Rubbing is Racing: Monster Energy Supercross Anaheim 2 Race Recap

T Squared Sports for BroBible

Three races, three different race winners and a new red plate heading to round 4 of the Monster Energy Supercross series in Phoenix.

Anaheim 2 brought Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac his first win of the 2020 Season as he looks to finally capture the elusive season title he has come close to achieving. In 2019, Tomac started slow but finished strong giving Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb a fight to the finish, a finish that Webb ultimately won. This season Tomac looks to carry the momentum from an early season race win to carry him to the title in Salt Lake City in May.

“There is something to be said about believing in yourself,” said Tomac in the post race press conference. “I rode good all day. Looking back at Anaheim 1, I feel like we are so much further ahead in my comfort on the bike riding around in this race. To be back in the front fighting for the win felt great. I still have things I want to work on especially with the race next week being a triple crown race, you have to be your best three times in one night.”

The red plate, signaling who the season championship points leader is, moves from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia to the already red bike ridden by Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. After his first win in over 1000 days in St. Louis last week, Roczen took second in Anaheim and in doing so slides into that season championship top spot for the time being.

While the 450SX Class has seen its’ share of chaos in terms of the top step of the podium, having three races with three different winners doesn’t even compare to the chaos of carnage that 250SX West Class put out there in Anaheim.

For a good portion of the race, it looked like it was going to be a 1-2 finish for GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig and 16-year-old rookie Jett Lawrence, who led most of the race. However, defending champion Dylan Ferrandis of the Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing team decided to have a say in that with a controversial inside pass in a turn that wrecked Craig and while chasing Lawrence down, the rookie pushed it and crashed hard breaking his collarbone.

Ferrandis stepped onto the top of the podium to be serenaded with a chorus of BOOs, loud non-stop BOOs. It was a hard pass and hard contact and on the edge, but hard to say whether it was intentionally dirty or not.

The races next week in Glendale should speak volumes about where the riders feelings are for each other. Be sure to tune in!

450SX Class Results