Felt like we waited forever for San Diego but it’s done and dusted. The 2nd event of the season, which was called round 3!
Qualifying – 250’s saw Jett Lawrence take the top time on his last lap, with all the expected front runners in tow. Enzo Lopes showed last week was no fluke. Australia’s own Wilson Todd topped the 250 B practice. 450s was a close affair, with Malcolm Stewart claiming the top time. The top 8 riders all within a second.
250 Heat 1 – Enzo Lopes holeshots, RJ Hampshire hot on his heels. Cameron McAdoo went down on lap 1 but was ok and began to fight back. RJ passes for the lead before the race is red-flagged. Privateer Colby Copp laying on the track and not looking too good for a while, he did get up and walk to the cart which was great to see. The re-start was a staggered start, RJ having to go back behind Enzo as previous lap standings are used. The biggest loser of the re-start was Maximus Vohland, going down and booking a trip to the LCQ. RJ wasted little time
getting the lead back and won from Enzo and Anthony Rodriguez. A very international top ten with Enzo -Brazillian, ARod - Venezuelan, Cole Thompson – Canadian, Wilbur – Aussie, Dylan Walsh – British/Kiwi, and Dominique Thury – German. World Supercross hey!
250 Heat 2 – A Jett clinic, gate drop to flag drop. Peirce Brown 2nd and Levi Kitchen 3rd
450 Heat 1 – Eli with the holeshot and looking just wicked. Chase Sexton went down hard at the end of the whoops sending Aaron Plessinger down also. AP’s front wheel hit Chase’s bike so hard that it crushed the fuel tank, sending the 23 to the LCQ. AP rode back to 6th place and fan favourite Alex Ray booked a spot in the main with a 9th place finish, just sneaking in when Shane Macelrath went down and had to kick the RM-Z into life. A little spice at the end with Jason Anderson taking down Justin Barcia for 2nd place, Bam Bam got up quickly and held onto 3rd. Anderson with a hot tweet straight after, following an altercation in the tunnel.
450 Heat 2 – Kickstart Kenny with the holeshot and lead until a last-lap pass by Malcolm Stewart. You could hear Snap Dragon Stadium catching Mookie fever, Adam Ciancirulo with a solid 3rd. Cooper Webb was really fast after a bad start and a now-healthy Kyle Chisolm “Chizzed” his way into the main.
LCQ’s – The story of the 250s was Maximus Vohland getting a bad start, working his way into a transfer position then throwing it away, leaving us with flashbacks to his horror season last year. Is this the start of his last year with the KTM group?. Hunter Yoder took the win.
As expected, Chase won the 450 LCQ and a surely nervous Macelrath made it in with a 3rd. Cade Clason crashed out of a transfer position hard into the post of the
“Matthes” net, I hope he’s ok.
250 Main Event – Another Jett clinic as we are starting to accept. A first-turn pile-up saw Wilbur, Mitchell Harrison, and Levi Kitchen go down, only Wilbur continuing on at the back of the pack, Aussie tough. But a real shame for the 2022 Australian MX2 champ, especially after his horrid A1. The kid can't catch a break. RJ
battled McAdoo for 2nd, with RJ coming out on top and giving us the same podium as last week. A good showing from Club MX with Enzo in 4th and Phil Nicoletti in 8th after the 2 were 2nd and 3rd off the start, seems like they are
building a great program over there.
450 Main Event – Colt Nichols with the holeshot but was shuffled back quickly, AC, Coop, and Eli out front. A very 2021-looking Coop passed AC for the lead with Anderson joining the battle to make it a pack of 4. Eli then hit beast mode and passed AC and Coop setting the night's first 49-second lap time. Mookie landed onto a tuff block, the first but not the only mistake of the night for the 27. Another contender whose night didn’t go to plan was Chase, who got Bam Bammed
sending him back to 9th, he would work his way back to 5th. Anderson moved into 3 rd and sat there comfortably for much of the race until a washout right in front of the mechanic's area sent him back to 9th ending up in 7th at the end of the main event, he did look much better than last week though.
Coop cut Eli’s lead from 3.8 seconds to 1.8 seconds in the latter stages of the race, causing a little excitement, a better run through some lappers possibly the cause.
But it was too little too late. Eli with the win, Coop 2nd, and Bam Bam a distant 3rd, another solid finish for Kenny with a 4th. It's starting to smell like an Eli v Coop pot is brewing. Good times are ahead.
Bring on A2, will Eli make it 3 from 3 in round 4?
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