Fast Five // Oakland SX

Hard to believe, but Round 5 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship is already in the books. We traveled North to Oakland, CA, home of the Oakland Raiders for the 4^th and final stop in California. Ironically, we managed to go 4-for-4 having rain affect our racing schedule in all of the California races. Round 5 also marked the first day race on the series. Due to the rain, we saw a rapidly deteriorating track that was extremely soft and rutted by the end of the day. Racing is really heating up in both classes – exciting for riders and fans alike. In no particular order, here are this week’s most memorable and most talked about moments, your “Fast Five”.

Dean Wilson Lands Factory Ride

The name of the game for the #15 of Dean Wilson has long since been perseverance. He’s landed on his fair share of factory teams over the years, but unfortunately those rides have also been plagued by as many season-ending injuries before he ever really got the ball rolling. But one thing is for certain, Dean Wilson loves to go racing and was going to stop at nothing to make sure that happened this year. He lined up for the first four rounds of racing aboard his privateer-backed and dad-wrenched Yamaha, showing that no longer having a ride didn’t mean the #15 would run his program from the couch this year. While he wasn’t certain he would be able to make it to all the rounds as a privateer, he sure was going to put in the effort to make it happen. Having put down very consistent result for the first four rounds of racing, finishing just outside the Top 10 for each round. Luckily for Dean, the #377 of Christophe Pourcel has opted out of the remainder of the Monster Energy Supercross season in order to prepare for the Rockstar Canadian Nationals. The deal that would bring Wilson to the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team for the remainder of the Supercross season was signed sealed and delivered just two days before we dropped the gate in Oakland. Hard to believe that in his time as a pro, Dean has only racked up 13 Main Event career starts, but he is healthy and ready to race. He would take the 450SX LCQ win in Oakland followed by his season-best Main Event finish of 10^th place, even after only having a couple short days on the new bike.

AJ Catanzaro is 2^nd Fastest Qualifier in 250SX

Blue Buffalo Slater Skins Yamaha backed rider, the #95 of AJ Catanzaro, set the second fastest qualifying time in practice, only .843 seconds behind Justin Hill. He would go on to finish 3^rd in his Heat Race with a direct transfer to the Main Event – a great start for the evening. Catanzaro showed he’s able to run with the front of the pack and aimed to carry his momentum through to the Main Event. Unfortunately, that momentum came to a screeching halt when AJ hit neutral on the face of the double, causing him to roll the jump, which resulted in the #100 of Josh Hansen locking his rear wheel with Catanzaro’s front fender – AJ would then be catapulted off his bike. Luckily for both riders, nothing but their bikes and forward momentum were bruised in the crash. Judging by the replay, it could’ve easily been a lot worse. He would finish the evening in 19^th, but overall, Oakland was a great step in the right direction for Catanzaro and we’ll look to see him make a move toward the front of the pack in when we arrive in Arlington.

Cooper Webb Hits Historical Mark with First Career 450SX Podium

The name Cooper Webb became synonymous with wins and podium appearances in the past two seasons where he earned the title of Back-to-Back 250SX Western Regional Champion – winning the championship in both 2015 and 2016. 2017, however, would once again bring the label “rookie” to the #2 of Webb as he made the move to the Premier Class. It’s no secret that Webb has been ready to make his return to the podium – we haven’t seen Coop up on the box since Santa Clara SX of 2016. This “drought” of podium appearances really only adds up to five total races – beginning with the 2016 Vegas finals, followed by the first four rounds of the 2017 season. However, that’s five races too long for Webb. You can see when he lines up each week, that the wheels are turning and Cooper is taking in and processing all information looking for that missing piece in his podium puzzle. It would be in Oakland where Webb checked off two historical markers in his career accomplishments list. After qualifying first in the 450SX class on the soft and rutted dirt, the #2 would go on to winning his Heat Race – his first career Heat Race win in the 450SX class. Webb followed up his direct-to-Main transfer performance with a solid 3^rd place ride in the Main Event. Is this the turning point for the rookie? Will this momentum snowball into another string of back-to-back-to-back podium appearances? It seems as if the missing piece of the puzzle has been found and with the added confidence of getting your first podium appearance out of the way, we should expect to see Webb up on the box again here soon. Will the rookie manage a win this season?

Two Wins in a Row for Eli Tomac

For all the naysayers that said the series would be boring with the absence of Ken Roczen, or that Ryan Dungey was already crowned a three-peat Champion, you couldn’t be further from the truth. As Ryan stated after racing in Glendale, “When the championship is done and the guy is holding the #1 plate, that’s when it’s done. Nobody crowned anyone last weekend” (referring to Kenny’s crash in Anaheim). We still have 12 races to go in the 450SX series, and the way it’s heating up, it looks like it’ll come down to the last race of the season before we crown the 2017 450SX Champion. Is Ryan in contention for a three-peat? Certainly. But we also can’t count out riders like Eli Tomac. He’s another rider that seems to have discovered the “secret sauce” he was missing the first three rounds of the season. Following his win in Glendale, Eli had the right kind of momentum and confidence coming into Round 5 in Oakland. Although he would be scored with 8^th off the start, he chose a triple-in quad-out rhythm in one of the challenging rhythm sections that almost no other rider was taking – a smart racing choice that made up a ton of time each lap. While Tomac was clocked at as many as 7 seconds behind leader Ryan Dungey during the Main Event, his unique rhythm choice and lightning-fast speed on the rutted track would ultimately launch him to the front of the pack after 16 laps of competition. The rider who had a 7 second deficit would ultimately finish nearly 8 seconds AHEAD of Ryan Dungey – making up an almost unheard of 15 seconds of time over the course of the 20 minute + 1 lap Main Event. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac took the checkers and the top step of the podium for the second week in a row. Tomac heads into Round 6 sitting 2^nd in points, only 17 points behind current leader and defending champion, Ryan Dungey. An object in motion tends to stay in motion – will this newfound confidence and momentum push Tomac into the points lead in a few more rounds?

Justin Hill Becomes New 250SX Points Leader

Fastest qualifier, Justin Hill, has been on a roll this season. With the exception of the opening round of the series, Hill has landed on the podium in the remaining four races. Even after feeling under weather the entire week leading up to Oakland, keeping Hill off the bike the whole week, he showed up ready to race when the gate dropped. Qualifying in first and then taking second in his Heat was certainly beneficial for Hill as he was able to conserve as much energy as possible for the Main Event. In the Main, Hill would miss the holeshot, but would take the lead before the end of the first lap. Justin remained in the lead for the entire 16 lap Main Event, capturing his third victory in a row on the season. Not only is Hill the first rider in either class to secure three wins in a row, but he also claimed the points lead and Red Plates, only one point over Shane McElrath as we head to Texas. Mitch Payton giving the #46 of Hill a second chance on the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team is one that Justin doesn’t take lightly and is proving to be an excellent choice – once again putting the team in championship contention.