What To Look For At Anaheim 1 Supercross
There will be 56 hopefuls trying to qualify for the opening round of the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series in Anaheim, Calif.
Simply getting into the A1 SX Main will be a major challenge, as the field is impressively deep, even though there are just three serious contenders for the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Championship. Here’s what to look for at Anaheim 1.
1. Focus on Ken Roczen’s level of aggression in his Heat race. Yes, Roczen is back and he’s riding fast on his Team Honda HRC CRF450R. However, shredding on the practice track is quite different from banging bars in the first corner with 19 other competitors hoping to make the Main. If he goes hard, then you’ll know he is back. If not, he will still be getting his footing. Here’s what Roczen has to say about his comeback from last year’s injury.
2. Eli Tomac will be looking to get his season off to a strong start. Roczen dominated early last year, and it took a while for Tomac to challenge eventual 2017 Monster Energy Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey. Tomac will not want to dig himself into another hole this year on his Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F.
3. Marvin Musquin has momentum on his side. The Red Bull KTM factory racer had a huge post-Nationals off-season. Look for Musquin to use his new KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition motorcycle to make a statement in his Heat race, as well as in the Main. If he flags, that momentum is toast.
4. Jeremy Martin is a great unknown, and should be fun to watch. Martin is set to ride the 250SX East Championship, but Honda is letting him have a limited shot at some 450SX races on the West Coast. While the GEICO Honda rider did well at Daytona last year on his first foray into the world of 450SX, Daytona is quite different from a stadium. Martin could find himself on the podium with his CRF450R, and turn things upside down for Honda if he beats Roczen consistently.
5. Like Roczen, Blake Baggett is coming off an injury. Riding a Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition, Baggett has essentially the same motorcycle as Musquin. That means expectations will be high for Baggett, who is returning from a thumb injury. Like Tomac, Baggett will not want to drop too far behind the leaders too quickly. Still, it remains to be seen how aggressively he will feel comfortable riding.
6. Jason Anderson has won A1 before, and he undoubtedly would like to again. The anchor on the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team is going to have a tough time consistently making the podium. Last year was a bit of a letdown, even though he finished the championship in fourth place. Anderson finished 2017 with four consecutive podiums and had an improbable win at Las Vegas. That’s momentum that Anderson will be trying to draw on.
7. Cooper Webb is a dark horse for the podium. This is a big year for the Monster Energy Factory Yamaha Team rider. He struggled in his rookie year, and had a mid-season injury. 2018 may be the year we find out if Webb is for real on his YZ450F, or if he is another 250 phenom that couldn’t hack it in the 450SX class. A1 may set the tone for Webb’s 2018 campaign.
8. Keep an eye on #55, Vince Friese. Love him or hate him, controversy seems to follow the Smartop MotoConcepts racer. Whether you think he is at fault or people come at him looking for trouble, Friese often gets a great start and isn’t shy about protecting his position when trying to qualify for the Main—something he did in all but one round last year. For 2018, Friese is returning to a number he used to run—he was #61 last year—maybe that will help.
9. Keep an ear out for #178, Ronnie Ford. If he qualifies, he will be on a Husqvarna TC 250 two-stroke in a sea of thumpers.
10. If you’re planning to watch on television, here is the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross TV Schedule.
2018 Monster Energy Supercross Round 1 Entry List, Anaheim, CA
2- Cooper Webb | Monster Energy/Knich/Factory Yamaha Team |
3- Eli Tomac | Monster Energy Kawasaki |
4- Blake Baggett | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC – KTM – WPS |
6- Jeremy Martin | GEICO Honda/AMSOIL/Factory Connection |
10- Justin Brayton | Smartop/MCR/Honda |
12- Jake Weimer | Smartop MotoConcepts |
14- Cole Seely | Team Honda HRC |
15- Dean Wilson | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing |
19- Justin Bogle | Autotrader JGR Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing |
20- Broc Tickle | Red Bull KTM/Motorex |
21- Jason Anderson | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing |
22- Chad Reed | CR22 |
25- Marvin Musquin | Red Bull KTM/Motorex |
33- Joshua Grant | Monster Energy Kawasaki |
34- Weston Peick | Autotrader/JGR/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing |
39- Kyle Cunningham | H.E.P. Motorsports/FXR/Suzuki |
48- Henry Miller | H.E.P. Motorsports/FXR/Suzuki |
51- Justin Barcia | Monster Energy/Knich/Factory Yamaha |
55- Vince Friese | Smartop MotoConcepts |
58- Matt Bisceglia | Nut Up Industries |
60- Benny Bloss | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC – KTM – WPS |
69- Tyler Bowers | |
72- Josh Hansen | Nut Up Industries, Fox |
73- Brandon Scharer | 3-D Racing/EBR Performance/Altus Motorsports/Yamaha |
80- AJ Catanzaro | |
84- Scott Champion | Partzilla.com |
90- Dakota Tedder | Team Tedder/Monster Energy/KTM/Lucas Oil |
91- Alex Ray | CycleTrader Rock River YAMAHA |
94- Ken Roczen | Team Honda HRC |
120- Todd Bannister | Moto Adventure Kawasaki/VMX/Fox Racing/Spy Optics/FAF Graphics/ Nielsens |
145- Travis Smith | |
178- Ronnie Ford | MotoTech Trailers/Nash Motorsports/Grassroots Husqvarna/Advanced Automotive/ |
181- Dustin Pipes | H.E.P. Motorsports/FXR/Suzuki |
185- Damon Back | South Valley Motorsports/H&H/Triple Effect/PB |
211- Tevin Tapia | Trust Implants / TNT Racing |
214- Van Martin | Allsouth Sprinkler Company/Honda Of Houston/Fox/Legends and Heroes/Yoshimura/ |
256- James Milson | Team TPJ/Fly Racing/Granbury Motorsports |
262- Connor Pearson | St Claire Design and Construction/Colton’s Concrete |
282- Theodore Pauli | TXS/Outlaw Motorsports/St Louis Tattoo/Top Secret Designs |
330- Cade Autenrieth | |
447- Deven Raper | RJC Racing/Kelly’s Kawasaki |
471- Logan Karnow | Team PR-MX.ca/Strikt Gear/Pelletier Kawasaki |
509- Alex Nagy | Like You Live/Axo/Pirelli/EVS/ODI/Rekluse/Shoei/SoCal SuperTrucks |
526- Colton Aeck | Charity Air Ambulance/TREMX.com/Tri-County Powersports |
542- JB Buller | Help Smog/DT1 Filters/MIKE Metals/CTO Goggles/Scorpion Helmets |
608- David Pulley Jr | DMP Motorsports/Think Technology/Honda |
645- Cheyenne Harmon | Shawneemotors.com/Merge Racing/M2- Auto repair/Answer Racing/Elite Landscape |
722- Adam Enticknap | |
723- Tyler Enticknap | SLO Painting/Fly Racing/BTO Sports/Rekluse/TXS/Scott USA/Works Connection |
877- Dylan Bauer | Dylan Bauer Racing |
907- Ben Lamay | TPJ/Fly Racing/L. Beardsley CPA/RTS/UofMX/EKS Brand, Stratus |
914- Brice Klippel | BWR Engines/SSI Decals/FXR/Arai |
918- Michael Akaydin | TXS Productions/Gateway Cycles/Vuckson Excavating/Embree Racing/Skillz |
976- Josh Greco | Privateer Graphics/Strikt/Moto Tech Trailers/Atlas/Sidi/Flo Motorsports/Moto Sea |
981- Austin Politelli | U Of MX/TXS Productions/HRT Racing/California Coast Plumbers |