The fifth round of the 2016 Monster Energy Supercross season took place in Glendale, AZ, on February 6. Although it was the first time supercross had been to the University of Phoenix Stadium, the series has a longstanding tradition of visiting the Phoenix area dating back to 1986 and consecutively since 1997.
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
450SX Report
Davi Millsaps grabbed the holeshot, but Ken Roczen had a good start as well and wasted no time getting around him. Once in 1st, it was Roczen’s race to lose, and he put down the majority of his best laps in the first half of the race in an effort to stay up front and out of the fray. Eli Tomac started in 3rd and managed to get around Millsaps on lap 3. From there, Tomac worked on Roczen. In a few cases, Tomac was able to put in faster laps than Roczen, but the difference was minimal, and it simply wasn’t enough to get Tomac in front.
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Cole Seely followed behind Tomac, taking over 3rd from Millsaps on lap 5. Ryan Dungey, who started as far back as 10th, came through the ranks and positioned himself behind Seely. When Seely’s bike stalled on lap 6, Dungey took over the final podium spot and set his sights on Tomac. Seely reentered the race in 9th, but at that point, the damage was already done for him, and the best he managed to salvage by the end was 8th.
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Jason Anderson followed behind Dungey for the first few laps, but he got stuck behind Chad Reed in 6th on lap 4. Although Anderson had made several passes and positioned himself behind Dungey again by lap 9, the delay had cost him, and Dungey’s gap over Anderson was too great for the younger rider to overcome.
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Dungey spent about 10 laps slowly whittling away the gap between Tomac and himself. Tomac’s speed began to fade in the latter half of the race, allowing Dungey to get ever closer. On lap 16, Dungey finally had his opportunity, and he made the pass to move into 2nd. At that point, he had to work on Roczen. Although he was able to shorten the distance between the two of them, there wasn’t enough time. Roczen took the win, his first in over a year. Dungey placed 2nd. Although Anderson’s final lap times were better than Tomac’s, it wasn’t sufficient to catch up, and Tomac finished in the final podium spot.
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Although Dungey did not take the win, his consistent podium finishes have kept him at the top of the overall standings. Roczen’s performance has moved him into 2nd, 21 points behind Dungey. Anderson moved back ahead of Reed and is currently in 3rd overall. Dungey has remained in 1st place in the overall standings since he first was positioned there after San Diego 1. However, the riders in the spots behind him have continually shifted. It will be interesting to see if one of them – perhaps Roczen – can solidify himself in 2nd and start catching up to Dungey.
450SX Results
| Pos. | No. | Name | Bike | Points | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94 | Ken Roczen | Suzuki | 25 | 98 |
| 2 | 1 | Ryan Dungey | KTM | 22 | 119 |
| 3 | 3 | Eli Tomac | Kawasaki | 20 | 88 |
| 4 | 21 | Jason Anderson | Husqvarna | 18 | 93 |
| 5 | 18 | Davi Millsaps* | KTM | 16 | 61 |
| 6 | 22 | Chad Reed | Yamaha | 15 | 90 |
| 7 | 10 | Justin Brayton | KTM | 14 | 61 |
| 8 | 14 | Cole Seely | Honda | 13 | 83 |
| 9 | 25 | Marvin Musquin | KTM | 12 | 63 |
| 10 | 54 | Wil Hahn | Kawasaki | 11 | 41 |
| 11 | 28 | Weston Peick | Yamaha | 10 | 27 |
| 12 | 800 | Mike Alessi | Honda | 9 | 33 |
| 13 | 377 | Christophe Pourcel | Husqvarna | 8 | 35 |
| 14 | 12 | Jake Weimer | Suzuki | 7 | 53 |
| 15 | 47 | Tommy Hahn | Yamaha | 6 | 15 |
| 16 | 778 | Lawson Bopping | Yamaha | 5 | 13 |
| 17 | 34 | Phillip Nicoletti | Yamaha | 4 | 8 |
| 18 | 55 | Vince Friese | Honda | 3 | 17 |
| 19 | 79 | Nick Schmidt | Suzuki | 2 | 10 |
| 20 | 761 | Cade Clason | Honda | 1 | 2 |
| 21 | 314 | Alex Ray | Honda | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | 240 | Bryce Stewart | Yamaha | 1 | 1 |
*Holeshot
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250SX West Report
Jimmy Decotis took the holeshot and got off with the early lead, but Christian Craig followed closely behind him. By the end of lap 1, Craig had made the pass and was leading the race. Lap 1 also saw a gnarly wreck that took down four riders, including Zach Osborne, who wasn’t even able to remount and complete a single lap.
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Cooper Webb suffered an unfortunate 21st at Oakland due to his bike stalling, but he didn’t seem fazed by it, moving up a position every lap until he was in 2nd on lap 4. From there, it was just a matter of reeling in the leader, a tactic Webb has successfully completed many times this season in order to take a win. On lap 10, Webb was finally within striking range, and he took his opportunity around a turn. However, misfortune struck, and he went down, allowing Craig to take off and create another gap between them.
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Meanwhile, Joey Savatgy had spent the first leg of the race getting into 3rd. On lap 6, he was in the podium position and behind Webb, though Webb just kept pulling away from him. When Webb went down, it looked as though Savatgy might have an opening to move up to 2nd. It was not to be, however, as Webb managed to get back on the bike and continue in 2nd before Savatgy could make up the distance.
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Savatgy put in one of his best laps as he tried to catch Webb after the fall, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to be able to, he slowed on the final three laps and rode comfortably into a solid 3rd place. Webb didn’t seem to give up the chase on Craig, but there simply wasn’t enough time left in the race to close the gap. Craig finished with the win, and Webb placed 2nd.
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Webb and Savatgy are now tied in championship points. Although it’s clear that Webb has been faster this season, it only takes a small misfortunate to make up the difference, as was seen last week and nearly seen again with this race. Craig’s win has moved him up to 3rd in the overall standings, while Osborne’s DNF has moved him back to 5th.
250SX West Results
| Pos. | No. | Name | Bike | Points | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38 | Christian Craig | Honda | 25 | 87 |
| 2 | 1 | Cooper Webb | Yamaha | 22 | 98 |
| 3 | 37 | Joey Savatgy | Kawasaki | 20 | 98 |
| 4 | 42 | Mitchell Oldenburg | KTM | 18 | 66 |
| 5 | 69 | Colt Nichols | Yamaha | 16 | 81 |
| 6 | 35 | Chris Alldredge | Kawasaki | 15 | 37 |
| 7 | 26 | Alex Martin | Yamaha | 14 | 42 |
| 8 | 45 | Kyle Cunningham | Suzuki | 13 | 54 |
| 9 | 58 | Jimmy Decotis* | Honda | 12 | 71 |
| 10 | 40 | Kyle Peters | Honda | 11 | 62 |
| 11 | 85 | Michael Leib | Yamaha | 10 | 40 |
| 12 | 68 | Cole Martinez | Yamaha | 9 | 33 |
| 13 | 127 | Cole Thompson | KTM | 8 | 31 |
| 14 | 43 | Fredrik Noren | Honda | 7 | 19 |
| 15 | 72 | Hayden Mellross | Yamaha | 6 | 29 |
| 16 | 76 | Scott Champion | Yamaha | 5 | 20 |
| 17 | 82 | Trevor Reis | Yamaha | 4 | 18 |
| 18 | 96 | Noah McConahy | Husqvarna | 3 | 3 |
| 19 | 212 | Chase Marquier | Honda | 2 | 7 |
| 20 | 222 | Chris Howell | Husqvarna | 1 | 9 |
| 21 | 87 | Austin Politelli | Yamaha | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | 16 | Zach Osborne | Husqvarna | 1 | 74 |
*Holeshot
Photo Credit: Kardy Photo
Glendale Photo Gallery
Photo Credit for All Gallery Images: Kardy Photo
