Ryan Dungey regains 450SX lead as one point separates 250SX top three
Chad Reed just outside top 10 in 12th, holding on to equal ninth in the overall 450SX standings
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The 2017 AMA Supercross title fight took another twist as defending champion Ryan Dungey took his third win for the year and the championship lead. Dungey now leads Eli Tomac by nine-points, after the Kawasaki had a difficult round.
There was no shortage of drama in the 250SX class either as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne took his fourth win and is now tied in second place with Savatgy in the standings, after Savatgy was penalised five positions. Jordon Smith holds the 250SX lead by a single point as a result.
450SX
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The 450SX Class Main Event kicked off with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson securing the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot over KTM’s Davi Millsaps, while both Dungey and Tomac settled in behind them.
Early aggression by Tomac allowed him to get by Dungey on an extremely technical layout in challenging conditions, where track position proved to be crucial. Soon after that Tomac worked his way past Millsaps, leaving Dungey to chase his rival’s progression to the front.
On Lap 1 Tomac was gifted the lead when Anderson slid out in a turn and went to the ground, ultimately remounting in eighth. Dungey was able to move up into second after a successful pass on Millsaps prior to the incident.
With a clear track ahead of him Tomac was poised to build a gap on Dungey, but he paced the field for just a single lap before losing traction in a corner and falling over.
Dungey slipped past to seize control of the Main Event, bringing Millsaps into second and Team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin in third. After spending a lengthy time getting his Kawasaki restarted, Tomac resumed in 15th.
Dungey maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the heart of the 20-minute-plus-two-lap race, but Musquin slowly started to track down his teammate and training partner after surpassing Millsaps for second on Lap 3.
The KTM duo paced one another for several laps, carefully navigating the treacherous layout in addition to lapped riders, but Musquin soon got the upper hand and made the pass for the lead on Lap 10. From there the Frenchman put a little distance between he and Dungey, but the champ kept his teammate within reach.
Behind them Tomac was slowly working his way back up through the field, patiently making passes to get on the verge of the top 10 behind his Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Josh Grant.
However, Tomac endured another instance of misfortune on Lap 16 when he lost traction off a triple jump and came up short, veering off the side of the track and stalling his Kawasaki. He got back onto the track quickly and lost just one spot to fall to 12th.
Out front, Dungey took advantage of alternative lines to close back in on Musquin. While he wasn’t able to mount a serious challenge or attempt a pass, he stayed within a bike length of his teammate for several laps. As they approached the final lap Dungey picked up the pace and started looking for a way around.
When the lead pair took the white flag Dungey applied pressure, ultimately forcing a small bobble out of Musquin, who popped out of a rut entering a corner and veered off line. The champ slipped by and carried on to take the win by 1.6 seconds, ending a seven-race winless streak with the 34th victory of his career. Many onlookers thought it looked as though Musquin had deliberately allowed his teammate past so he could take the win and the series lead.
Ryan Dungey
“That’s’ what we needed. Eli [Tomac] was riding well early, but he made a mistake and went down. Marvin [Musquin] was riding well too and got by us, but I stuck behind him. The track was really falling apart as the race went on and got difficult, but I was able to follow Marvin, watch his lines, and take advantage late. We got some valuable points [in the championship] but it’s not over yet. There’s still one more race.”
Musquin narrowly missed out on his third victory of the season in second, while Anderson made an impressive rebound from his early misfortune to finish third. Tomac continued to fight and soldiered home to finish eighth, ending a dominant nine-race stretch in which he earned seven victories and finished no worse than second.
Dungey entered the night facing a three-point deficit to Tomac, after previously giving up a 29-point advantage over his Kawasaki rival over the course of a 32-point swing in the standings. He left MetLife Stadium with a nine-point lead.
Eli Tomac
“That was a bummer. The only thing to look forward to is there’s one race left. The scenarios can flip and the same thing could happen to Ryan [Dungey]. That’s all I can hope for. Nine points will be hard to cover and catch up on, but I’ll give it my all and look to win. That’s all I can do.”
It marked the first time this season that Tomac failed to win the Main Event after leading a lap.
450SX Class Results – Round 16
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
- Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., KTM
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM
- Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., Honda
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
- Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., Suzuki
- Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
450SX Class Championship standings after Round 16
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 341
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 332
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM – 292
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna – 248
- Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda – 212
- Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., KTM – 208
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 206
- Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 169
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 167
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha – 167
250SX – Osborne wins as Savatgy penalised five positions
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In the penultimate Eastern Regional 250SX Class Main Event it was Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo who claimed the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot, but he quickly gave up the lead to his teammate, and championship leader Joey Savatgy.
Behind them, GEICO Honda’s Cameron McAdoo slotted into third, but quickly engaged in battle with Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis and GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig, with Ferrandis settling into third.
Savatgy was able to open up a gap over Cianciarulo and the rest of the field, but Osborne was storming to the front after starting seventh. The Husqvarna rider moved into fifth on Lap 1, took over fourth on Lap 2, and broke into podium position on Lap 3 after passing Ferrandis.
From there he set his sights on the Kawasaki teammates, gradually closing in on Cianciarulo before taking over second on Lap 6. Osborne continued to push and was soon all over Savatgy for the lead, successfully taking over control of the Main Event on Lap 8.
Once out front Osborne never looked back, while Savatgy would be forced to deal with adversity. After getting off line on Lap 13 the points leader landed on a tuff blox and fell over, giving up the spot to Ferrandis before remounting.
Osborne continued to extend his lead and took the checkered flag 4.5 seconds over Ferrandis, who recorded a career-best result. In each of his four wins this season Osborne has come-from-behind to do so, passing his way to the front.
Zach Osborne
“Today was pretty much a perfect day, I had the fastest qualifying time, won the heat race, and then won the main event. It doesn’t get much better than that. I gelled with the track from the get-go and enjoyed the ruts. I was able to make it happen. I got off to an OK start in the main event and was able to come through. All-in-all it was a great day and a good swing in the points so I’m happy.”
Savatgy came home third, but it marked the third consecutive race that Savatgy gave up the lead, while the late misfortune ended a streak of four straight runner-up finishes.
Joey Savatgy
“I got to keep working. It’s not always going to be easy. If it was there’d be more of us up here [on the podium]. I’ve got to keep the ball rolling. I’m not a quitter. We’ve been knocked down a few times and I came up short last year [for the championship], but I’m not about to let that happen again. We’ll come into Las Vegas with an open mindset, have some fun, and do our best. I felt good going into the main, I thought I could win before the track reached up and took me down. I don’t think I re-entered in the wrong place but after the officials’ decision I know what I have to do in Las Vegas.”
Following the race Savatgy’s re-entry onto the track following his crash came under inquiry from race officials, who eventually penalised him five places.
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The 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season will come to a dramatic conclusion next Saturday, May 6, for the 17th and final round of the championship from Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna
- Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha
- Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki
- Christian Craig, Corona, Calif., Honda
- Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki
- Luke Renzland, Hewitt, N.J., Yamaha
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Honda
- Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
- Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM – 160
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 159
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 159
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 146
- Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha – 126
- Christian Craig, Corona, Calif., Honda – 97
- Luke Renzland, Hewitt, N.J., Yamaha – 84
- Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha – 80
- Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki – 77
- Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Yamaha – 74
