2023 Seattle Supercross | Kickstart Recap & Gallery

Last week we posted an extended conversation with Mike Emery as a Midweek Podcast. We go way back with Emery, as he was the Photo Editor at TWMX during its final years, and are stoked to see everything he puts out for Supercross, KTM Group, Fox Racing, Honda, and more every weekend through his Align Media agency. You can find the interview on the homepage.

Props, once again, to Dirt Wurx for their week in Seattle. The equipment operators got there early, covered the floor in plywood, dumped and moved the soil, and got it covered before heavy rain moved in on Friday night. There were some soft and wet spots after they pulled the tarps on Saturday, but the afternoon sun and some fine-tuning had it racy for the night show.

We've been trying all season to get a foreign rider next to their flag over the starting line. Finally, we got Anthony Rodriguez lifting off next to the colors of Venezuela.

We saw Derek Kelley come around the track with a busted helmet in Session One of Timed Qualifying, heard later in the day that it had a been a hard slam, and remembered to ask him about it during HWYW. “I wanted to figure out how to jump the whoops and, on a roll lap, went double-triple. The second I went for the triple, the bike shot out from under me, and I face planted, ate the front wheel, and jacked up my shoulder.” The AEO Powersports rider got over the problem and ended the night with a fifteenth-place finish in the 250 Main Event, but told us it was something that could have easily derailed the day. “It’s something I’ve been working on with my mental coach. Sometimes you have to deal with it. My neck, back, and shoulder were all jacked up, and it’s tough to get past that, and I did my best by getting to the Main through the Heat Race and ripped a good start.”

Last minute adjustments.

Alpinestars went with a medium-level mud prep on rider helmets for the afternoon practice sessions and stuck a piece of foam to the top to keep heavy roost from sticking. When you have most of the paddock's boots to maintain, plus gear and helmets, anything to make a messy job simpler is must.

Just a bunch of dads on a Saturday.

Adam Cianciarulo showed that he's still the raw speed in Seattle, as the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was again near the top in the Timed Qualifying Overall Results (51.191 for P2) and among the top-five in the opening laps of the Main Event.

Did Mitchell Oldenburg look a bit mellowed out on the bike? The MotoConcepts rider told us that he thinks he's riding style is getting more akin to a Vet Rider, and did seem a bit more reserved through some sections, but had the speed of the kids in the 250 West Coast Region. Oldenburg was third-fastest in Session One and ended the afternoon with the seventh-best time (52.449).

Seattle Stone Spray

We've said it before, but man, there's a lot of yellow on the track this year. Between HEP Motorsports and BARX Motorsports, there were eight OEM-supported RM-Zs entered into the race and five in the Main Events (Wageman, Drake, Roczen, Chisholm, McElrath).

You can tell how experienced a flagger is by their hold on the stick. The closer their hand is to the fabric, the better they are with it.

Good vibes to Dylan Walsh, who had a hard slam right in front of us during 250 Heat Race One and was quickly tended to by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit, then taken to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery on a broken tibia. Seattle was one round in the GTCI Revo Kawasaki rider’s seemingly nonstop schedule of AMA Supercross and the British Motocross Championship, a back-and-forth the New Zealander was eager to do after posting 11-11-10-11 results in the West Coast Region.

Kevin Moranz rocketed out of the gate in the practice starts, too. KM told us that the engine in his 2022 450 SX-F only has an FMF pipe and Rekluse clutch kit, which is mighty impressive against the high-horsepower factory machines that are just a bit ahead going into the first turn.

11 & 12

Afternoon light at Lumen Field.

Standing Room Only

Cole Seely is in for two races in the 450 Class, a part-time return that continues in Glendale and is intended to help him get ready for FIM World Supercross later this summer. Seely explained the whole situation for us in an SML Show episode and Friday's Pre-Race News Break, but simply put, these are warm-ups and he's not putting much into the results. CS was of many of three-digit riders in the B Group for Timed Qualifying in Seattle, but his Main Event appearance should make him part of the A Group next week.

Seattle is the home stop for MotoConcepts, an occasion the team celebrated with holographic PNW themed graphics from SKDA.

Transporter drivers encountered heavy snow, treacherous roads, and near-white out conditions on I-90 during the haul from Detroit to Seattle. The 2300-plus miles took the better part of three days and was followed by a full day of cleanup and detailing to the rigs.

"Yoder, Mumford, and Brown" sounds like the running order of a 65cc Moto at the World Mini. Speaking of, Wes Williams and the VurbMoto crew are bringing the West Coast amateur event back to life next week with four days of racing at Mesquite.

Honda is by-far the brand of choice in the 250 East Coast Region, but Yamaha has strong representation in the 250 West Coast Region through CLUBMX and Team Solitaire.

Has your social feed been filled with clips of South American motocross? Research by promoters for new fans and online insights of our own show that the region is one of the most engaged when it comes to online interaction, and the footage that comes from Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and everywhere else shows how into racing they are.

Want to know the full backstory behind the Seattle track build, which was based on a design by video gamer John Blankenship. and the steps that Operations Director Mike Muye and DirtWurx have to go through in each city? Sports Illustrated did an in-depth piece that you can read at https://www.si.com/racing/2023/03/23/supercross-course-design-fan-race-track-monster-moto

Lots of motorcycle brands and race teams have closed the gap, but Yamaha's YZ250 built by Star Racing remains still the power standard others are after in the small-bore class.

KTM has a lot of representation on the West Coast, and between the factory team, AEO, and Rides Unlimited, there were five 250 SX-F's in the Main Event at Seattle. If you want to get really detailed, include one Husqvarna and three GASGAS machines, for a total of eight bikes by Pierer Mobility.

The Chef greasin' corners.

Three-shot sequence of the Schwartz-Beneck collision in 250 Heat Race Two.

Unfortunately, this left Partzilla/PRMX/Kawasaki rider Julien Beneck with a broken thumb, an injury he hopes to have healed in just a few weeks.

Hometown favorite Levi Kitchen had an ideal Heat Race. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider aced the start, got ahead of McAdoo and Lawrence, pulled away when they tangled, and kept the top spot all the way to the checkered flag, his first checkered flag of 2023.

Christian Craig's wire-to-wire win in 450 Heat Race One was a big moment for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider, as it proved he has the ability to piece together a solid moto and can make things interesting against the best in the class. It was somewhat surprising to see the comparisons some drew between Craig and Hampshire after Daytona, but Craig was understanding of it. "For a few rounds, I couldn't get out of my own way. I think I was holding myself back mentally and that was when RJ jumped up, threw it out there, got that eighth, and won a Heat Race. That was cool for him, but a kick in the face for me. There was no backlash or anything from me, I just need to step it up and be better," he told us on Friday. "I have the right equipment, have the right trainer, I'm around the right people. It's up to me to show up on Saturday,"

Hell of a Heat Race.

Same, but different with Grant Harlan and Benny Bloss. Speaking of Harlan, he is on a roll. The Yamaha-mounted privateer earned a career-best thirteenth place finish in the 450 Main Event, his fifth feature race in a row and the seventh of the season. Harlan told us that he can’t pin the recent success to just one thing, saying, “I made a pretty big jump at Arlington, and I’m not sure what the jump was, but we made a jump there and from there I’ve slowly improved. I don’t want to improve super fast. That’s when your head gets big and you’re not used to it, you’re uncomfortable, and that’s when big mistakes happen.” He also posted a rundown of his broken parts from the season online last week: three subframes, two bars, two clamps, an exhaust, almost had to scrap a frame, and numerous rear fenders.

Cooper Webb didn't hold back when asked about the signal to Chase Sexton over the finish line in 450 Heat Race Two. "It felt good. I hadn't won a Heat Race all year and Chase is good in them, so it was a cool deal," noted the Red Bull KTM rider in the post-race press conference. He took it one step further, saying, "It was one of those things where maybe it will make him get out of whack and lose focus. And it seems like it maybe worked." We've been eagerly waiting for these sorts of tactics and tricks to start...

Two different looks on the Alpinestars SM10: apdesigns went for the Seahawks special with Levi Kitchen, but kept it true to Star Racing's usual look of bold blocks and a blue base.

AirTrix hit Jett Lawrence with a Lightning McQueen quote and youthfully themed graphic over the standard Red Bull blue and silver squares.

Hi, Otter.

Things get tense on the starting line. We don't know exactly what set this off, something about one rider going where another wanted to and guys getting in the way, but it added to the excitement before the gate dropped.

Enzo Lopes was towards the back of the pack on the opening lap, but put in a strong effort for all 15 mins plus one lap, clicked off times comparable to the lead group, and passed his way back to fourth place at the checkered. The Brazilian has been very close to a breakout ride the last two years and could make things interesting at a Showdown should the opportunity come up.

Stilez Robertson had a strong start to the Main Event, leading laps and dicing with the likes of Lawrence/McAdoo/Hampshire until a mistake in the whoops slammed him to the ground. It was tough to see the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider on the ground again, especially after some of his crashes and injuries in the past, but it sounds like he should be good for Glendale.

You know you're in for an all-out war when these two get together. RJ Hampshire agreed that it's balls to the wall anytime he and Cameron McAdoo are near each other and going for a spot, which is what made Hampshire's pass on McAdoo (and a lapper) that much more impressive.

Another one. Jett Lawrence is doing everything he's supposed to in his final weeks as a 250 Class rider, as he was again the top qualifier, brushed off the Heat Race incident after transferring directly to the Main Event, and led the majority of the moto while adding more points to his championship advantage. Enjoy these last few weeks, because once he moves up, he won't go backing down.

Pick-Up Kit: Success

How many more times will we see this exact podium?

Another start, another capacity crowd. It's been great to see packed stadiums at almost every round so far, especially in the cool temps of Seattle. Here's to more big turnouts in the closing weeks.

Opening lap action.

If you’ve been watching Dean Wilson this year, then you know how close the Fire Power Honda rider has been to a top-ten in the 450 Main Event and his HWYW recollection of the day was a tale of highs and lows. “Fifth in Free Practice, which was nice. Don’t mean anything but still nice. Eighth in the first Qualifier, tenth in the last one. Heat Race, P5. Main Event, was coming through the pack, got to P10, right behind P9 the whole time… Christian came and got me with two laps to go. P11. So painful, frustrated, but it is what it is.” DW15 has finished 14-14-13-12-15-12-11-11-12-21-11 through eleven rounds and is, you guessed it, eleventh overall in the point standings.

Chase Sexton was again in an excellent position in the early laps of the 450 Main Event. The Team Honda HRC rider got a great start, went forward when Kevin Moranz went over the berm, and immediately built a lead on the pack. Even a quick stall couldn't stop him, as he re-opened the gap Ken Roczen had closed with the small miscue...

Unfortunately, another sudden incident put Sexton on the ground, allowed Tomac and Webb to go by, and may have been the end of the rider's championship hopes. Now down 22 points, it'll take a string of wins and mixed results by the others for Sexton to get the difference back to single-digits.

Win 50 for Eli Tomac. This one will go down as one of his bigger ones, not just because it tied James Stewart for second all-time, but because of the way he attacked the track (no one was going harder in the whoops), how he opted for alternate lines (veteran prowess), and that it comes when it might be needed most (slows Webb's momentum ahead of the next leg). Don't think that Eli is celebrating the highs too much; by the time the press conference came around, he'd put on his business face and said that it's too early to be thinking about championships or wins at all.

Cooper Webb had his usual look of frustration afterwards. Aside from a mistake in the whoops that allowed Tomac to get away, it was a solid night for the Red Bull KTM rider, as he somehow conquered the technical rhythm lap after lap, put himself right behind Tomac before Sexton went down, and made it a race for a few laps.

Digital dash.

Does it get much better than this? Two riders tied for first, two riders tied for fourth, fifteen points between fifth and sixth, and even a close duel for the last spots in the top-ten. Want to make it even better? Look further down at the full point standings to see the close tally between independent riders for the final spots in the top-20 and a place in the SMX playoffs.

What'd riders see between jumps?

Dozens of ruts, cut into every transition and ready to send your bike a different way than you anticipated. This was the triple into the corner at the end of the small rhythm section.

So long, Seattle.