Anderson edges Roczen in Oakland supercross thriller
Third win of 250SX West season extends points lead of Plessinger.
Image: Supplied.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson won a nail-biting fifth round of the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Oakland, California, following a fascinating late battle with Ken Roczen.
Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely led the opening 11 laps of the 450SX main event only to make a costly mistake that enabled teammate Roczen to take charge at the front, leading for the next 12 laps.
A determined run from points leader Anderson saw him claw his way forward from sixth at the end of the opening lap to challenge Roczen on the final lap – clashing with Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) on his way through the pack – and he ultimately made the move stick following one final mistake from the German.
Anderson crossed the line 0.839s ahead of Roczen to stretch his championship lead to 15 points, while completing the podium on Saturday night was Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM) in his best showing of the year. Musquin recovered for fourth, as Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Knich Yamaha) claimed fifth – making contact with Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) in the early stages.
That dropped Tomac all the way down to finish a lowly 13th by race’s end, one place ahead of Australia’s Chad Reed (Team CR22 Husqvarna), who matched his best result of the season and currently sits P14 in the standings.
In the 250SX West final it was Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha) who extended his points lead with a third victory in five races, topping Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) and defending champion Justin Hill (Autotrader Yoshimura Suzuki), who lodged his best result on-board the RM-Z250 this year.
Plessinger now leads Savatgy by eight in the championship, while 15th-place finish for Shane McElrath (Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM) has him third in the standings, 19 from the lead. 51Fifty Energy Drink Yamaha’s Hayden Mellross claimed 10th in Oakland, currently sitting P11 in the points.
The 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will now travel to San Diego, California, for round six of the season this Saturday, 10 February.
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