Anderson continues AMA title chase
By Team TMX on 7th Feb 16
The night was filled with highs and lows for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team at the fifth round of AMA Supercross, held at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona. After the high of putting Husqvarna in the second and third qualifying spots in 450 practice, Jason Anderson and Christophe Pourcel had to work through the pack to redeem themselves from mid-pack starts in the main. Zach Osborne, a title contender in 250SX West, was forced to end his night early due to a huge pileup early in the main.
Jason Anderson, third fastest in practice, was quickly making his way to the front of the pack in his heat before going down in the second lap. He remounted mid-pack and finished sixth. He started in the top five in his semi and was closing in on the leader, teammate Christophe Pourcel, with two laps to go. He made the pass for the lead in the whoops and held on for the win and a coveted spot in the 450 main. Anderson has never finished outside the top five so far this season, so when he started around 10th in the main he immediately started making moves in order to navigate his Husqvarna FC 450 to the front of the pack. He picked off multiple riders and made impressive passes in order to work his way up to a fourth place finish.
"I'm riding well and am always trying to move forward,” said Anderson. "I just need to work on a couple things that will help me get up front faster and put in consistent laps. The track was pretty tough this weekend, especially the whoops. It was technical and tight, which made it hard to make up time. I ended up having to capitalize on other's mistakes. I was also searching for traction all night because it was so slick. I just need to figure out how to keep my laps fast with deteriorating track conditions.”
Christophe Pourcel, second fastest in practice aboard his Husqvarna FC 450, pulled a mid pack start in his heat and just couldn't find his rhythm. He eventually finished outside qualifying position and was forced to earn a spot in the main via the 450 semi. He earned the holeshot in his semi before battling for the position with his teammate Jason Anderson. He eventually conceded the position to Anderson and finished second to earn a transfer spot in the main. He started in the back of the pack in the main and worked his way up to a 13th place finish.
"The start was super slippery,” said Pourcel. "I just couldn't get going fast enough, and it seemed like the track was so rough. I made a couple passes but still struggled. I almost crashed a few times, but was just a little slower than the other guys. The whoops were pretty steep and slick towards the end, which made it hard to carry momentum. I had a good ride in my semi, though. I got a good start and got to ride with Jason, which is good. I still feel like I'm going in the right direction.”
Zach Osborne has been in the 250SX West title hunt all season. He was on the move in his heat after he pulled a top five start before pushing his Husqvarna FC 250 into the lead in the third lap. He made a mistake while in the lead, causing him to move back to sixth before making his way up to a fifth place transfer spot. Unfortunately, he went down and got landed on in the beginning of the main and was unable to complete the race. He is expected to return next week in San Diego.
"I was prepared to fight today, even though I was a little sick,” said Osborne. "It ended up being a big disappointment for me. I just wanted to get a good start in the main so I could get back on the podium, but I ended up getting tangled with another rider coming out of the second turn and then got landed on. I think I'm ok. I should be good to race next week in San Diego.”
