2019 Indianapolis Supercross Preview:
Webb’s Growing Gap
It’s back inside for the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series, as the riders head to spectacular Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for Round 11 of the 17 round series—yes, they’re past the halfway point. Cooper Webb holds a healthy lead in the standings, but it is far from over yet, as three riders—Eli Tomac, Marvin Musquin, and Ken Roczen—are poised to relieve Webb of the lead should anything go wrong.
- Cooper Webb is working on a full-race lead in the points, but he’s not quite there. With a win or runner-up finish in the last five races, Webb (Red Bull KTM) has built up a 19-point cushion on Tomac and Musquin, with Roczen a couple of points back. As well as Webb has been doing, a bad night evaporates that points lead in the wave of a checkered flag. Regardless, while Webb has been going on a 1-1-2-1-2 tear, none of the three chasing him have been on the podium all of the last three races. Webb will be content to watch them squabble behind him as he consistently stretches his lead over the pursuers.
- Eli Tomac just cannot get a rhythm down. While Webb didn’t finish below P2 in the last five races, Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) went 6-12-1-6-1, giving headaches to fantasy Supercross players around the world. If history repeats itself this year, Tomac will be in P6 at Indianapolis—his finishing position following his first two wins of the year. Momentum has not been Tomac’s friend, and he is coming off a dominating Daytona victory.
- Ken Roczen may end up being a P4 guy this year. With no podium appearances in the last three races, Roczen (Team Honda HRC) has dropped to P4 in the standings. It’s not quite as bad as it looks, as he was taken down in a first-corner crash at Daytona. Without that, he’s still P2 in the standings. Having said that, Roczen has not finished ahead of Webb since the mud bath at Round 5 in San Diego.
- Marvin Musquin is consistent, but not fast enough. Musquin (Red Bull KTM) has only been off the podium once in the last eight rounds. That is an impressive performance, and one that has put him in a tie with Tomac in P2 in the title chase. However, like Roczen, Musquin is losing touch with Webb in the standings due to not being able to best Webb since San Diego. That is a long time to go without pulling back a single point.
- In contrast to Daytona, which consisted of primarily 180-degree turns, the Indianapolis Supercross is defined by 90-degree corners. That design will make passing more difficult. However, guarding the finish line is a 180-degree sand corner with sand straights at the entrance and exits. Just sand played a key part in the Daytona start, it could have a major impact on the Indianapolis finish.
- Blake Baggett seems to have found his groove. After three finishes outside the top ten in the first six rounds, Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) has gone 4-5-2-4. While Baggett is 40 points outside of P4 in the standings, he is doing a great job of solidifying his P5 slot. Baggett is 12 points up on Dean Wilson, who has finished in either P8 or P11 the last five races.
- Joey Savatgy has established himself as a reliable top-ten performer. Somewhat quietly, Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) has recovered from a challenging start to his rookie season. With injuries and a mechanical DNF, Savatgy scored just 24 points in the opening four rounds and was mired in P16 in the standings. In the next six rounds, he has amassed 100 points and moved up to P9—the top rookie—and has three top-five finishes. Savatgy doesn’t yet seem to be a threat to win, though a podium isn’t out of the question in the right circumstance.
- Zach Osborne broke through in Daytona. It was a rough 22-10-22 start to Osborne’s injury-delayed 450SX career. However, Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) put it all together in Daytona for a P6 result. However, Daytona is a different type of Supercross track. To find out how he’ll be doing indoors, keep an eye on him in Indianapolis.
- Anyone looking to fill out a top ten list in fantasy Supercross has to remember Justin Brayton. In the last five races, Brayton (Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/Honda) has been in the top ten at the end of the night. Yes, it’s been close during his 5-10-9-7-9 run, yet he manages to keep his head in the top half of the 22-rider Main field.
- After a strong start, it is turning out to be tough year for Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing. Aaron Plessinger broke his heel in a spectacular get-off in Daytona, and Justin Barcia suffered a concussion that kept him away from the starting gate two weeks running. Fortunately, Barcia will be back on the track at the 2019 Indianapolis Supercross, Racer X is now reporting. (Updated 3/14/19)
- If you don’t have the paid NBC Sports Gold streaming subscription service, be prepared for a four-hour delay on NBCSN. Yeah, we don’t like it either, but free isn’t getting it done. While we are not satisfied with the race coverage offered by NBC Sports Gold, the Qualifying coverage is outstanding and arguably worth the subscription price on its own. We think NBC Sports Gold should absolutely be covering the post-race interviews, and we don’t mean the ones on the podium. We, of course, have our 2019 Supercross Cable and Streaming Television Schedule for your convenience.
Photography by Rich Shepherd
2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 10 of 17 rounds)
- Cooper Webb, 222 points (5 wins)
- Eli Tomac, 203 (3 wins)
- Marvin Musquin, 203
- Ken Roczen, 201
- Blake Baggett, 161 (1 win)
- Dean Wilson, 149
- Chad Reed, 137
- Justin Brayton, 127
- Joey Savatgy, 124
- Aaron Plessinger, 123
- Justin Barcia, 120 (1 win)
- Cole Seely, 117
- Justin Bogle, 88
- Justin Hill, 87
- Tyler Bowers, 69
- Vince Friese, 65
- Kyle Chisholm, 57
- Ben Lamay, 52
- Jason Anderson, 46
- Alex Ray, 33
- Zach Osborne, 32
- Cole Martinez, 29
- Carlen Gardner, 26
- Chris Blose, 20
- Malcolm Stewart, 17
- Ryan Breece, 12
- Shane McElrath, 11
- Mike Alessi, 10
- Ronnie Stewart, 9
- Cedric Soubeyras, 8
- Cheyenne Harmon, 6
- Theodore Pauli, 5
- Daniel Herrlein, 5
- Justin Starling, 4
- Cade Autenrieth, 4
- Angelo Pellegrini 4
- Casey Brennan, 3
- Austin Politelli, 3
- AJ Catanzaro, 3
- Scott Champion, 2
- Jared Lesher, 2
- Heath Harrison, 1