As round five of the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross an FIM World Championship charged towards Oakland, California, the title conversation was running rampant. Eli Tomac had won two in a row after scoring no points in the first two rounds, Jason Anderson had earned a victory and was carrying the red plate and Ken Roczen seemed to be on a steady climb to victory.
Anderson suffered a huge crash during qualifying, but rebounded to make it through the 450SX heat race in one piece and was poised to make a run in the main event. The track in Oakland was a tricky one with softer dirt and ruts galore. This made the rhythm sections all the more technical and pulling off a victory was going to require extreme focus.
When the gate slammed down in the 450SX main event, it was Cole Seely busting out the holeshot, but Roczen quickly asserted himself into the lead and began to pull a gap. Back in the pack, Anderson was on a charge and began to draw near to the rear fender of Roczen. With the crowd going absolutely crazy, the two began battling back and forth, looking over in the air at one another and putting on a show! Anderson made the pass for the lead, but Roczen stole it right back and looked to be heading towards a mega popular win.
The two warriors took the white flag side by side and as fate would have it, the aforementioned ruts would cause Ken to make a mistake on the last lap. While Ken bobbled, Anderson sent it through the section and made the final pass for the lead. Jason would take the checkered flag mere feet ahead of a dejected Roczen, who wished he could have had that last lap back.
The win was a statement for Anderson that he was now a very strong contender for the championship. His two wins said a lot, but his determination spoke volumes that he was focused on the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross title!