2022 Glendale Supercross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

Double vision.

Big, fast, loaded with different jump combinations, the Glendale layout was everything we expected it to. State Farm Stadium was the first football venue of the season; of the remaining races, nine will take run on the rectangular football field floors, two on the infield of speedways, and one at a baseball diamond.

The Arizona soil got beaten in during the afternoon practice sessions, and the lines in the berms varied around the track; some of the smooth grooves allowed riders to slingshot around the 180s, while other curves had rough or deep ruts complete with small chop.

The Glendale roost looked like it hurt, especially when the heavy and hard dirt was getting thrown off rear tires at full-speed down the long straightaway. Aside from these big boulders, we didn’t notice too many rocks in the dirt.

Free Practice Antics

We talked with Aaron Plessinger about the setup of the KTM 450 SX-F on Friday, a new machine for him and the Red Bull KTM team. “We’re still doing little tweaks here and there,” the rider stated. “I’m still trying to figure out the bike a little bit. And ride time is really what I need on it. We’re tweaking little bits here and there to find my comfort, where I need to be clicker-wise, and it’s hard because I don’t this bike all that well, so I don’t know which direction to go yet. I’m starting to figure it out. It’s still pretty new to me and I’m running into situations that I’ve never been in before, but the team has been awesome with helping me out and making it as comfortable as it can be during the Main Event. I think I still have to do a little on my part to figure it out, but I don’t think we’re far off. I think we’re scratching the surface on this bike.” Plessinger isn’t too stressed about the process, something he’s faced already in his career. “You have to take it race by race. You can’t just say, ‘It’s shit, I’m done for the season.’ It's a long season and we have time. I have to perform, and I know I can do it because I did it in Oakland. It’s not a matter of if I can do it or not; I just have to get a good start and ride up there. I have the fitness, just need a little bit more comfort with the clickers, and then I can do a lot with a bad start [Laughs].”

Malcolm Stewart had the inside line through the flat first turn corner area dialed. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider’s ability to tuck in tightly through the inside offered him the opportunity to make a handful of passes during the night. Although this line choice meant that Stewart was unable to quad through the following rhythm section, he was okay with it; the 27 told us he tried it a few times during the day but after a few rough landings, decided against it.

It was good to see Chris Blose on the track in Glendale. We spoke with the Motul/AJE Motorsports/GASGAS rider a few weeks ago about highlights of his career, the start of FENIX Suspension (check the fork tubes), and the importance of racing one last time in front of his hometown crowd, an interview you can hear in our Privateer Power category. A hard crash in the 250 Main Event at A2 left Blose with busted ribs, but he still lined up for the Triple Crown and gutted out 14-15-14 finishes for 14th overall.

Holding a race bike wide-open inside the stadium had to feel good. The tunnel jump and flyaway single were the perfect setup for the long dash down the flat straightaway, and it was cool to watch riders click up and down through the gears. As for Carson Mumford, the BARX/Chaparral/Suzuki rider’s shoulder took the brunt of the endo off the dragon back in 250 Race One and he sat out the rest of the night. Mumford is undecided on A3, and if he does not ride, there will be no RM-Z250s on the track. The team will have Preston Kilroy and Derek Drake on the East Coast.

There’s a lot to unpack from Ken Roczen’s Triple Crown performance. The Team Honda HRC rider was fourth-fastest in Timed Qualifying (1:01.842), ran second for nine laps in 450 Race One before sliding back to fourth, went from seventh to fifth to sixth in 450 Race Two, and climbed from ninth to seventh in 450 Race Three, 4-6-7 results that put him fifth overall. On paper, that’s not bad, and he even put in some of his best laps late in the race. However, he just seemed a bit off, and it’s noticeable. Roczen is openly working through some issues, both with the bike and himself, and these next few races will be a telling time for the 94.

Don’t overlook Dylan Ferrandis. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider has gotten better week after week, a trend that continued with his P1 rank in Timed Qualifying. Seven-five scores in 450 Races One-Two put Ferrandis in the hunt for a top-five finish, but a close moment with Dean Wilson over a double caused him to crash out of the final race and the 22nd place finish put him 12th overall.

Cole Thompson’s season has been cut short. The Parts Canada/Thor-backed rider had been solid in the 250 West Coast region and started the night in Glendale with an 11th place finish in 250 Race One. Unfortunately for Thompson, he was landed on by another rider during a chaotic opening lap in 250 Race Two and the incident left him with a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Arizona style. Team Solitaire/Nuclear Blast/Yamaha celebrated their home race in “The Valley” with a special desert graphics kit on their bikes, shown here on Robbie Wageman’s YZ250F…

While Jerry Robin continued his SKDA/Canvas MX-coordinated Sports Series with Phoenix Suns (that’s the NBA) inspired setup. Robin tells us he has a fan-favorite in store for A3.

What have you thought of the hard-packed terrain we’ve seen at a few races so far? Largely absent in 2021, as most races took place on the East Coast, it's been a variable that riders and teams have had to address in their setup and strategy.

Cooper Webb is in a tight spot right now. Like others in the European part of the paddock, the defending champion is still getting a handle on the new 450 SX-F and has been a bit off the mark in recent rounds. An all-in effort by Red Bull KTM and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing to improve the bike’s handling was in effect at Glendale, and the latest settings helped/held him to seventh fastest in Timed Qualifying and 8-8-5 finishes for eighth overall in the final results. It’s not “over” for Webb. Ranked sixth overall but down 23 points to Tomac, he’ll need to power through Anaheim Three without incident and stay within a race win’s amount of points from the leader when the series gets to the East Coast; the general coconscious is that the orange and white bikes will be better on the softer, more technical tracks.

Everyone’s got an opinion about the 250 Race Two incident between Vince Friese and Christian Craig, and to be honest, no one’s is completely right. The two subjects at the center of the controversy have made their stance on the matter clear, Craig in a vlog/press conference/PulpMX Show interview and Friese in an interview you can find on the SML homepage.

“Hooked up like a cat on carpet.” That’s how Eli Tomac described his YZ450F to Dirt Shark in Arizona, and yeah, that’s an accurate analogy. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider was on point from the moment he rolled onto the track, as the big stadium offered him plenty of room to move around and the dirt that was similar to what he has in Colorado. ET3 is the first two-time winner in 2022 and he now holds a double-digit advantage over the competition in the standings.

We watched the Hunter Lawrence-Michael Mosiman battle through the view finder of our camera, and it was a good one from the floor (you can see more shots in the gallery below). The Team Honda HRC rider stayed strong in the lead spot, and although the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider showed him a wheel a few times, the stayed 1-2 through the final laps. This shot, when Mosiman pushed the front-end while exited the flat turn and lost drive, was the deciding moment of the moto.

Chase Sexton is one of the Main Three in the 450 Class championship. The Team Honda HRC rider had a rough go early yet benefitted greatly in the Triple Crown format, as 11-3-1 finishes got him third overall at round five. Second in the point standings, Sexton says it’s still very early but agrees that he, Tomac, and Anderson are all running at a similar level. “I think that Jason, Eli, and I have a speed advantage,” he told us in HWYW. “But, I say that, but someone could come out and surprise everybody. It definitely keeps us on our toes. Eli is riding really well, it’s something I have to get closer to him, at least in the first few races. It’s cool to be in this spot, because I was in it in the 250 Class and it took me a little bit to get to it in the 450 Class. But it’s the premier division, I’m just grateful to be in this spot and put my best foot forward every weekend.”

Because the Triple Crown schedule offers little time for major repairs, teams are allowed to build, tech, and even race two different motorcycles. Every factory squad had spare bikes idling outside the stadium during the night show just in case something happened. We have to wonder if the KTM-Husqvarna’s bikes were complete with different settings. Marvin Musquin had a second 450 SX-F parked near the track during Friday’s media riding session, but we did not see if he spun laps on both. This exception only applies at Triple Crowns.

The Freckle Hype is high right now. The SmarTop/Bulfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider has practiced on the team’s CRF250R during the week and raced the CRF450R on the weekend, a back and forth that has some thinking he could be a top-five threat in the East Coast region. Oldenburg’s explanation about what’s so difficult about the 450 Class makes sense. “You have to make sure the whole day is good. In the 250 Class, I feel like I’m at the top of that class, so gate pick is not as important. But if I qualify 18th, that’s ninth gate pick in my Heat Race, and there’s not many good gates to choose from. And if you barely make it in through the Heat Race, you don’t have a gate to choose, it’s more, ‘Here’s your gate.’ That makes it hard to get starts. Also, guys are throwing down fast laps every single lap in qualifying, but in the 250 Class, you get your laps in early and then bring it home. I am learning how to have a better overall day, rather than just the Main Event.”

Justin Barcia and Shane McElrath are proving that the previous generation bike is still plenty capable in the 450 Class, as they finished sixth and tenth, respectively. This is Barcia’s second year on the GASGAS platform and McElrath spent a few years on a KTM with TLD, so both riders know the feel of the equipment and have an idea of how to hone it in.

Another good, eventful race for Jason Anderson. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was in the mix all day in Arizona (home race for the New Mexico native), as he was third in Timed Qualifying, hustled to second in 450 Race One, crashed off the track in 450 Race Two then came back to 12th, and picked off the competition on his way to second in 450 Race Three. Anderson’s ability to cut the KX450 under other riders is remarkable; he made that exact move to get by Tomac in the turn moments before this photo.