This week in Supercross – Seattle
Heck, we are at Round 11 of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship already, and the 450 title is well and truly on the line as we head into Seattle this weekend.
Stats and Images courtesy of Feld Motor Sports, Inc
Cooper Webb holds a three-point lead over Eli Tomac after last weekends drama filled Detroit Supercross which saw Aaron Plessinger throw away his maiden 450 victory with a lap and a half to go, gifting the victory to Chase Sexton. Sexton, however, couldn’t use the win to bridge the gap due to a 7 point plenty being dished out to him, but you get the feeling that by taking the victory with a mistake-free race will give him the confidence to push on and challenge the leading duo for the championship win.
Plessinger will have renewed confidence and will be keen for redemption, Justin Barcia has been on the pace, Ken Roczen still has wins in his armoury and we have yet to see the best of Jason Anderson so there are plenty of stories still to be played out as we start to move towards the pointy end of the season.
The 250SX action reverts back to the West Coast with Jett Lawrence holding a significant 20 point lead over RJ Hampshire with Cameron Mcadoo one point further back.
450 Class Recap: Detroit
Sexton Secured Second, Stole Show Suddenly: After giving away as many as four victories on the season, the tables turned in the Motor City for Chase Sexton when Aaron Plessinger threw away a sure win. Sexton rode through the checkers shortly after for his third career 450SX Class victory. He was later docked seven championship points, but the victory stands. Sexton now has 19 podiums in 37 starts and trails the red-plate by 17 points.
Webb Retains Red: Cooper Webb will keep the red-plate on his KTM in Seattle this week after adding onto his points-lead over Eli Tomac. Webb has 53 podiums in 101 starts and is the only rider with a top-five finish in each race.
Sticking His Neck Out: Eli Tomac went back-and-forth with a handful of riders before settling on a third-place finish. It was his 91st 450SX Class podium and he trails Webb by only three points heading into Seattle. Tomac has eight starts across the 250SX and 450SX Classes in Seattle: Two wins (2018 & 2022), seven podiums, and eight top-fives.
Notes/Brotherly Love: Christian Craig (6th), Justin Hill (7th), and Benny Bloss (11th) earned their best finishes of the season; Josh Hill (10th) grabbed his first top-10 since Rd. 5 of 2015 (A3); Josh Cartwright (14th) earned his best career 450SX Class finish; Kevin Moranz (16th) 20th career 450SX Class start; Justin/Josh Hill: Only the second time brothers have ever finished together in the top-10 of a 450SX Class race. Jim (1st) and Ron Pomeroy (8th) accomplished this feat 50 years ago in the second ever 450SX Class race (Houston, 1974).
450 Class: Seattle Historical Notes
History Lesson: The first 450SX Class race held in Seattle was on February 18, 1978 in the Kingdome and Jimmy Ellis won on a Honda. It was his only win of the season as Bob Hannah would go onto win the title after finishing third in the Seattle opener.
King’s History: From 1978-1989 the Seattle Kingdome held a Supercross race on back-to-back nights. The Seattle Kingdome hosted a Supercross race 33 times before being demolished in 2000. Lumen Field was built in 2002 and took over hosting the Seattle Supercross in 2005, six years after the last Kingdome race. James Stewart won the first three races in what was formerly known as Seahawks Stadium from 2005-2007.
Lumen Field: Since Lumen Field took over hosting the Seattle Supercross the series visited from 2005-2014, 2017-2019, and 2022. After 33 races in the Kingdome and 14 in Lumen Field, 2023 will be the 48th edition of the Seattle Supercross.
Champion Odds: The winner of the Seattle Supercross has gone onto win the 450SX Class title in only 14/47 (30%) races and that number drops to 3/14 (21%) in Lumen Field. Eli Tomac improved these percentages last season by winning Seattle and the title.
450 Class: Seattle Winners
Manufacturer Wins in Seattle/Lumen Field/Last Win
Honda: 20/4 (2013)
Kawasaki: 10/6 (2018)
Yamaha: 10/2 (2022)
Suzuki: 5/0 (1999)
KTM: 2/2 (2019)
Top Winners in Seattle
1) Rick Johnson: 7 (‘84, ‘86, ‘87, ‘87, ‘88, ‘89, ‘89)
2) Jeremy McGrath: 4 (‘93, ‘95-‘96, ‘98)
2) James Stewart: 4 (’05-’07, ’11)
4) Mike Bell: 3 (’79, ’80, ’80)
4) Bob Hannah: 3 (’79, ’83, ’83)
4) Ron Lechien: 3 (’85, ’85, ’88)
First-Time Winners in Seattle
Darrell Shultz: 1981
Rick Johnson: 1984
Jeff Ward: 1984
Larry Ward: 1990
Ryan Villopoto: 2009 (Lumen Field)
Andrew Short: 2012 (Lumen Field)
250 Class Recap: Detroit
Lawrence the Lion: Hunter Lawrence all but sealed the Championship by taking a multi-race lead in the point standings and winning in Detroit. He now has 10 250SX Class victories, tying his brother Jett for 17th on the all-time list. Jett and Hunter share almost identical career 250SX Class statistics after the Detroit Supercross: 17 Main Events made, 18 podiums for Jett and 19 podiums for Hunter, 22 top-fives, and 25 top-10s.
Thrasher Can’t Tame Lawrence: Nate Thrasher rode to his fourth podium of the season and seventh of his career with a runner-up finish in Detroit. He has only beaten Lawrence once this season in six tries and will have to wait until Atlanta to try again.
Deegan in the Lion’s Den: Haiden Deegan stole the show in the 250SX Class with his second career podium and moves into third in the point-standings. He is five-points behind teammate Thrasher for second in the points.
Notes: Jeremy Martin (4th) nabbed his 40th career 250SX Class top-five finish, moving him into second behind Nathan Ramsey (46) on the all-time list. He also moves into a tie for 22nd in all-time 250SX Class starts with 56; Chris Blose (5th) snagged his fifth career top-five finish in the 250SX Class and made his 65th start tying him with David Pingree and Zach Osborne for 14th on the all-time list; Henry Miller (9th) and Michael Hicks (10th) earned their first career Supercross top-10 finishes; Gage Linville (19th) made his first career 250SX Class start.
250 Class: Seattle Historical Facts
History Lesson: The first 250SX Class race held in Seattle was on February 9, 1985 in the Seattle Kingdome. Mike Healey won the race on a Suzuki and Bader Manneh won the next night on a Kawasaki. Healey’s teammate Bobby Moore scored third and fifth place finishes in the Seattle rounds en-route to the first ever Western Regional 250SX Class title.
Venue History: From 1985 to the demolition of the Kingdome, there were 20 250SX Class races held in Seattle. Just like the 450 Class, the series returned in 2005 to Lumen Field where 14 races have been held since. 2023 will mark the 35th 250SX Class race in Seattle.
Never Can Be Matched: Nathan Ramsey won the last 250 Class race at the Kingdome in 1999 on a Kawasaki and then six years later won the first 250 Class race at Lumen Field on a KTM. He is the only rider to win in both venues in the 250 Class. Kevin Windham is the only other rider to have a win in both venues as he won the Kingdome in the 250 Class and won in Lumen Field twice in the 450 Class.
Champion Odds: In 17/34 250SX Class races held in Seattle, the winner went onto win the Western Regional 250 Class title. In Lumen Field, that number slightly drops to 6/14. Hunter Lawrence won Seattle last season but finished runner-up to Christian Craig in the Western Regional point-standings.
250 Class: Seattle Winners
Manufacturer Wins in Seattle/Lumen Field/Last Win
Kawasaki: 10/2 (2007)
Yamaha: 8/5 (2019)
Honda: 8/3 (2022)
Suzuki: 6/2 (2009)
KTM: 2/2 (2013)
Top Winners in Seattle
1) Jeff Matiasevich: 4 (’88, ’88, ’89, ’89)
2) Cole Seely: 2 (’11 & ’14)
2) Ryan Dungey: 2 (’08-’09)
2) David Vuillemin: 2 (’97-’98)
2) Jeremy McGrath: 2 (’91-’92)
2) Donny Schmit: 2 (’86-’87)
2) Aaron Plessinger: 2 (’17-’18)
2) Nathan Ramsey: 2 (’99 & ’05)
250SX Class: First Time Winners in Seattle
Bader Manneh: 1985
Phil Lawrence: 1995
David Vuillemin: 1997
Broc Tickle: 2010 (Lumen Field)
Seattle Track Map
