With Round 12 of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross an FIM World Championship breathing down our necks, there is a lot of be excited about this Saturday night in Indianapolis! Steeped in racing culture, Indy is regarded around the world as a home of competition. We have two classes of competition heading our way with exhilarating stories galore! For starters, the 450SX class is down to the final six rounds of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season and Jason Anderson has his kung fu grip nestled tightly around a 42-point lead. With a mind blowing average finish of 2.6 through 11 Rounds, Anderson has seemingly picked up where his former riding and training partner Ryan Dungey left off. His consistency is paired with 4 main event wins and the New Mexico native is in the driver’s seat to win the largest prize in all of motocross, the coveted Monster Energy Supercross Title. Ah, but ladies and gentlemen, this is why we run the races. Anything can happen! Back in 1992 Damon Bradshaw racked up 9 main event victories, but suffered a misfortune at the Indy Supercross and crashed while leading. This opened the door for Jeff Stanton to ultimately take the championship at the final round in Los Angels. Of course, we want nothing but good luck for Anderson and his team, but the notion of this championship being over is quite false as history has proven. Meanwhile, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac is piling up wins left and right and has quietly climbed into 4th in the point standings, only three behind 3rd place Justin Brayton and eighteen markers behind 2nd place Marvin Musquin. If Anderson slips for a couple of races, there will be a hornet’s nest for the 450SX title coming down the stretch!
Enter the first stop of the 2018 250SX East/West Showdown. Wow, the starting gate going to be deep with talent in this class this Saturday night! Let’s take a look at the West Coast first as they have been on a five week hiatus. The 250 West saw four different winners before their break, with 2017 250SX Western Division Champion Justin Hill grabbing the win in San Diego. Hill had gotten off to an inauspicious start in 2018 with finishes that had people scratching their heads, but he remained steadfast and pulled together a big win. At the season opener in Anaheim it was Shane McElrath grabbing a wire to wire victory before having some bad luck in the following rounds. At the first round of the 2018 Triple Crown in Anaheim 2 it was Joey Savatgy nailing down a win. However the 250SX Western Divisional point leader is Aaron Plessinger who picked up two wins before the break. What’s crazy is that Adam Cianciarulo has failed to win thus far in 2018, but if you remember the 2017 Dave Coombs Sr. East West Showdown last May in Las Vegas, it was Adam who emerged victorious. All five of the aforementioned Western Divisional racers have a shot at it in Indy this weekend. Yes, but the East Coast has a beast leading their way by name of 2017 Eastern Division Champion and current 250SX East point leader, Zach Osborne. Talented, fast and aggressive, Osborne has some history with Joey Savatgy as the two took the 2017 250SX East title down to the final lap of the final corner last May in Las Vegas. Two men entered the corner, and Osborne went on to take the title. Keep an eye out for fireworks between the two who are again chasing down titles, this time on different coasts. Be that as it may, Osborne isn’t the only challenger from the East as young Austin Forkner was able to bring down two 250SX main event wins this season and had established a bit of a rivalry between himself and Osborne. You can’t forget about veteran 250SX racer Jeremy Martin either as he is also a multi-time 250SX winner as well as a two-time 250 Pro Motocross Champion. Yet another man, who could surprise this Saturday night is Jordon Smith who has proven he can win against anyone with a holeshot.
So the stage is set for an epic battle in Indianapolis! Can Anderson keep it together and take another step toward the ultimate goal? Will Tomac knock down his 6th win of the season? And what madness will come from the 250SX East/West Showdown!