Riders got an unexpected weekend off, as the Oakland Supercross was postponed due to inclement weather; despite what the old song says, it does rain in California every now and then. Regardless, the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series gets back on track at the new Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, built on the site of the now-demolished Jack Murphy (and later Qualcomm) Stadium. So, with one race in the books and everyone fresh, let’s get to the 2023 San Diego Supercross fantasy tips aimed at RMFantasySX.com players.
- The last five San Diego SX winners will be lining up at Snapdragon Stadium: Ken Roczen (2017), Jason Anderson (2018), Eli Tomac (2019), Cooper Webb (2020), and Chase Sexton (2022). Yes, all those races were at Petco Park in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, but it’s still a good place to start when considering the top five for 2023. Looking at it another way, however, no one currently riding has figured out how to win twice in San Diego. Regardless, I’m going with those five riders for my top five in 2023. Now, it’s time to look at their order.
- Past performance does not guarantee future results, as the standard financial investment disclaimer reminds us. Only one rider in the top five at the A1 opener in 2022 made a return appearance at the next round—Justin Barcia with a pair of P3 finishes. Of the top five 2022 A1 finishers, only two—Chase Sexton and Cooper Webb—were in the San Diego top five. Barcia led early at this year’s A1 before crashing back to a P11 finish. Webb and Sexton were on the A1 podium. So, there’s plenty to think about.
- All the stats aside, Eli Tomac looked unbeatable at Anaheim 1. Despite crashing, he won the race handily, as Sexton faded and Webb had to come through the pack to make the podium. I’m going with Tomac to win until he gives me a good reason to think otherwise.
- Chase Sexton won last time out in San Diego, and led at A1. The A1 track was brutal and clearly wore Sexton out, as he had nothing to offer Tomac and Webb late in the race. Expect Sexton to learn from that lesson from two weeks ago and ride a bit smarter at Snapdragon Stadium. Sexton for P2.
- Cooper Webb looks rejuvenated and ready to play for the podium. His run through the field to P2 at Anaheim 1 was impressive. If Webb gets a good start, he may repeat his 2020 heroics. I’m giving him the final podium slot.
- It was a tough opening round for Jason Anderson, so it’s time to see how well he will bounce back. A podium is definitely possible for Anderson, if he can stay on two wheels. Even with all his A1 problems, Anderson managed to finish in P7, though still almost 20 seconds behind P5 finisher Roczen. It’s all going to be about eliminating mistakes for Anderson, and he knows he needs a good showing at San Diego to stay in contention for the 2023 title if the other front-runners make good.
- Although he dropped back to P5 by the end, Ken Roczen looked good at A1. His new ride on the Suzuki RM-Z450 was the big question, and Roczen answered it with a strong performance. His endurance is still a problem, though the A1 track took it out of the best of them. We will know even more about the 2023 version of Roczen after San Diego, but I’m good with him for P5.
- Three more riders are serious top-five threats at San Diego: Dylan Ferrandis, Colt Nichols, and Malcolm Stewart. Ferrandis started A2 in P9 and eventually finished in P4. If he can somehow figure out how to be up front in the first turn, he has the speed to win a Main Event. Unfortunately, that skill has eluded Ferrandis so far. In his 450SX debut, Nichols finished the night in P6—an amazing performance. We will find out if Nichols is for real at San Diego. Stewart led four laps before getting bumped out of the lead by Chase Sexton, and then Stewart crashed spectacularly, finishing in P16. Stewart was a reliable top-five finisher last year, so he’s certainly a credible threat in 2023.
- The Wild Card is P7, and there are over a half-dozen strong riders to choose from. This is a tough one. Given that I listed three threats for the top five, I have to go with one of those riders for P7. Additional good picks include Aaron Plessinger, Adam Cianciarulo, Justin Barcia, and Marvin Musquin. This early in the season, it’s pretty much guesswork. My crystal ball says Colt Nichols for P7.
- If you went with my RMFantasySX picks last week, you’re probably pretty mad at me. I scored a grand total of 10 points, putting me in the bottom 16 percent of over 100,000 players. That’s okay—I tend to start slow and come through the pack as the year progresses. We’ll see! Oh, and congratulations to Bigmak4822 for being the only player with a perfect score for A1.
- Check out our 2023 Supercross Television Schedule to make sure you stream from Peacock at the right time.
tl;dr 2023 San Diego Supercross Fantasy Picks
- Eli Tomac
- Chase Sexton
- Cooper Webb
- Jason Anderson
- Ken Roczen
P7 Wild Card: Colt Nichols
Photography by Will Embree / SMX Pictures
2023 AMA Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series Standings (after 1 of 17 rounds)
- Eli Tomac, Yamaha, 26 points (1W, 1 P, 1 T5)
- Cooper Webb, KTM, 23 (1P, 1 T5)
- Chase Sexton, Honda, 21 (1P, 1 T5)
- Dylan Ferrandis, Yamaha, 19 (1 T5)
- Ken Roczen, Suzuki, 18 (1 T5)
- Colt Nichols, Honda, 17
- Jason Anderson, Kawasaki, 16
- Aaron Plessinger, KTM, 15
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 14
- Joey Savatgy, Kawasaki, 13
- Justin Barcia, GasGas, 12
- Marvin Musquin, KTM, 11
- Christian Craig, Husqvarna, 10
- Dean Wilson, Honda, 9
- Justin Hill, KTM, 8
- Malcolm Stewart, Husqvarna, 7
- Grant Harlan, Yamaha, 6
- Josh Hill, KTM, 6
- Justin Starling, GasGas, 4
- Kevin Moranz, KTM, 3
- Fredrik Norén, Kawasaki, 2
- John Short, Kawasaki, 1
