Event. Marchbanks, meanwhile, is willing to walk into any pit area and tell another rider how he feels, something Friese found out after the race. Keep an eye on these two going forward, because this could get good.

How many wins will Christian Craig get this season? The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider was practically flawless through the first two rounds and the strategy of getting to the front of the pack early in the 250 Main Event-doing a series of fast laps-building a large gap-cruising to the finish line is very MC-esque.

Respect

Locked in.

Not a lot of passing between these three in the 450 Main Event. This shot was from lap three, when they ran second-third-fourth to Adam Cianciarulo.

Eli Tomac is looking good on the YZ450F. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider was the fastest of the 450 Class in Timed Qualifying and scored his first win on the blue bike in 450 Heat Race One. A so-so start in the 450 Main Event kept him from joining the lead group, but he rallied to a fourth-place finish. With 36 points, Tomac is currently sixth overall in the championship, equal to Ken Roczen and down six to leader Justin Barcia.

Aaron Plessinger told us that two things held him back at Anaheim One. First was a lack of pre-race nerves. AP said that he didn’t feel the buzz of the opening round until he was on the line for the Heat Race, and by that point, it was too late to get in the zone. The second was the setup of the 450 SX-F. Despite hours of testing and practice leading into A1, he felt that the suspension setting was “off” and another week of work with the Red Bull KTM team took the bike in a completely different direction.

Lots of stalled bikes in Oakland. Jo Shimoda’s bike flamed out early in the 250 Main Event and took him out of the lead, while Chase Sexton’s issue on lap nine dropped him from sixth to eleventh.

Not so bad, right?

Wrong. The corner before this jump face was carved full of deep ruts, something that riders had to carefully navigate while building speed for the 70-foot double.

Or through the middle?

Around the top?

Jason Anderson’s win wasn’t a surprise in Oakland. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was one of the standouts at A1, and if not for the Barcia incident, he could have finished on the podium and maybe even be the current point leader. There’s been some discussion about Anderson’s championship chances in the last few days, and though it’s still very early, he seems confident that more race wins are possible as the season progresses.

Quite the podium. Can any of these three be on the box in San Diego, or will a new group take home the hardware?