Ken Roczen Goes Back-to-Back in Indianapolis, Nabs Second 2021 450SX Class Victory

Colt Nichols Wins Three Straight in 250SX Class

Round 5 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship thrilled the limited fans inside Lucas Oil Stadium where Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen backed up his 450SX Class win at Round 4 with a dominating victory at the second Indianapolis round. Opening round winner Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia held off defending champion Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac to fill out a podium of 2021 race winners. Action in the Eastern Regional 250SX Class presented plenty of drama, but when the dust settled it was Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Colt Nichols grabbing his third straight win to extend his points lead. 

Team Honda HRC's Ken Roczen was picture perfect.

After four rounds with four different winners, the first repeat victor emerged when Ken Roczen jumped into the lead shortly past the holeshot stripe and gapped the field on the rutted, technical track. Holeshot winner Justin Barcia was comfortably in second until the race clock ticked down to the eight-minute mark in the 20-minute plus one lap race when Eli Tomac reached his rear wheel. Barcia managed to fend off Tomac’s repeated attacks without losing much time on the leader, who’d stretched the lead to nearly ten seconds. 

Tomac spent a night fighting forward, seeming to get caught up in other riders’ paces as he’d reach them. He still managed third place points for the night, keeping him squarely in the title hunt. 2019 champion and Round 3 winner, Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb rounded the first lap mid pack; he climbed up through the field a notch slower than Tomac, reaching fourth before the checkers flew on the second of three Indianapolis races.

Colt Nichols had the speed and the starts...

It was a wild night for the Eastern Regional 250SX Class riders but at the checkers, it was Yamaha’s Colt Nichols grabbing his third consecutive win – only his fourth career win. It was Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / GASGAS Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman who grabbed the holeshot and started to pull away in the opening laps. He’d earned GASGAS its first 250SX podium one race before and looked destined to give the brand its first win in its debut Supercross season. Unfortunately, a lapped rider crashed on a rhythm section; Mosiman bumped the rider and had to nearly stop to swerve around the downed bike. Nichols took the opportunity to grab the lead and never looked back… until crossing the checkered which seemed to the riders to come out one lap early. 

Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Christian Craig rode steady and managed second after passing Mosiman with just over five minutes left on the race clock. Absent on the line was Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence, who took a hard fall in practice and another in his heat race. After winning the Last Chance Qualifier, Lawrence determined he was not healthy enough to race with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury from his heat race crash; the 2021 race winner walked away from his bike on the line before the gate dropped.  

With the second-ever SuperTuesday race in the books, the riders will line up on a brand-new track inside Lucas Oil Stadium this Saturday, February 6th for the final event of the Indianapolis triple-header. Tickets for the upcoming Atlanta triple-header are now on sale for preferred customer purchase, with general public availability beginning Tuesday, February 9. All tickets are sold in a pod-style, limited-attendance seating format. For recently-added airtimes on Peacock and NBCSN, the full race schedule, and updates please visit the Schedule & Tickets page.

450SX Class podium

450SX Class Results

  1. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
  2. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
  3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
  4. Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM
  5. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
  6. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki
  7. Zach Osborne, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
  8. Joey Savatgy, Clermont, Fla., KTM
  9. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha
  10. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha

450SX Class Championship Standings

  1. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (112)
  2. Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM (99)
  3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (98)
  4. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (92)
  5. Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki (87)
  6. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha (81)
  7. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha (76)
  8. Zach Osborne, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (74)
  9. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (73)
  10. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (70)

250SX Class podium

250SX Class Results (Eastern Regional)

  1. Colt Nichols, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
  2. Christian Craig, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha
  3. Michael Mosiman, Menifee, Calif., GASGAS
  4. Jo Shimoda, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
  5. Grant Harlan, Justin Tex., Honda
  6. Jeremy Hand, Mantua, Ohio, Honda
  7. Joshua Varize, Perris, Calif., KTM
  8. Joshua Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., Honda
  9. Logan Karnow, Amherst, Ohio, Kawasaki
  10. Kevin Moranz, Topeka, Kans., KTM

250SX Class Championship Standings (Eastern Regional)

  1. Colt Nichols, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (122)
  2. Christian Craig, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (111)
  3. Michael Mosiman, Menifee, Calif., GASGAS (97)
  4. Jo Shimoda, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki (96)
  5. Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (83)
  6. Joshua Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., Honda (71)
  7. Joshua Varize, Perris, Calif., KTM (57)
  8. Mitchell Oldenburg, Aledo, Tex., Honda (54)
  9. John Short, Pilot Point, Tex., Suzuki (54)
  10. Grant Harlan, Justin Tex., Honda (52)