Muddy Moto Is Nothing New!

A champion or two in this picture

Sexton, Tomac and SF Mud!

Mud, Mud and more Mud. Chase races to the win.

Rain, and plenty of it. That was the order of the day here in San Francisco, and thanks to abundant precipitation, both during the week and just about all day on race day, round two of Monster Energy AMA Supercross was a destined to be a mudder for the ages before the first gate even dropped. And when the rain intensified about halfway through the night program, so did the uncertainty of how things might play out in the main events. But who benefitted, and who came up on the losing end of the murky puddles in Oracle Park? Let’s splash into this week’s Saturday Night Live to find out.

The biggest winner of the night, quite literally, was Chase Sexton. The Red Bull KTM rider followed the book to the letter on how to win a mud race by getting out front, building a gap, and avoiding any mistakes that could take his wheels out from underneath him. The result? A brilliant performance, in which he led every single lap, and took over the points lead from Jett Lawrence. But even after such a great night, Sexton acknowledged that mud races are an outlier, and aren’t necessarily an indicator of how well he and his bike are performing.

“I didn't think we'd get here this fast, to be honest,” Sexton said on his comfort level and having the points lead. “I thought I was gonna really have to be patient and just trying to work into a good position with the bike and I knew it was gonna take a lot of time. We were testing some big, big changes the week of Anaheim. So, the week before Anaheim, they got me pretty comfortable with the rear of the bike. I was pretty happy with it, but it wasn't complete yet and this week we did some big changes and I feel like we're getting really, really close…I mean, we are good but there's always a little small stuff you can make [better].”

“I think from here on out…I expect myself to battle with Jett and whoever's up there,” Sexton continued. “Honestly, it could be a different podium every weekend, there's so many good guys that you can't really single out one person. It's gonna be a brawl and I'm here for it and definitely think I'm in the right head space and position to battle for wins for the rest of the season.”

As well as Sexton rode, there were moments when it seemed as though Eli Tomac would weigh in on who would be standing in the middle of the podium at the end of the night. After fighting his way into second place, Tomac was still figuring out the fastest way around the track. Sexton was faster in these early stages, but Tomac, who was a good 12 seconds back of Sexton at one point, started closing in on the lead as the race wore on. Tomac was able to get it down to about three seconds, but was never able to get close enough to put any moves on Sexton. He’d finish the night in second, while also jumping up to third overall in the standings.

“You know, my goal was to get on the podium,” Tomac said expectation wise heading into Saturday’s race after saying he simply "underperformed" at the opener. “I mean, that was my mindset and that's how good I felt physically. So, I wasn't like limping my in here at all. So, yeah, this is where I wanna be and where I hope to be. You know, Anaheim 1 was obviously really tough for me. Was just totally off, rode, really tight and there was nothing good about it. But here, put myself in a great position off the start there. So, key to be at least top three, you know, or in the front, like a couple of guys here did not get sprayed with mud when you go through that first turn. So that was my focus for the main and was able to execute that and then just try to stay on two wheels at that point.”

“It was one of the tougher ones,” Tomac put it simply in the post-race press conference.

Jeff Would Have Liked SF Supercross

Jeff Smith two time 500cc World MX Champion before the two stroke took over would be right at home on today's four strokes.

Quotes From the SF Mudder

Results, Podium Quotes and More From San Francisco Supercross

by Slaw Dog January 14, 2024,

Whelp, it took all of two rounds to get our first mudder of the year. I’m not a fan of mudders, but hey, that’s why we go racing.

Scroll below for podium quotes, results and more from round 2 of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

Whelp, it took all of two rounds to get our first mudder of the year. I’m not a fan of mudders, but hey, that’s why we go racing.

Scroll below for podium quotes, results and more from round 2 of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

450SX Podium Quotes

Chase Sexton

“Leading the race in a mud situation, it’s obviously where you want to be because you’re not getting roosted, but it also seems like it lasts forever. The first couple laps when I was by myself and I wasn’t dealing with lapped traffic it felt, not easy, but I had a good flow and was able to hit my lines. Then once we got into lapped traffic, that’s when the race kinda starts and being able to pick around those guys is key… It’s tough not to make a mistake out there but I was fairly consistent every lap and was pretty happy with how consistent I was.”

Eli Tomac

“It was tough. It was like, it started out really thick, and then it stayed thick enough even with all that water. A lot of times when it’s just pure rain the whole time it’s not too bad because the ruts don’t get super deep and you’re kinda just spraying it around. But this one… I went in [an inside rut] one time and got stuck for like a second or two. It was one of those tracks where it was just heavy dirt, super deep ruts. And then there was another time in the second rhythm section I almost looped out because I grabbed a handful of throttle and hung off the back. But this was one of the tougher ones.”

Ken Roczen

“My mindset was [focused on] getting going. As soon as I got going I’m like, ‘Okay, this is 15 minutes, this is enough time, with people struggling going left and right… we can still make something happen.’ So I really just put my head down and charged forward. I was kinda blown away and really happy at the same time that I caught up to the field quick and was able to just pick people off left and right… I just wanted to go and go and kinda try to have fun with it.”

Sometimes Karma Is Good

Vince Friese Penalized Three Positions In Heat Race San Francisco!

MotoConcepts Honda’s Vince Friese was penalized in the 450 Heat Race for skipping the whoops and gaining a position. He was in a transfer position before this happened, but he was docked three positions and finished in 12th place. Did karma kick Friese? The LCQ race for Vince was very good; he took the holeshot early and led the entire race with some sketchy moments until his engine stopped, and it was done.

Do Tear Offs Work...Ask Kick Start Kenny

Roczen on San Francisco – “Couldn’t Pull The Tear Off And Ended up Stalling”

HEP Ecstar Proggresive Suzuki Ken Roczen finished third in 450 Main Event in San Francisco last night, 27 seconds behind defending champion Sexton. That’s enough for third place in the extremely difficult conditions – ahead of his surprisingly strong Suzuki teammate Shane McElrath, who sets a personal best.

Ken Roczen: “I didn’t know where I was for a while. I wanted to stick with it and try to have fun somehow. I also wanted to protect the bike and was accordingly hesitant with the clutch. I’m really happy. Thanks to the team and mine Mechanic. After I was third, I thought I wanted to secure the podium. At the finish line, a weight fell off my shoulders.”

Insane day in SF. Some of the heaviest mud i have ever ridden in supercross, hands down.

First off i was glad to make i through the heat race with a 3rd. I did NOT want to go to the LCQ and we all know with those kind of conditions that can happen real quick.

Awesome start in the main too with @chasesexton and i getting there. I went around the first turn 1st but completely blind and couldn’t pull the tear off and ended up stalling it. I just sat there like a dingle berry 

I was in disbelief as a start like that was key was to a successful night.
Once i got her fired up we went to work and i went from pretty much probably last all the way up to 3rd and secured my first podium of 2024 

Thank you to my team @hepmotorsports , @l_brooks for being by my side and @billy_hartle for making my bike run top notch

Sexton Floats Above All Others

Defending 450SX champion Sexton wins wet San Francisco

Motoonline: Competition Post: Alex Gobert

Smith delivers Star Racing 250SX victory to claim the points lead.

Image: Octopi Media.

It was a wire-to-wire win for defending champion Chase Sexton in the toughest of conditions at San Francisco’s second round of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, as Jordon Smith won the 250SX West main event.

Sexton holeshot the 450SX main event and managed the race from there, leading the entirety of the shortened race to head Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) by 7.459s as the checkered flag flew.

Completing the podium was Ken Roczen (Progressive Ecstar Suzuki), directly ahead of HEP Motorsports teammate Shane McElrath (Twisted Tea Suzuki), while top-qualifier Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) filled the top five after enduring his share of trouble in the race.

Positions six through 10 featured Dylan Ferrandis (Phoenix Racing Honda), opening heat winner Jorge Prado (Red Bull GasGas), Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Team Honda HRC’s Lawrence brothers, Jett and Hunter in that order. Following their podiums at the opener, Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) were 11th and 12th.

It’s now Sexton who has reclaimed the red plate in the premier class, seven points ahead of Anaheim 1 winner Lawrence, and with Tomac climbing to third position in the title-chase just two rounds into the new season.

A commanding ride from Smith saw the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing veteran charge to his first victory in almost five years, jumping into the lead early and maintaining it from there.

A charging Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) climbed from as far back as ninth on the opening lap to finish within 0.913s in second position, also making it two podiums in a row to open the year alongside Smith.

Completing the podium was Garrett Marchbanks after making a last lap move on FXR ClubMX Yamaha teammate Phil Nicoletti – the pair almost a full minute back from the leaders. Finishing fifth was Carson Mumford (MotoConcepts Honda).

The final riders to remain on the lead-lap were Anthony Bourdon (BarX Suzuki), Joshua Varize (AJE Motorsports GasGas) and Hunter Yoder (Partzilla PRMX Kawasaki), with round one winner RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and Mitchell Oldenburg (MotoConcepts Honda).

It’s now Smith who holds the championship advantage, five points clear of Kitchen, with Hampshire dropping to third following a race of attrition in the Bay Area. Round three of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship will be next Saturday in San Diego.

SF Supercross...A Little Wet!

 Oracle Park mud fest.

Dakar Stage 7

The 2024 Dakar Rally resumed after a rest day. It was a 483-kilometer special, which took competitors along winding, rocky paths before transitioning into a stretch of dunes. Honda’s Nacho Cornejo started ninth and had the best time, which helped him as he continues to be one of the three top riders with the best chance to win the overall prize in 5 days time. The other two riders are Honda’s Ricky Brabec and Hero’s Ross Branch, who finished fifth and fourth on the stage. Brabec now holds a thin 1-second advantage over Branch in the overall lead, with Nacho 6:48 back. Jacob Argubright had a decent day, finishing 19th, even though he once again lost his seat and had to ride standing for most of the 6-hour ride.

Ricky Brabec: “Difficult day right from the start, tricky navigation made for a slower day up in the front. Lost the rear brakes early on so managed to ride the special with only the fronts which isn’t too bad but a little hairy in few situations. Spent a lot of the day riding up with Adrien Van Beveren & Toby Price to open the way and happy to have made it to the end of this day in a good position.”

Ross Branch: “It was a long stage today as well – 480 kms of really tough riding. But it was also a lot of fun. Lots of open flowing tracks and wadis and some dunes in the middle – I enjoyed it! The race in the front is now really close, so we’ve got a few days to manage it well and see what we can do.”

Jacob Argubright: “Had another issue with my seat and somehow received the quad roadbook tablet which caused some speed limiting issues for me all day so I just played it safe and just dialed it back for P19. Long day tho without a seat but I still cherish the days I have here at Dakar regardless. Bring on stage 8!”

TP's Version of Supercross

Only Travis would jump out of the SF stadium into the Bay...Supercross at it's wildest!