Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Josh Hill continued his roll at during round six of the 2017 Monster Energy AMA 250SX West Supercross Series at AT&T Stadium, but Hill’s fourth straight series win Saturday night didn’t come without a little good luck.
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Shane McElrath pulled the holeshot to start the main event while Hill and teammate Austin Forkner ran second and third, respectively.
Hill shadowed McElrath through the halfway point of the race, but McElrath was able to pull away when the pair encountered lapped traffic. However, McElrath’s hopes for his third win of the season went out the window when he ran into mechanical issues and slowed, allowing Hill to take over the lead and easily pull away from the pack. Even more disastrous for McElrath, he was unable to finish the race, losing even more valuable points toward the championship.
With McElrath out, Forkner then moved into second place. Meanwhile, Yamlube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger worked into third after starting the main event 12th.
Hill went on to win by a margin of just over 2 seconds. The win marked the first four-race victory run by the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team since Christophe Pourcel did in 2010. On the podium, however, Hill graciously acknowledged the break that he caught in the main event.
“It was a tough break for Shane [McElrath] tonight,” Hill said. “I hate to win like that but we never gave up all night. This is the first time I’ve been in the championship fight this late in the season, and I’m going to do all I can to bring it home. It’s great for the entire team to extend our lead heading into the break.”
Hill now has a comfortable, 21-point lead over Plessinger in the 250 SX West series points standings.
2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
February 11, 2017 (Round 6 of 8)
250 SX West Main
1. Justin Hill-Kaw
2. Austin Forkner-Kaw
3. Aaron Plessinger-Yam
4. Jimmy Decotis-Hon
5. Dan Reardon-Yam
6. Jeremy Martin-Hon
7. Martin Davalos-Hus
8. Cole Martinez-Yam
9. Hayden Mellross-Yam
10. Kyle Chisholm-Hon
11. Noah McConahy-Yam
12. Ryan Surratt-Kaw
13. Justin Hoeft-Yam
14. AJ Catanzaro-Yam
15. Justin Starling-Hus
16. Killian Auberson-KTM
17. Scott Champion-Yam
18. Chris Alldredge-Yam
19. Chase Marquier-Hon
20. Broc Shoemaker-Yam
21. Chris Howell-Hus
22. Shane McElrath-KTM
2017 Monster Energy AMA 250Sx West Supercross Series Points Standings (after 6 of 8 rounds)
1. Justin Hill-138/4 wins
2. Aaron Plessinger-117
3. Shane McElrath-113/2 wins
4. Martin Davalos-106
5. Jimmy Decotis-91
6. Austin Forkner-90
7. Dan Reardon-72
8. Kyle Chisholm-60
9. Jeremy Martin-55
10. Phil Nicoletti-54
Your Privacy Choices