2018 Seattle Supercross Results: Will Round 13 Be Unlucky?
With the Easter break over and five rounds remaining in the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series, Jason Anderson holds a commanding 35-point lead.
That’s a seven-points per round cushion over Marvin Musquin, his closest competitor. That just happens to be the points gap between first and fourth places, but a single DNF by Anderson could change the complexion of the series quickly.
UPDATE: There’s a high chance of rain at race time in Seattle. While most of the seats are covered, the track is open to the elements.
The action starts back up this Saturday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Here’s what you need to know ahead of 2018 Seattle Supercross.
1. Jason Anderson simply needs to keep doing what he has been doing. The crash bug stung Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 450) in Daytona and Indianapolis. However, he was able to salvage seventh and fourth place finishes in those races. In comparison, his chief rivals have missed rounds due to their own problems along the way. Anderson has only finished outside of the top four once in 2018. That consistency, along with four wins, has put him on top.
2. Marvin Musquin needs more wins. After winning the Anaheim 1 opener, Musquin (Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F) didn’t return to the top of the box until two weeks ago in Indianapolis. Without wins, Musquin has little chance of catching Anderson if Anderson keeps finishing races. Amazingly, third place Justin Brayton is closer to Musquin in the points (20 points) than Musquin is to Anderson (35 points), and the gap back to Tomac from Musquin is just 36 points. Musquin’s best chance for the title is to ride smart, finish every race in a good position, hold on to second place, and be ready if Anderson falters.
3. As always, Eli Tomac will be the wild card. With five wins in 2018, Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F) has more victories than any other rider. Yet, he sits in fourth in the standings, 71 points behind Anderson. Along with those wins, Tomac has four finishes outside the top 10, along with missing one race due to an injury at A1. Tomac is the scourge of fantasy Supercross players—it’s hard to not put him on the podium list, yet he is a consistent heartbreaker.
4. Justin Brayton is having a Cinderella second half of the Supercross season. Brayton (Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda CRF450R) had an impressive opening four rounds, going 7-6-4-7. However, Brayton stumbled to a 9-6-10-10 run. He was still the top independent rider, yet not looking to hang with the top five. That all changed with a fourth in Atlanta—the midpoint in the season—followed by his first-ever Supercross win in Daytona. Brayton followed that up with a fourth in St. Louis and third place in Indianapolis. If you had told Brayton that he would be third in the standings going into Seattle, he would not have believed you.
5. Dean Wilson had a breakthrough podium last round in Indianapolis. After years of tough times in the 450SX class, Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) finally earned a podium finish with a second place. Wilson started the year with a shoulder injury at A1, and is still not 100 percent. Regardless, with four eighth-place finishes being his best result of the year going into Indy, he landed on the box. Everyone will be watching to see if that’s the new Wilson, or just an anomaly.
6. In an up-and-down year, Broc Tickle might have some momentum. After a disastrous 19th in Atlanta, Tickle (Red Bull KTM) has been improving every week, going 10-7-5. Tickle has three fifth-place finishes this year, but nothing better. Had Wilson not cleaned Tickle out at Indianapolis, it’s likely Tickle would have had his best finish of the year. Tickle may be a surprise visitor to the Seattle podium.
7. Cooper Webb is another podium dark horse for Seattle. Webb (Monster Energy Factory Yamaha Racing YZ450F) hit the podium in Daytona for the only time in 2018, but a practice injury kept him out of St. Louis. His seventh in Indianapolis doesn’t sound impressive, except when you consider he was caught in a first turn pileup. Webb was awful in the first half of the season, but he turned that around at Round 7 in Arlington and has looked primed for better things ever since.
8. Josh Hill—yes, Josh—will be riding for Monster Energy Factory Yamaha Racing at Seattle. Josh Hill hasn’t competed in a Monster Energy Supercross event since 2015, but he still races. With Justin Barcia still sidelined, there was an empty seat and Josh Hill is taking it. According to Hill on Instagram, he intended to race Seattle as a privateer, and now he’ll be doing it as a factory rider. Hill has a 450SX win to his credit, taking the checkers at Minneapolis in 2008, along with a handful of podium finishes.
9. Back on the West Coast, the live Supercross coverage begins at 10 p.m. EDT on Fox Sports 1. Make sure you bookmark our 2018 Monster Energy Supercross TV Schedule.
2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 12 of 17 rounds)
- Jason Anderson, 265 points (4 wins)
- Marvin Musquin, 230 (2 wins)
- Justin Brayton, 210 (1 win)
- Eli Tomac, 194 (5 wins)
- Blake Baggett, 194
- Weston Peick, 172
- Broc Tickle, 165
- Cooper Webb, 162
- Dean Wilson, 138
- Cole Seely, 124
- Malcolm Stewart, 119
- Justin Barcia, 113
- Vince Friese, 108
- Ken Roczen, 102
- Chad Reed, 96
- Tyler Bowers, 90
- Josh Grant, 83
- Benny Bloss, 78
- Kyle Cunningham, 78
- Christian Craig, 58
- Ben Lamay, 57
- Kyle Chisholm, 48
- Jeremy Martin, 36
- Cedric Soubeyras, 23
- Alex Ray, 22
- Cole Martinez, 20
- Adam Enticknap, 19
- Justin Hill, 18
- Matthew Bisceglia, 15
- Dakota Tedder, 14
- Justin Bogle, 12
- AJ Catanzaro, 10
- Dylan Merriam, 9
- Bradley Taft, 5
- Justin Starling, 5
- Jake Weimer, 5
- Henry Miller, 5
- Carlen Gardner, 5
- Cody Vanbuskirk, 4
- Austin Politelli, 4
- Brandon Scharer, 3
- Scott Champion, 2
