For the second time this year, a 250SX Main event had to be restarted due to a flag waved by an official. This time, it was due to a hard crash by Kyle Cunningham, who went down on the face of the finish line jump near the halfway point in the race. Thankfully, he was able to stand up and walk away under his own power. The race was restarted in with the riders lined up in a single-file line on the start straight.
Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin reminded everyone why he was in the title hunt for this championship just two years ago by taking a commanding win at the first round. The French rider grabbed the holeshot and led all fifteen laps to take his first victory of the season. A celebratory heel clicker over the finish line was in order as he acquired the points lead and will wear the red plate going into the next round in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I had a great start then I just did my laps and kept doing what I had to do,” said Musquin, who missed all of last season with an ACL tear. “Just being consistent is what it’s going to take and that’s what I’ve been preparing for. I’m just happy to get it [a win] done this early, be here feeling good and healthy, and starting out strong.”
Second place finisher and defending Supercross 250SX East champion Justin Bogle was in 2nd place around the first turn and stayed there for the remainder of the race. The GEICO Honda rider was unable to match the speed displayed by Musquin, and sits three points behind him in the championship standings after the first round.
After a long hiatus from Supercross due to injuries, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy made a strong statement, finishing 3rd in his first race back. While sitting in 4th place, he was able to get around Anthony Rodriguez after the restart to take the final step on the podium.
Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin, the reigning 250 National Motocross Champion, came around the first turn in 7th place and was able to gain one spot before the restart. After the inline restart, Martin and Matt Lemoine swapped positions a few times, but Martin was eventually able to hold onto the 4th place at the finish.
Series veteran Matt Lemoine has over 52 starts to his credit in the 250SX class, and used his plethora of experience to battle with Jeremy Martin in the latter portion of the race. The JAB Motorsports Kawasaki rider was able to card his first top five finish of the season with a 5th.
Smartop Motoconcepts Racing’s Vince Friese, GEICO Honda’s RJ Hampshire, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Arnaud Tonus, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Martin Davalos, and Kyle Peters rounded out the top ten, respectively.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Martin Davalos was right in the mix with Musquin and Bogle in the first corner, but washed the front end shortly after. The former title contender had to fight his way back through the pack after falling back to 18th after the crash.
Highly touted Swiss rider Arnaud Tonus was the fastest qualifier, but got pushed off the track in the Davalos crash. Tonus was able to regroup and eventually worked his way up to 8th on the Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
In her much-publicized effort to make the 250SX Main, HRT Racing’s Vicki Golden failed to qualify for the night of racing. She was nearly four seconds off the qualifying lap pace, finishing 54th out of a class of 56 riders.
Photograph by Simon Cudby
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Eastern Regional 250SX Results – Round 1 – Arlington
1. Marvin Musquin – KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition
2. Justin Bogle – Honda CRF250R
3. Joey Savatgy – Kawasaki KX250F
4. Jeremy Martin – Yamaha YZ250F
5. Matt Lemoine – Kawasaki KX250F
6. Vince Friese – Honda CRF250R
7. RJ Hampshire – Honda CRF250R
8. Arnaud Tonus – Kawasaki KX250F
9. Martin Davalos – Husqvarna FC250
10. Kyle Peters – Honda CRF250R
11. Colt Nichols – Honda CRF250R
12. Luke Renzland – Yamaha YZ250F
13. Anthony Rodriguez – Yamaha YZ250F
14. Justin Starling – Yamaha YZ250F
15. Jimmy Decotis – Honda CRF250R
16. Zack Williams – Honda CRF250R
17. Daniel Herrlein – Honda CRF250R
18. Gannon Audette – Kawasaki KX250F
19. Aj Catanzaro – Suzuki RM-Z250
20. Dakota Alix – KTM 250SX-F
21. Mitchell Oldenburg – Yamaha YZ250F
22. Kyle Cunningham – Honda CRF250R
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Eastern Regional 250SX Standings
1. Marvin Musquin, 25 points
2. Justin Bogle, 22
3. Joey Savatgy, 20
4. Jeremy Martin, 18
5. Matt Lemoine, 16
6. Vince Friese, 15
7. RJ Hampshire, 14
8. Arnaud Tonus, 13
9. Martin Davalos, 12
10. Kyle Peters, 11