2017 Las Vegas 250SX East/West Showdown Results
In the 250SX Class at the 2017 Las Vegas Supercross season finale in Sam Boyd Stadium, a title was on the line for the Eastern Regional Championship in the annual East/West Showdown.
After one of the wildest and most memorable races in the history of the division, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo walked away with the Main Event win, but it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne who emerged with his first career title after battling back from a first-turn crash.
The 250SX Class East/West Showdown kicked off with Cianciarulo storming to the SupercrossLive.com Holeshot, just ahead of his teammate Joey Savatgy and Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Jordon Smith, the Eastern Regional points leader.
This trio, along with Osborne, entered the night mathematically eligible to win the title and while three of the four sprinted out to an early lead, Osborne found himself picking up his Husqvarna off the ground following a first-turn crash that collected several riders. Osborne began his race at the tail end of the field, completing the first lap in 21st.
The clear track allowed Cianciarulo to sprint away, but Savatgy kept pace. As they crossed the line to officially start the first lap, Savatgy washed out his front end in the first corner and went down. That allowed Smith to take over second, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Martin Davalos moving into third.
The Lap 1 excitement sparked again when Smith went off the side of the track while running second. He kept his KTM on two wheels, but lost several positions and reentered the race in fifth. That moved Davalos into second and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Justin Hill, the newly crowned Western Regional Champion, into third. Davalos would encounter misfortune on Lap 2 and fall out of contention, moving Hill into second and 51Fifty Energy Drink Yamaha’s Hayden Mellross into third. Smith endured even more misfortune of his own on the same lap, suffering a frightening crash that would bring his race to an end and eliminate his hopes of a first career title.
With Cianciarulo in full control of the race out front, Savatgy running in fourth, and Osborne slowly working his way back into the mix in 20th, the championship intrigue was only beginning. Over the middle portion of the 15-minute-plus-one-lap Main Event both Savatgy and Osborne began heading in opposite directions. Savatgy, who controlled his own destiny in the title fight, continued to lose ground to the riders behind him, falling from fourth to seventh on Lap 5. Meanwhile, Osborne was charging through the field and broke into the top 15. Savatgy would lose another position and fall to eighth three laps later.
With the Main Event winding down, Savatgy’s vulnerable hold of the championship lead left him with just a single-point advantage over Cianciarulo as they ran on track, while Osborne’s continued improvement also allowed him to close to within single digits of the points lead.
On Lap 12 Osborne valiantly fought his way into ninth, with only Savatgy sitting between he and his first career title. A large gap sat between the two as the time on the Main Event clock expired, but with one additional lap remaining the Husqvarna rider was able to make a charge to Savatgy’s rear fender and within striking distance on the final lap.
Cianciarulo dominated the race and posted a wire-to-wire effort to capture his second victory of the season, likely unaware of the bedlam ensuing behind him. He crossed the line 5.7 seconds ahead of Hill, while Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger made an impressive climb from a 15th-place start to round out the podium in third.
As they approached the final set of whoops on last time, Osborne committed to making a pass attempt on Savatgy for seventh and did just that, diving to the inside of an unsuspecting Savatgy and drawing heavy contact that ripped Savatgy off the back of his Kawasaki after it briefly hooked onto Osborne’s Husqvarna. Osborne continued, leaving Savatgy to pick up his bike, and ultimately clinched a title that didn’t seem possible after the opening lap.
“I can’t believe I came from that far back. I was down in the first turn. Not just down, but down for a long time. It’s just unreal,” exclaimed Osborne. “I can’t believe I made that pass. I could see him [Savatgy], but he was so far away in my mind. To come back and pass him with one corner to go is unreal. I’ve worked my whole life to be here. There’s just so many people that have shaped and molded my career to get me to this point, and I just cant thank them and my team enough.”
Osborne’s seventh-place finish, coupled with Cianciarulo’s win, left them just two points apart in the final standings. Cianciarulo entered the night 14 points out of the lead, while Osborne and Savatgy sat just a single point behind Smith. Savatgy ended up 12th, and wound up seven points back.
Osborne became the 53rd different 250SX Class Champion in Monster Energy Supercross history, and gave the Husqvarna brand its first ever title in the division.
2017 Las Vegas 250SX Class East/West Regional Showdown
1. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki
2. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki
3. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
4. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha
5. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM
6. Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda
7. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna
8. Hayden Mellross, Australia, Yamaha
9. Mitchell Harrison, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha
10. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Honda
2017 Final Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
1. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 173
2. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 171
3. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 166
4. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM – 161
5. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha – 144
6. Christian Craig, Corona, Calif., Honda – 97
7. Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Yamaha – 86
8. Luke Renzland, Hewitt, N.J., Yamaha – 84
9. Anthony Rodriguez, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha – 82
10. Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki – 77
2017 Final Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
1. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki – 202
2. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 164
3. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 163
4. Martin Davalos, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 145
5. Jimmy Decotis, Peabody, Mass., Honda – 137
6. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 114
7. Dan Reardon, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha – 104
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Honda – 90
9. Cole Martinez, Rimrock, Ariz., Yamaha – 77
10. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM – 76
