GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac and Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb both became first-tome winners in their respective classes at the Phoenix Supercross.
Less than a year after claiming his first career AMA 450cc National Motocross win, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac accomplished another milestone at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, tonight, winning his first career Monster Energy AMA 450cc Supercross main event.
It was a perfect test for Tomac, who battled bar-to-bar with last week’s winner Ken Roczen before finally pulling clear of the RCH Soaring Eagle Jimmy John Suzuki rider to become the 58th man in AMA Supercross history to record a premier-class victory. Tomac finished the race with a 6.4-second cushion over Roczen while former AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey made his first podium appearance of 2015 by passing a surprisingly stout Weston Peick late in the 20-lap main event to finish third.
Phoenix marked a nice turnaround for Tomac, who carded a disappointing 20th-place finish in the Anaheim season opener after qualifying fastest and also winning the fastest heat race there. Tomac accomplished both of those feats again in Phoenix, but he did even better by pulling the holeshot in the main event and outdueling Roczen to take the win.
“That was just a battle to the end, pretty much,” Tomac said. “Me and Kenny had an amazing race, to say the least. It was a lot of fun racing out there. We both were super clean, respected each other. Halfway through, we were going for it, and that was taking some wind out of my sails, but I held on for it [the win], and it’s something to build on. I don’t even know what to say.”
Joining Tomac as a first-time class winner was Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb, who put together an excellent ride in the 250cc West main event to claim his first career win in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.
“I felt like last weekend I could’ve gotten it done, but, hey, this feels just as good,” Webb said. “We got it done.”
450cc
Team Honda’s Cole Seely snagged the holeshot in the opening 450cc heat race, while Roczen was mired in the middle of the pack. Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and Toyota/JGR Yamaha’s Justin Barcia quickly slotted into second and third place respectively. Dungey reeled-in Seely late on the last lap of the heat, but Seely was riding well, and he was able to fend off Dungey’s advances and score the first 450cc heat race win of his career.
“I did make a mistake in the whoops there on the second to last lap and spiked the heart rate a little bit, but other than that I felt great,” Seely said. “The bike is working really good, and everything is just kind of falling in line. Last weekend was a little rough, so I’m looking for some redemption.”
Dungey, Barcia and Team Honda’s Trey Canard also earned direct transfers to the main event, while RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John Suzuki teammates Broc Tickle and Roczen would have to qualify through a semi.
As it turned out, Canard would be the only Anaheim I podium finisher to go straight through the heat and into the main. In heat two, fast qualifier Tomac put his GEICO Honda out front right off the start, and he rode away from Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Davi Millsaps and BTO Sports KTM’s Justin Brayton. TwoTwo Motorsports/Discount Tire Kawasaki teammates Josh Grant and Chad Reed were tied together in fourth and fifth respectively, and Grant made a pass on Brayton for third place with two laps to go. Reed came right with him to grab the final direct transfer spot. Reed then passed Grant, and Brayton, sensing the opportunity on the last lap, snuck by Grant to steal away the fourth and final transfer position.
Meanwhile, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson was struggling to make his way through the pack, and he ended up tangling with Red Bull KTM’s Dean Wilson and crashing late in the heat race, which forced him to ride a semi.
Tomac stayed out of trouble up front and went on to take an easy win in what turned out to be the faster of the two 450cc heat races.
“I feel great, and my Honda feels awesome,” Tomac said. “It’s the best it has ever been I can ride like myself, and most of all I can just let loose right now. It’s all about getting that start. I can’t wait for the main.”
Roczen, Grant, Anderson and BTO Sports KTM’s Short were among the heavyweights in the first 450cc semi, and Roczen wasted no time in pulling the holeshot and riding away from Brett Metcalfe and Jimmy Albertson. Anderson quickly began to work his way forward after starting just outside the top five, and he was by Short and Albertson into second place by the halfway point in the semi. Roczen was already over 9 seconds in front of Anderson at that point, and he went on to win the race, followed by Anderson, Short, Grant and Jake Weimer.
Mike Alessi grabbed the holeshot in the second semi, but Wilson was past him before the field hit the second corner. Toyota/JGR Yamaha’s Peick was also quickly past Alessi, and he immediately put the pressure on Wilson in a bid for the race lead. Peick shot around Wilson to briefly take the lead over the finish line jump at the start of lap three, only to see Wilson grab it back. Peick then made another pass attempt, and it stuck. Peick went on to take the semi win, ahead of Wilson, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Baggett and Alessi. Tickle got a drive off the last corner to launch past Josh Hill and take the final transfer spot.
AJ Catanzaro won the LCQ, followed by Brett Metcalfe, Jimmy Albertson and Kyle Partridge, all of them making it into the main event.
Tomac barely edged out Dungey and Seely to get the holeshot at the start of the 20-lap main event, but Roczen made an aggressive run through the whoops to swoop into second place, followed by the surprising Peick, both riders dropping Dungey to fourth place. Roczen wasn’t done, as he dove underneath Tomac in the rhythm section right after the whoops and took the lead in the next corner.
Dungey also put pressure on Tomac, but Peick was on the charge, and he was giving Dungey a real fight for the third spot. Peick made a pass on Dungey before the whoop section on lap two, with Short and Millsaps creeping up behind Dungey while battling for fifth place. Meanwhile, last week’s podium finishers Anderson and Canard were buried in the field, with the Anderson running 14th and Canard 17th.
Roczen tried to set a fast and steady pace, but it appeared as though Tomac might be quicker in the whoops. Both men were running mid 55-second lap times through the first five laps, and they were separated by less than a second, with Peick running about 3.1 seconds behind Tomac.
Tomac went to school on Roczen for a few laps before he began to pressure the German for the lead on lap seven. He showed Roczen a wheel in the short chute just after the finish line jump, but Roczen answered back with a good run through the whoops to pull out a couple bike lengths over Tomac. The Honda rider pulled alongside Roczen in the whoops on the next lap, but Roczen was able to fend him off again.
“When we were going back and forth, I could tell there was respect between us, and that’s just awesome,” Tomac said. “We weren’t trying to take each other out. We were just going out there and putting our best efforts on the track, not worrying about each other. That’s what racing is all about.”
Tomac’s third attempt at a pass was the charm, as he got a drive out of the corner that led to the finish line jump and passed Roczen though that section. Roczen refused to back off, however, and he knifed back under Tomac in the right-hand before the whoops to retake the lead. Tomac again got a superior drive, though, and he was able to inch past Roczen through the whoops and then put a gap on Roczen.
The field began to string out by the halfway point, with Peick still holding onto third place, with Dungey fourth and Millsaps fifth. Short was having another solid ride in sixth, but Anderson was on the move and was up to seventh place, followed by Wilson, Canard and Reed.
Proving just how stacked the class is in 2015, the battle for 10th, which began to heat up with five laps to go, included Reed, Wilson, Barcia, Mettcalfe, Baggett and Seely!
Dungey finally began to challenge Peick on lap 16, drawing close to the Yamaha rider, who managed to gap Dungey once again by tripling a set of jumps in one of the short sections. Peick still appeared to be faster in the whoops, but Dungey was quicker in the corners, and he finally put Peick away with two laps to go, cementing the top three finishers.
The battle for the win was effectively over already at that point, as Tomac had amassed a 6-second lead over Roczen, who said that he was still happy with his own performance.
“It was great racing,” Roczen said. “I didn’t feel too good coming into the main, but after that start I ran good the first 10 laps and had a good battle with Eli. He beat me straight up, but that’s fun, you know. It’s about smart racing, and I’ll take a podium any time.”
Dungey said that he only wished that his pass on Peick would have come sooner in the main event than inside the last couple laps.
“I tried,” he said. “I started switching my lines up, and one lap before I made the pass I saw that I had something there, so I did the same thing, and it ended up working out that time. I lost a lot of ground there in the beginning. I just have to make those opening laps count, and we would have been right there. It’s a step better.”
250cc
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers opened the show by grabbing the lead in the opening 250cc heat race, with Austin Politelli, Red Bull KTM’s Justin Hill, Josh Hansen and Aaron Plessinger running in the top five, Hill and Hansen both passed Politelli on the opening lap of the heat to move into second and third respectively. Plessinger would get past Hansen through one of the rhythm sections to take over third place.
Hill, who came into Phoenix battling an illness, appeared to have plenty in the tank as he latched onto Bowers’ rear fender and began to pressure him for the lead with two laps to go. Hill finally worked his way inside Bowers in a right-hand corner and stood the multi-time Arenacross Champion up in the corner, using an aggressive but very clean move to take over the lead. Bowers refused to give up, and he retook the lead over a tabletop jump just a few turns before the finish, but Hill battled back and re-passed Bowers just before the checkered flag for the heat win.
“In a battle like that you can’t give an inch, and I think that looking around is kind of a mistake,” Hill said. “If you’ve got your eyes looking where you want to go, normally you can get there. I’m a little sick, but we’re going to do what we can do [in the main]. I feel like I left something, definitely, on the table, and I’m not going to do that again. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get this win tonight.”
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Red Bull KTM’s Jessy Nelson, picked up right where he left off in winning the Anaheim I main event when he took the early lead and cruised to the win in heat race number two. Behind Nelson, GEICO Honda’s Matt Bisceglia and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Red Bull KTM’s Shane McElrath ran second and third. GEICO Honda’s Malcolm Stewart and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne both had their work cut out for them, however, as they crashed in separate incidents on the opening lap. Osborne would recover to finish eighth while Stewart would finish 10th and be forced to ride in the LCQ,
Nelson went on to win the heat, with McElrath second and the day’s fast qualifier, Webb, piloting his Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha past Bisceglia to finish third. Nelson admitted that he is enjoying a lot of momentum right now, but that it is due to a lot of hard work with his team.
“I’m super happy, and I couldn’t thank them enough,” Nelson said. “Luckily, I got off to a good start in that heat, and I just kind of rode my race, so it was cool.”
Stewart got an excellent start in the four-lap LCQ, and ran away from the field to bag win and ensure a spot in the main event. He would be joined by privateer Yamaha rider Michael Lieb, Freeberg and Alex Martinez.
Osborne grabbed the holeshot in the 15-lap main event with Webb behind him, but Stewart split both riders and blitzed into the lead through the whoop section. Nelson was fourth, the front four quickly pulling away from the battle for fifth place, which included Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Alldredge and Plessinger.
Stewart quickly built a gap between himself and Webb, who had passed Osborne for third place by lap three. Nelson also dropped Osborne to fourth place.
However, Webb reeled-in Stewart just as quickly, and the Yamaha rider cut to the inside over the finish line jump and passed Stewart for the lead in the ensuing right-hand turn to take the lead. Meanwhile, Alldredge and Plessinger engaged in a fierce battle for fifth place with Bowers quickly joining them just as Plessinger cased one of the jumps in a rhythm section. Bowers passed Alldredge and went after Plessinger. Hill worked his way up to seventh place by lap seven, passing the fading Alldredge to take that spot.
Up front, Webb had a 4.8-second lead over Stewart as the race eclipsed the halfway point. Nelson still ran third, but Plessinger had moved past Osborne for fourth place. Stewart then came under fire from Nelson with five laps to go, and the two battled in close quarters before Stewart was able to put a few lengths on Nelson. Plessinger was also having a great race, and he began to close the gap to Nelson with three laps to go.
“It was a really rough week leading up to this, but when it comes to race time, you’ve just got to put your head down,” Webb said. “Practice went great for me. The heat race was actually a little scary. I got into a couple pileups again. I just knew I had to get a start [in the main].”
Stewart’s second-place finish was also the best supercross finish of his career, and it was hard-earned after the issues he had last weekend in Anaheim and again during his heat race tonight.
“I was pretty bummed out, honestly, after two weeks straight of going to the LCQ,” Stewart said. “Overall, I’m so thankful right now. You guys don’t even understand. I’ve been having a rough one, so definitely [my] hat’s off to everybody.”
Nelson’s steady third-place finish only increased his lead in the 250cc West points standings.
“It was up and down,” Nelson said of his performance. The start was okay. I came around the first turn all right, and I made a couple passes, and all of a sudden I got really tight. I don’t think I was breathing too much. To get away with a third and still come away with the points lead, the way it worked out was really well.”
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series
Chase Field
Phoenix, Arizona
Results: January 10, 2015 (Round 2 of 17)
450cc Main
1. Eli Tomac-Hon
2. Ken Roczen-Suz
3. Ryan Dungey-KTM
4. Weston Peick-Yam
5. Davi Millsaps-Kaw
6. Jason Anderson-Hus
7. Andrew Short-KTM
8. Trey Canard-Hon
9. Jake Weimer-Kaw
10. Chad Reed-Kaw
11. Justin Barcia-Yam
12. Broc Tickle-Suz
13. Blake Baggett-Suz
14. Cole Seely-Hon
15. Justin Brayton-KTM
16. Brett Metcalfe-Suz
17. Dean Wilson-KTM
18. Mike Alessi-Suz
19. Josh Grant-Kaw
20. Jimmy Albertson-Yam
21. Kyle Partridge-Hon
22. AJ Catanzaro-Suz
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series Point Standings (After 2 of 17 rounds)
1. Ken Roczen-47/1 win
2. Ryan Dungey-38
3. Jason Anderson-37
4. Trey Canard-33
5. Weston Peick-32
6. Andrew Short-30
7. Eli Tomac-26/1 win
8. Justin Barcia-25
9. (TIE) Broc Tickle-22
Jake Weimer-22
Chad Reed-22
12. Davi Millsaps-18
13. Blake Baggett-17
14. Mike Alessi-15
15. Justin Brayton-14
Cole Seely-14
17. Dean Wilson-10
18. Brett Metcalfe-9
19. (TIE) Josh Hill-5
Josh Grant-5
250cc West Main
1. Cooper Webb-Yam
2. Malcom Stewart-Hon
3. Jessy Nelson-KTM
4. Tyler Bowers-Kaw
5. Aaron Plessinger-Yam
6. Justin Hill-KTM
7. Zach Osborne-Hus
8. Shane McElrath-KTM
9. Zach Bell-Hus
10. Tommy Hahn-Hon
11. Matt Bisceglia-Hon
12. Michael Lieb-Hon
13. Josh Hansen-Kaw
14. Cole Martinez-Yam
15. Chris Alldredge-Kaw
16. Scott Champion-Yam
17. Zack Freeberg-Yam
18. Jackson Richardson-Hon
19. Landen Powell-KTM
20. Alex Martin-Yam
21. Nico Izzi-Yam
22. Austin Politelli-Yam
AMA 250cc West Supercross Series Point Standings (After 2 of 8 rounds)
1. Jessy Nelson-45/1 win
2. Cooper Webb-39/1 win
3. Tyler Bowers-38
4. Zach Osborne-36
5. Justin Hill-33
6. Aaron Plessinger-32
7. Shane McElrath-28
8. Malcolm Stewart-23
9. Zach Bell-22
10. (TIE) Josh Hansen-20
Michael Lieb-20
12. (TIE) Tommy Hahn-18
Matt Bisceglia-18
14. (TIE) Alex Martin-14
Scott Champion-14
16. Cole Martinez-8
17. (TIE) Trevor Reis-6
Chris Alldredge-6
Nico Izzi-6
Zack Freeberg-6
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