AMA Supercross kicks off this weekend
By Sean Lawless on 5th Jan 18
The greatest show on earth or dirt to be more precise kicks off on Saturday when the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series fires out of the gate at the Angel Stadium, Anaheim.
The 17-round 450 championship is super-intense with riders criss-crossing the country and getting just one weekend off until it concludes in Las Vegas on May 5. The 250 class is split, as always, into West and East regions with each racing eight rounds before they come together for the championship climax in Vegas.
This year there wont be a defending champion in the 450 class following the retirement last season of Ryan Dungey. This doesnt exactly throw things wide open last year Dungey only held onto his title by five points and while the class features a number of podium contenders, realistically there are only three or possibly four men in with a shout of the title.
Going on 2017 results its Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) who should start favourite. The Colorado native came within a whisker of dethroning Dungey and won nine Main Events but after a slow start to the season when he finally took the points lead he had a nightmare in New Jersey which handed the advantage back to the defending champ.
Tomac then went on to win the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross crown but for many its Marvin Musquin (Red Bull KTM) whos in pole position to take the 2018 title.
The Frenchman won two Main Events last year three if you count New Jersey where he let team-mate Dungey by and should have taken the outdoor title if it wasnt for an injury sustained in practice.
Since then hes won $1,000,000 for cleaning up at the Monster Energy Cup, retained his Red Bull Straight Rhythm crown and dominated in Paris and Geneva so heading into the opening round hes the man with all the momentum behind him.
The third contender may or may not be Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC)...
The German won the opening two rounds of last years championship before a big crash at Anaheim 2 left him with career-threatening wrist injuries that sidelined him for the rest of the season indoors and out. All the signs point to him being back in business with a series of social media posts indicating that hes bringing his A game to round one but, nevertheless, no-one outside the HRC camp really knows what to expect.
The best of the rest surely has to be led by Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna). Winner of the final round in Vegas in 2017, El Hombre got on the podium six times last season on his way to fourth in the championship but hes got to be a long shot for the 2018 title.
Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain KTM) struggled indoors last year with just one podium finish to his name but looked strong outdoors until a thumb injury derailed his championship challenge.
Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha) started his rookie 450 season well and grabbed a podium at Oakland before a shoulder injury forced him to miss five rounds. With a year on the 450 under his belt expect the former 250 champ to climb the rankings.
As a proud supporter of British racing no MX Diary preview would be complete without a mention for Glasgow-born Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna).
The Scot started the 2017 season on a privateer Yamaha before picking up his current ride and scored at every round on the way to eighth in the championship. If he can stay fit dont be surprised to see him pushing for podiums this season.
Of the remaining challengers on the provisional entry list for Anaheim 1 only Cole Seely (Team Honda HRC), Chad Reed (CR22 Husqvarna) and Josh Grant (Monster Energy Kawasaki) got on the podium last season and all three will hope to figure at the sharp end again this year.
Of course, Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda) was second at Daytona but hes only expected to race the first three rounds on a 450 before concentrating on the 250 East class.
The first six rounds of the 2018 series will see support from the 250 West Coast class where Justin Hill (JGR Suzuki) will be back to defend the title he won comfortably last year.
Who will be his main competition is a little bit more confusing with the A1 entry throwing up Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) as a possible contender although racerxonline has got him down for another go at the East crown.
One thing thats for sure is that Savatgy is a serious contender no matter which series he races and after missing out on the East crown at the last round hell be looking to make amends.
With or without Savatgy, you can expect Shane McElrath (Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM) to be in the mix on the West Coast. A contender last season until a mechanical failure left him in second, McElrath won three Main Events in 2017.
Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Yamaha) also picked up a win last season and is expected to be at the sharp end along with Martin Davalos (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) who switches coast after finishing second in the East in 2017.
Other possible contenders include Christian Craig (Geico Honda) and Alex Martin (Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM).
In 2017 Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) established himself as the man to beat on the East Coast with four Main Event wins before he took the title in a drama-filled finale in Las Vegas.
The former British MX2 champ who went on to win the outdoor 250cc title gets his defence under way at Arlington in Texas on February 17.
With last years second and third-placed riders Cianciarulo and possibly Savatgy heading to the West Coast, on paper at least it looks as though Osborne is in the driving seat but in reality its never quite as simple as that.
In the early stages of last years Main Event in Las Vegas it was Jordon Smith (Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM) who was in line for the title before he crashed and hes back for another crack.
Frenchman Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha) impressed last year in his debut SX season finishing fifth on the East Coast with a couple of podiums and should be a threat along with Austin Forkner (Monster Energy Kawasaki), Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda), RJ Hampshire (Geico Honda) and Jimmy Decotis (JGR Suzuki).
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