Eli Tomac Secures 7th Supercross Win and Triple Crown Championship Victory in Minneapolis

Saturday night’s racing in Minneapolis was action-packed and intense, unlike the previous mud bog round in Seattle. Both the 450SX and 250SX classes had great battles all night in the three-race Triple Crown format, with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac topping the premier class podium and GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin taking the 250SX win. Round 14 in Minneapolis proved to be a good night for some, and a tough one for others. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson had to battle harder than he’s needed to lately and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner just seemed to unravel as the night went on. Forkner finished 1-10-19 for a 10th overall, and he crashed four different times in the third race. The season isn’t over yet, though, this weekend the gang heads Northeast to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts for Round 15.

Brent Jaswinski

Minneapolis Supercross 2018

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – April 15, 2018 – Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returned to Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium in front of a crowd of 49,846 fans for the third and final Triple Crown Event, a three-city showdown introduced in 2018 where both the 250SX and 450SX Classes compete in three Main Events.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki of Eli Tomac captured his seventh win of the season and overall 450SX Class victory, in addition to the first-ever Triple Crown Championship, which was awarded to Tomac who finished with the lowest overall Olympic-style score in the three-race series.

“We’re out here to win and that’s what we did,” Tomac said after the race. “We got it done tonight … It’s been a long, hard day and everyone worked their butt off when we got here. Just a great way to cap off the night.”

In the first Main Event, Tomac and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson went bar-to-bar after the start until Tomac found the outside line around Anderson and checked out ahead of Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia and SmarTops Bullfrog Spas Honda’s Justin Brayton, and Autotrader/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Weston Peick muscled up to fifth.

Brayton lead the majority of the second Main Event ahead of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC/KTM/WPS Team’s Blake Baggett and Anderson after the start with Peick and Team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin battling inside the top five. Tomac worked his way up from a seventh-place start and a four-way wheel-to-wheel battle for third between Baggett, Peick, Musquin and Tomac put Peick into third while Anderson worked on Brayton until a mistake put Anderson back to sixth. Musquin made the moves on Peick for second and found another fast line around Brayton to take the top spot with Peick rounding out the top three.

In the third and final Main Event, Tomac and Brayton were side-by-side for the lead ahead of Anderson while Barcia worked his way up to fourth followed by Musquin. Anderson pulled away from a three-way battle for second with Musquin moving from fourth to second over Tomac. Barcia and Brayton rounded out the top five.

“Tonight was some of the gnarliest battling I’ve had to do all year,” Anderson said on the podium. “That’s what this Triple Crown brings; it brings that intense racing. I’m just pumped to get out of here with a solid finish. Those three intense races are gnarly.”

Minneapolis Supercross 2018
Tomac is joined by Jason Anderson and Marvin Musquin on the 450SX Class podium in Minneapolis at Round 14 of the 2018 season. | Photo credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.

In the first Main Event for the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner got out to an early lead ahead of Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Jordon Smith and GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne. Martin pressured Smith for second while Forkner lead from the start and captured the win.

In the second Main Event, Smith grabbed the holeshot while Osborne found his way to second after the first lap, and Martin rounded out the top three. Osborne worked to pass Smith and opened a gap to the finish.

In the third Main Event, Josh Osby caught the holeshot ahead of a battle between Smith and Osborne while Martin and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC/KTM/WPS Team’s Anthony Rodriguez diced it up behind the leader. Smith quickly moved into the lead followed by Martin, Osborne and Forkner before Martin made the move on Smith and captured the overall Triple Crown victory, his second consecutive Eastern Regional 250SX Class win.

“To do it in my hometown state in front of everyone, it’s a dream come true, and this is one of those I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. It’s a blessing I get to ride dirt bikes,” Martin said on the podium.

Minneapolis Supercross 2018
Jeremy Martin captured his second-consecutive Eastern Regional 250SX Class win and first Triple Crown victory in Minneapolis. | Photo credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.

For official race results, please visit results.amasupercross.com.

450SX Class Results

  1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-4-3)
  2. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna (2-6-1)
  3. Marvin Musquin, Clermont, Fla., KTM (7-1-2)
  4. Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., Honda (4-2-5)
  5. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., Yamaha (3-7-4)
  6. Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Suzuki (5-3-11)
  7. Tyler Bowers, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Kawasaki (8-8-6)
  8. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrance, Calif., KTM (6-5-12)
  9. Christian Craig, Orange, Calif., Honda (14-10-7)
  10. Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (9-9-13)

450SX Class Championship Standings

  1. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna (311)
  2. Marvin Musquin, Clermont, Fla., KTM (272)
  3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (246)
  4. Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., Honda (232)
  5. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrance, Calif., KTM (224)
  6. Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Suzuki (202)
  7. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., KTM (184)
  8. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (181)
  9. Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (165)
  10. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (134)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results

  1. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (3-3-1)
  2. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (4-1-2)
  3. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM (2-2-3)
  4. Sean Cantrell, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (5-4-5)
  5. Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., KTM (6-11-6)
  6. Joshua Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., KTM (9-6-9)
  7. Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha (16-5-4)
  8. John Short, Pilot Point, Texas, Yamaha (11-8-8)
  9. Thomas Ramette, Guilherand, France, Yamaha (8-15-7)
  10. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (1-10-19)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings

  1. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (154)
  2. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM (142)
  3. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (138)
  4. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (137)
  5. Luke Renzland, Hewitt, N.J., Yamaha (95)
  6. Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Suzuki (86)
  7. Sean Cantrell, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, (78)
  8. Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha (73)
  9. RJ Hampshire, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (57)
  10. Athony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., KTM (57)

The 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season returns to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts for Round 15 on April 21. Watch the action live on FOX at 3 p.m. ET.

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to SupercrossLIVE.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross, or follow via social channels:

Facebook: facebook.com/supercrosslive
Twitter: twitter.com/supercrosslive
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