Return to the Top
Jason Anderson scored his first victory since the Atlanta Triple-Crown in his Championship season of 2018 (Round 9). A few weeks before, he had won back-to-back in Oakland and San Diego, something he can repeat in 2022. His eighth 450SX Class victory ties him with Ron Lechien and Jimmy Ellis for 24th on the alltime win list.
Career Night for KTM’s Newest
Aaron Plessinger scored a career best second place finish in Oakland. It was only his second career podium in 46 starts, but his 31 top-10 finishes already place him 79th all-time in 450SX Class history (tied with Marty Tripes).
Eli and Mookie Looking for More
Eli Tomac (4th) and Malcolm Stewart (5th) improved their positions by two from Anaheim and are glad to have their new brands in the top-five. Tomac now has 95 top-five finishes and Stewart has nine, but both will be aiming for podiums in San Diego.
Seeing Red
Back-to-back third place finishes pave the way for Justin Barcia’s GasGas to hold red plates in San Diego. This is the third time in five seasons that Barcia has scored podiums in the opening two rounds of a season. He has never started with three straight and never scored more than five in a single season.
History Lesson: The first 450SX Class race held in San Diego was on October 25, 1980 and Mike Bell won on a Yamaha. San Diego has been a stop on the Supercross schedule every year since except for 1983-1984, 1988, 1997, and 2021 making 2022 the 39th San Diego Supercross.
Two Venues: The San Diego Supercross was held in Qualcomm Stadium 31 times from 1980-2014. In 2015 the series moved to PETCO Park where there have been seven races since, including two in 2016. San Diego 2022 will be the eighth in PETCO Park after missing the schedule in 2021.
San Diego’s GOAT: Chad Reed made 19 starts in San Diego and earned six victories (2003-2005, 2007-2008, & 2011). He had 10 podiums, 14 top fives, and 16 top-10 finishes in those 19 starts. He made his first 250SX Class start in San Diego in 1999. He only missed San Diego in 2000-2001 (overseas) and 2010/2016 (injury) since his American debut. This will be the first time Reed is absent in San Diego post-retirement.
Winner’s Curse: The winner of San Diego has gone on to win the title in only 16 out of 38 races. Only two seasons of six has the winner of PETCO won the title (Jason Anderson in 2018 and Ryan Dungey twice in 2016).
Running Away
Christian Craig’s fifth career 250SX Class victory moves him into a tie with a slew of riders for 44th all-time (Anderson, Ken Roczen, and Joey Savatgy among others). He has the opportunity to move to as high as fourth all-time if he were to win out. Craig was making his 50th career 250SX Class start in Oakland and carries the red-plate into San Diego.
Runner-Up
Hunter Lawrence finished second to Justin Cooper in the 250SX Western Regional title last year, finished second in Oakland to Craig and is tied for second in the point standings this season. He has won one race (Arlington 2 last year) and looks to move beyond his second-place positions across the board.
Quiet Starts
Michael Mosiman (6-4), Nate Thrasher (12-5), and Jo Shimoda (7-7) are factory riders that look to improve on their early season finishes. Mosiman is still looking for his first career win but Thrasher and Shimoda scored wins last season. Look out for these riders in San Diego as they search for a breakthrough race.
Hammaking the Podium
Hammaker has started 2-3 this season as the podium has looked the same for the first two rounds (Craig, Lawrence, and Hammaker). Hammaker has a win, five podiums, seven top-fives, and nine top-10’s in his first 11 career 250SX Class starts.
First Ever: The first 250SX Class race held in San Diego was on January 26, 1985 and Todd Campbell won on a Kawasaki. This race was the first in 250SX Class history (then called the 125cc class).
Consistent Stop: San Diego would host a 250SX Class race every year following except for 1988, 1997, and 2021. 2022 will be the 36th time the gate will drop for a 250SX Class race in San Diego, and the eighth in PETCO Park.
Winner’s Curse: The winner of San Diego has won the 250SX Class Western Regional Championship in 16 out of 35 seasons and only three times since 2011 (Cooper Webb twice and Dylan Ferrandis in 2020). That is 32/73 (44%) combined with the 450SX Class.
Small List: Only four riders who made the 2020 250SX Class Main Event in San Diego are lining up in San Diego 2022: Michael Mosiman, Carson Brown, Cheyenne Harmon, and Logan Karnow.
