2016 Phoenix Supercross Preview
For the first time this season, the 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, heads outside of California to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday night for the fifth round of the series.
Last Saturday night inside Oakland’s O.co Coliseum, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey earned his third win of the season and extended his points lead.
Dungey grabbed the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award and went on to lead all 20 laps of the 450SX Class Main Event. It was Dungey’s first win in Oakland and he extended his points lead to 22 points over Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson and Monster Energy 360Fly/Chaparral/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Chad Reed, who currently sit tied for second.
“To be able to get out front and find your lines early in the race is key,” said Dungey. “It’s great to see all of the hard work pay off. I am really happy for Marvin [Musquin], who is my teammate, for earning the first podium of his career. I train with him during the week, and tonight he proved he has the speed.”
RCH/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen finished on the podium for the second weekend in a row, the German earning second at Oakland Supercross. Roczen now sits in fourth place in season standings, two points behind Anderson and Reed.
“We are making steps in the right direction every weekend,” said Roczen. “There were some parts of the track tonight where I was doing well and others where I struggled.”
Dungey’s Red Bull KTM teammate Marvin Musquin became the newest 450SX Class podium finisher in history with a career-best third place effort. In doing so, Musquin moved into seventh place in the season standings.
The battle behind Dungey in the 450SX Class standings is becoming increasingly close, with just seven points separating second from sixth. These riders have battled for a spot in the top five all season, with four of the five finishing on the podium at least once.
In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Webb appeared to be well on his way to a fourth-straight victory to start the season after taking the lead on lap three. However, he suffered a mechanical issue on lap 12, which allowed Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy to take over control of the race and achieve his first 250SX class victory.
“To be on the podium and have the points lead going into our first-ever race in Glendale, Arizona next weekend is awesome,” said Savatgy.
CycleTrader/Rock River Yamaha’s Colt Nichols also enjoyed a career-best finish in second place. “Honestly, I didn’t really get off to the greatest start,” said Nichols. “I made it kind of hard on myself. And then, after that, I put my head down and tried to pass as many people as I could. I saw a few people tip over, and we took advantage of that. It was just a really good ride for me. Once I kind of realized where I was at, it was probably the worst I’ve ridden in a while, and I was getting a little nervous out there. But, this has just been such a dream of mine for so long. So, to see it finally come true, it’s just a really big deal for me and the whole CycleTrader/Rock River Yamaha team. It’s such a good feeling and I can’t wait for next weekend.”
GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig rebounded from crashing while in the lead earlier in the race to round out the podium in third place. In addition to being on the podium for the second weekend in a row, he also won the first SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award of his career.
Webb’s 21st-place finish leaves him second in the standings behind Savatgy, who moved from third to first. Savatgy will carry the red number plate for the first time in his career with a two-point lead over Webb. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne sits in third, five points out of the lead.
During last year’s 450SX Class Main Event in Phoenix, Eli Tomac made his 15th career 450SX Class start and became the 58th different rider to win a 450SX Class race. The win was his third career podium and fifth career top five. In the 250SX Class, Webb made his 11th career 250SX Class start and became the 98th different rider to win a 250SX Class race. It was his fourth career podium and first-ever win.
2016 Phoenix Supercross TV Schedule
The fifth round of 2016 Supercross at University of Phoenix Stadium will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Saturday, February 6. Fox Sports 2 will provide the first hour of coverage, and Fox Sports 1 will provide the additional two hours. For more, visit 2016 Supercross Schedule.
450SX Class Championship Standings:
- Ryan Dungey – Belle Plaine, MN – KTM – 97
- Jason Anderson – Rio Rancho, NM – Husqvarna – 75
- Chad Reed – Dade City, FL – Yamaha – 75
- Ken Roczen – Clermont, FL – Suzuki – 73
- Cole Seely – Sherman Oaks, CA – Honda – 70
- Eli Tomac – Cortez, CO – Kawasaki – 68
- Marvin Musquin – Corona, CA – KTM – 51
- Justin Brayton – Mint Hill, NC – KTM – 47
- Jake Weimer – Wildomar, CA – Kawasaki – 46
- Davi Millsaps – Murrieta, CA – KTM – 45
Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings:
- Joey Savatgy – Thomasville, GA – Kawasaki – 78
- Cooper Webb – Newport, NC – Yamaha – 76
- Zach Osborne – Lake Elsinore, CA – Husqvarna – 73
- Colt Nichols – Muskogee, OK – Yamaha – 65
- Christian Craig – Corona, CA – Honda – 62
- Jordon Smith – Belmont, NC – Honda – 61
- Jimmy DeCotis – Peabody, MA – Honda – 59
- Kyle Peters – Greensboro, NC – Honda – 51
- Mitchell Oldenburg – Alvord, TX – KTM – 48
- Kyle Cunningham – Willow Park, TX – Suzuki – 41