2020 Atlanta Supercross | Qualifying Report

2020 ATLANTA SUPERCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Qualifying has just concluded for the 2020 Atlanta Supercross, round nine of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series. The Georgia race is one of the special stops of each calendar year and since this race is the halfway point of the 17-stop schedule, riders know it’s key to get a good result and carry that momentum through the long stretch ahead. What happened during the afternoon portion of the program at Mercedes-Benz Stadium? Here’s a quick synopsis of the timed practice sessions…

After last weekend’s Triple Crown and challenging track, we’re in for a more relaxed program and circuit in Atlanta. Rhythm sections with multiple options, split lanes, a sand pit, and some long flat runs will make for close racing, and hopefully far fewer injuries.

250 CLASS | QUALIFYING REPORT

GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton and Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Shane McElrath are currently the top of the 250 Class right now and that was made even more clear during the qualifying runs. McElrath was the fastest rider in the first session and Sexton upped the pace during the final session to be the only rider in the small-bore class with a lap 50-second lap time. To be specific, Sexton’s best was a 50.406 and McElrath’s was a 51.043.

RJ Hampshire had a rather unassuming afternoon, as he was outside the top-five for much of the day. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider wicked it up in the closing moments of the final session to turn a 51.835 lap, which put him third overall.

Pierce Brown missed the first two 250 East Coast rounds with a shoulder injury, so today’s race is his pro debut with the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM team. Brown might up as a big surprise to the weekend. He was in the unseeded group, which is the protocol for riders at their first event, and put in a 51.948 time, which was the fourth-fastest of the class.

Garrett Marchbanks has been impressive through the first part of the season and the afternoon in Atlanta was just another sign of progress for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki ride. With a 51.955 lap time, Marchbanks was fifth overall in the class.

450 CLASS | QUALIFYING REPORT

There’s a lot of attention on Eli Tomac right now. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider has the championship lead and a streak of wins to his credit, so he certainly has the speed to lead the pack and did just that during qualifying. His 50.294-second lap in the final session was the best lap of any rider in either class.

Ken Roczen is the second closest to Tomac in the title hunt and was the second-fastest during qualifying in Atlanta, too. The Team Honda HRC rider’s fastest run around the track was 50.514 seconds in the final session.

Justin Hill continues to be a pacesetter in qualifying. The SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider was around the top-five during the entire afternoon program and with a 50.921 time, was third-fastest in the class.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammates Jason Anderson and Dean Wilson’s qualifying times were very close and only 0.167-seconds separated them on the stopwatch. Anderson was the quicker of the duo with a 50.922, which put him fourth overall, while Wilson’s 51.089 put him fifth.