2019 Anaheim 1 Supercross Preview: What To Watch For, and How To Watch
It’s time for the opening round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series. Jason Anderson will be looking to defend his title for an onslaught of challengers led by Eli Tomac, Marvin Musquin, and Ken Roczen.
Here’s what to look for on Saturday, January 5 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Calif. Also, don’t forget to check out my predictions for the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross season.
1. It looks like rain at Anaheim 1. According to com as of Wednesday, there’s a predicted 46 percent chance of rain on Saturday at 7 p.m. PST when racing starts. It gets worse, though — the chance of rain at 9 p.m. when the Mains start is 81 percent. Qualifying will likely be dry, with only a two percent chance of rain in the early afternoon. If it rains, anything can happen!
2. The track design will allow for some great racing at the end of the Mains. There’s a long whoop section, followed by a 135-degree left-hand turn, then a long flat straight, and finishing with a 135-degree right-hand turn just before the finish line jump. That last corner is ready for fireworks.
3. Eli Tomac will not want a repeat of 2018. After nailing the Main holeshot last year, Tomac crashed out on an unforced error. He injured his shoulder and had to sit out the next round. Tomac played catchup the rest of the year before finishing third in the championship standings.
4. It was a win for Marvin Musquin last year, though he wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum. Musquin stood on the top step of the podium as got off to a great start for the season at A1. That came to a screeching halt when an injury kept him out of the second round Main. Musquin was just nine points shy of the title last year, so he will be looking to stay healthy for all 17 rounds.
5. Jason Anderson will be looking to stand on the podium at A1, as he did last year. Anderson’s secret to success (check out our exclusive interview with Jason Anderson from a month ago) was consistency. He is looking to repeat as champion using the same recipe in 2019—podiums are a priority, and he’ll take wins when they’re available.
6. Ken Roczen entered 2018 as a question mark, and he still is one. Two years running, Roczen has suffered debilitating injuries in the Monster Energy Supercross season that ended his campaigns prematurely. Roczen looked good at the end of the 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season, so he has at least learned how to manage the damage to both arms. Everyone will be waiting to see if he can do in Supercross what he did in the Nationals, and if he can avoid a catastrophic injury. Roczen was off the podium at A1 last year, but he’s a definite threat for 2019.
7. With a podium in 2018, Justin Barcia will want to put on a repeat performance. Barcia started 2018 with a pair of thirds, so he can start strong. He has four strong riders to contend with in 2019, so getting back on the podium will require Barcia to be 100 percent ready to go at A1. He was as a fill-in rider, and will hope to repeat coming in with a secure factory ride.
8. Riders you won’t be seeing include Benny Bloss, Zach Osborne, Weston Peick, and Broc Tickle. Peick was seriously injured in a European supercross, while Bloss and Osborne suffered serious practice injuries in December. Tickle is still on suspension from the FIM due to PEDs almost a year ago, and lost his Red Bull KTM ride. Tickle went to Instagram this week to vehemently complain about that: “I’m beyond dissatisfied that @fimlive@supercrosslivehas yet to issue me a hearing date, and has not handled things in the right manner. I have suffered enough wondering what’s next and this has taking a toll on myself, family and friends. It is now clear that the FIM and @supercrosslive are conspiring to intentionally and unlawfully interfere with my fundamental rights and ability to make a living.”
9. Expect the unexpected at Anaheim 1. Yes, that’s a cliché, and it is one that rings true every year when the Monster Energy Supercross season opens.
10. You can watch the racing live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold. The racing starts at 10 p.m. EST on both NBCSN and the subscription-only NBC Sports Gold streaming service. If you want to watch the 4 p.m. EST qualifying, you have to be an NBC Sports Gold subscriber. Check out and bookmark our 2019 Supercross Cable and Streaming Television Schedule.
2019 Anaheim 1 Entry List
#1: Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqsvarna Factory Racing)
#2: Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM)
#3: Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki)
#4: Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM)
#7: Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing)
#10: Justin Brayton (Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda)
#11: Kyle Chisholm (HEP Motorsports/Suzuki)
#14: Cole Seely (Team Honda HRC)
#15: Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy/ShiftMX/Husqvarna)
#17: Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki)
#19: Justin Bogle (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM)
#22: Chad Reed (JMGMX/Yoshimura/Factory Suzuki Racing)
#25: Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM)
#27: Malcolm Stewart (Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda)
#41: Ben Lamay (TPJ/Fly Racing/Honda)
#42: Vince Friese (Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda)
#43: Tyler Bowers (Kawasaki)
#46: Justin Hill (JMG/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing)
#51: Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing)
#58: Brandon Scharer (SKVI/Cycle Gear/Yamaha)
#62: Alex Ray (HEP Motorsports/Thor/Suzuki)
#74: Cade Autenrieth (AM Motocross/Arai/KTM)
#75: Cody Vanbuskirk (PR-MX/Pelletier Kawasaki)
#80: Heath Harrison (Imagine Moto/Romar Marina/Kawasaki)
#86: Ryan Breece (DCR/Yamaha)
#94: Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC)
#97: Adam Enticknap (HEP Motorsports/Thor/Suzuki)
#99: Austin Politelli (TPJ/Fly Racing/Honda)
Selected three-digit entrants:
#121: Matthew Bisceglia (Cycle Trader Rock River Yamaha)
#211: Tevin Tapia (Trust Impants/3T Performance/Yamaha)
#330: AJ Catanzaro (OTG MotorSports/MotoTape/Kawasaki)
#509: Alexander Nagy (Like You Live/Pirelli/KTM)
#606: Ronnie Stewart (Liberty Elevator Corp/ISC Racers Tape/Husqvarna)
#723: Tyler Enticknap (BWR Engines/LTEC/Honda)
#941: Angelo Pellegrini
#951: Ryan Surratt (Fly Racing/X Brand/Kawasaki)
2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Final Standings
- Jason Anderson, 356 points (4 wins)
- Marvin Musquin, 347 (4 wins)
- Eli Tomac, 318 (8 wins)
- Blake Baggett, 285
- Justin Brayton, 275 (1 win)
- Weston Peick, 251
- Dean Wilson, 208
- Broc Tickle, 184
- Cooper Webb, 181
- Justin Barcia, 177
- Malcolm Stewart, 169
- Vince Friese, 168
- Chad Reed, 159
- Tyler Bowers, 149
- Benny Bloss, 140
- Christian Craig, 134
- Cole Seely, 124
- Ken Roczen, 102
- Kyle Cunningham, 99
- Josh Grant, 83
- Ben Lamay, 71
- Cedric Soubeyras, 65
- Kyle Chisholm, 48
- Jeremy Martin, 36
- Alex Ray, 36
- Henry Miller, 29
- Dakota Tedder, 26
- Cole Martinez, 20
- Adam Enticknap, 19
- Justin Hill, 18
- Austin Politelli, 18
- Matt Bisceglia, 15
- Josh Hill, 13
- AJ Catanzaro, 13
- Justin Bogle, 12
- Brandon Scharer, 9
- Dylan Merriam, 9
- Cody Vanbuskirk, 8
- Deven Raper, 6
- Bradley Taft, 5
- Cade Autenrieth, 5
- Jake Weimer, 5
- Justin Starling, 5
- Scott Champion, 5
- Carlen Gardner, 5
- Collin Jurin, 4
- Theodore Pauli, 3
- Dustin Pipes, 2
- Nick Schmidt, 1
