2022 San Diego Supercross | Race Report & Results
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CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE 2022 SAN DIEGO SUPERCROSS
First-turn pile-ups, a pair of first-time winners, a different combination of finishers on the podium, and big changes to the championship standings kept the San Diego Supercross interesting from start to finish. Tension is already starting to build in the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, and from we saw in night’s Main Events, this sort of action and aggression will be the norm through the next fourteen weeks.
Christian Craig
250 Main Event Finish | 3rd Place
Round three was shaping up to be another easy day for Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Christian Craig, but later turned into one of the hardest races in Christian’s career. Saturday morning started just how the last two weekend’s have; Craig topped the leaderboards in not only one, but both of the timed-qualifying sessions and laid down a blistering fast 48.216 in the final session.
Yet again, Christian entered the night-show with pole position advantage and had first choice of his gate in 250 West Coast Heat Two. San Diego’s 250cc Heat Two was nearly identical to those in the weeks prior; Vince Friese snagged the holeshot with Christian just behind. As suspected, Christian waited until the whoops to pull the trigger on the lead. However, Vince fired right back, as he dove inside and attempted to retake the lead in Heat Two. Though, Christian escaped the challenge and continued on with his lead.
As the laps went on in the second 250cc heat, Michael Mosiman had climbed his way into the second place position. The race neared it’s end with Mosiman closing in on Craig little-by-little, each lap they logged. And as Christian crossed the checked flag to snag the heat race win, Mosiman was just a few bike-lengths behind.
Prior to the 250 Main Event gate drop, practically everything had gone Christian Craig’s way. However, just feet before the bend of first turn, Craig was involved in a massive pile-up that collected himself, Jo Shimoda, Garrett Marchbanks, and many more. That said, Christian spent the entirety of the 250 Main Event chasing down the leaders. While Mosiman and Lawrence sat in the top two positions, optimal for taking advantage of the championship points on the line, Craig clicked off pass after pass. By the halfway point of the Main Event, Christian had climbed up to 7th place with Jo Shimoda and Garrett Marchbanks in tail. Nate Thrasher, Craig’s teammate, was running in third place until he bounced awkwardly into a corner, leading to an off-track fall and another position up for grabs.
As the main event neared an end, Christian found himself in fourth place after passing Carson Mumford through the whoops. Christian then gave chase to Vince Friese and the third place position. A lap later, Christain sat ahead of Vince momentarily, but Vince fired back and parked Craig wide in a berm. Vince continued to ride a wide bike for the remainder of that lap, until Christain returned the favor and took Vince wide before the mechanics area to take over third place. Two laps later, Craig crossed the finish line and showed not only his dominant speed, but also his heart and commitment to this championship.
Hunter Lawrence
250 Main Event Finish | 2nd Place
2022 San Diego Supercross was another consistent, yet frustrating night for HRC Honda’s Hunter Lawrence. Saturday morning began similarly to the week’s prior, as Hunter logged a 48.592-second lap time to award him with second place on the timed-qualifying leaderboards. Hunter’s lap was just a few hundredths off of the fastest lap in class, setting him up well for the night show in Petco Park.
As 250 Heat One left the gate, Hunter Lawrence exited the first turn in second place, just behind Carson Mumford. And, just a few moments later, Hunter made the pass for the lead as the riders left the face of the triple-jump. From then-on, Hunter rode consistent lap after consistent lap until the checkered flag waved and collected the heat race win.
The HRC Honda rider lined up for the 250 Main Event not knowing his best opportunity to take control of the 250 West Coast championship was just moments away. As Hunter Lawrence snagged the holeshot and the early lead, his championship rival Christian Craig sat under a bike in the start-straight. Michael Mosiman acted fast on his second place start and made the pass into the lead, pushing Hunter back into second place. Lawrence then began his night full of trailing Mosiman and searching for an area to pass. Before the Main Event ended, Hunter put together a handful of attacks but was never able to complete the pass for the lead.
As the lead duo battled through traffic, lappers began to play a role more and more in their race. During Hunter’s best shot at the lead; Mosiman and him were four-wide with lappers in the whoops when Hunter ran out of room and tipped the bike over exiting the whoop section. However, the well-liked Australian was quick to remount aboard his HRC Honda and even closed back in on Mosiman before the Main Event reached its end. As Hunter crossed the checkered flag in second-place, he was visibly frustrated he fell short of a Main Event victory.
Michael Mosiman
250 Main Event Finish | 1st Place
The third round of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross season would forever hold a memorable part in Michael Mosiman’s career. Though, the 2022 San Diego Supercross began just how the last few rounds have for the Troy Lee Designs/RedBull/GasGas racer. Michael was one of three riders to dip into the 48’s in 250 West Coast timed-qualifying, as he sat in third place after logging a 48.985 in the second session.
When it came to the heat race, Mosiman snagged a decent start and was able to climb his way into second place after a few early passes. Following his pass on Vince Friese for second place, Michael then gave chase to Christian Craig but ran out of time and finished just a few bike lengths back.
The Troy Lee Designs/RedBull/GasGas racer rocketed out of the gate in the 250 Main Event, only to be beat to the hotshot line by Hunter Lawrence. However, Mosiman made a quick pass on the HRC Honda rider and took over the lead in Petco Park. Following his pass for the lead, Michael Mosiman then had to fend off challenges from Hunter Lawrence throughout the Main Event, all while battling his way through the lappers. Hunter caught up to the rear tire of Michael a few times, but Mosiman was able to look ahead and continue on with his race each time. As the checkered flag waved, Michael Mosiman took the 250 Main Event win in San Diego and collected his first-ever career Supercross victory.
Dylan Ferrandis
450 Main Event Finish | 3rd Place
After winning the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross championship this past summer, there was no question Dylan Ferrandis has what it takes in the 450cc class. And although we saw flashes of success in 450 supercross last year, we had not yet seen what Dylan has to offer in 2022. That is, before round three of the series in San Diego.
The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha racer started his day off on the right foot in timed-qualifying, as he logged a 47.966 second lap-time that awarded him with second place on the leaderboard. Following his success in qualifying, Ferrandis was faced with another bad jump off of the gate in his heat race. However, Dylan managed to climb his way through the pack and ultimately make a pass on Justin Bogle to secure a fifth place finish.
As the 450 Main Event left the gate, Ferrandis was greeted with a decent start that placed him inside of the top-10. The Frenchman then put his head down and raced towards the front as chaos unfolded ahead. After being passed for the lead, Marvin Musquin’s race fell apart and Ferrandis was there capitalize on the misfortune. And that seemed to be the theme of Dylan’s Main Event; while he logged consistent lap after consistent lap, those ahead of him had their own crashes or problems. Jason Anderson was one who fell victim to unfortunate luck and while he faded with bike issues, Dylan Ferrandis capitalized on the opportunity and found himself in third place.
In the closing laps of San Diego’s 450 Main Event, Dylan had to fend off multiple challenges from Cooper Webb. Though, each time Webb seemed to close the door on Ferrandis, the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider would up the pace and pull back away. With two laps to go, Cooper Webb put together one last charge towards Dylan, but yet again, Ferrandis held him off and crossed the checkered flag in third place.
Eli Tomac
450 Main Event Finish | 2nd Place
Since his switch to the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team, we haven’t seen much of Eli Tomac in the main events. Though, that’s not to discredit his solid and consistent start to the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross series. The number-3 Yamaha has put up some solid results, but has been overshadowed by battles just ahead of him. However, that theme came to an end inside of Petco Park.
Qualifying was nothing to write home about for Eli Tomac, as his fastest lap-time landed him in ninth place on the leaderboards and was a full second slower than Jason Anderson’s time. However, Eli’s pace seemed closer to last week’s winners in the second 450cc Heat Race, as he battled his way into second place after squaring Justin Barcia up after the whoops.
Eli Tomac set himself up for a good night in the 450 Main Event, as he exited turn one just behind Sexton and Musquin. Eli seemed unfazed by the long set of whoops, as he made the pass on Marvin Musquin for second place after pulling alongside the RedBull KTM rider and then squaring him up in the turn following, identical to the pass he made on Barcia in the heat race. Tomac was then faced with a lonely race, as Sexton had already built-up a cushion on the rest of the field. That is, until Jason Anderson reeled in the Yamaha rider and replicated Eli’s earlier pass on Marvin, but this time Eli was the rider going backwards.
At almost that exact moment, Anderson’s bike began to smoke. It was as if Eli Tomac had passed the bad juju of mechanicals he experienced on the Kawasaki, believed to be a big motivation for Eli switching brands, right along to Anderson. As Jason was unable to jump certain rhythms and faded, Eli Tomac found himself in, yet again, a lonely race in second place. As the checkered flag waved, Eli Tomac snagged the second place finish and made his appearance on the podium for the first time in 2022.
Chase Sexton
450 Main Event Finish | 1st Place
What a night for HRC Honda’s Chase Sexton! But before we get to the Main Event, Sexton’s solid day started in timed-qualifying, where he topped the leaderboards for a majority of the final session until falling back to third place. Sexton’s third place on the qualifying sheets landed him in the second Heat Race, where he battled his way to fourth place finish. Surely Sexton wasn’t thrilled with his result in the Heat, but perhaps that prompted a more determined attitude for the Main Event.
As the gate drops for the 450 Main Event, Chase Sexton is met at the hotshot line by Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb. However, as they exit the second turn, Chase is trailing the number-25 KTM and leading the rest of the field. A few laps pass and Sexton’s patience appear to reach a limit, as he dives inside of Marvin before the finish line and takes the RedBull KTM veteran wide to control the race lead.
The pass on Marvin was about the last look of Chase Sexton the rest of the field had, as the HRC Honda rider put together a flawless charge and built quite the lead. Sexton clicked off fast-lap after fast-lap and was only challenged by his own bobble, as his rear wheel stepped out in the whoops with two laps to go. Luckily, Sexton pulled it back together and stayed off the ground. And as the checkered flag waved in San Diego, Chase Sexton became a 450 Supercross winner.
The speed shown by Sexton in the 2021 Supercross season and in moments of the first two rounds in 2022 is undeniable. Many believed he would snag his first 450SX victory in 2022, but will this be one of many? Does the momentum of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross 450 Championship swing in Sexton’s way? We’ll see in a week!
