A2 Monster Energy Supercross and Triple Crown to mix it up
The third round of the Monster Energy Supercross took more brains to follow since the program was completely switched due to the Triple Crown inside the traditional series. Instead of just qualifiers and then one main event in each class, the Triple Crown qualified the entire field including the LCQ races before the opening ceremonies.
When the gate dropped for the first time after the national anthem, the entire field was racing for points and the overall. Both 250 and 450 raced three races or three main events while using an Olympic-style point system, the rider with the least points determined the final score for the night. The winning rider still received the standard championship points but unlike outdoor races where they score championship points for each moto, the Triple Crown does not. There will be three races with this style format for the year to crown a champion within the standard SX championship.
The racing was solid but some of the fans started to leave after the second of three main events. Not sure if they thought the show was over, junior had to get to bed, or they were still not totally used to the Triple Crown format.
It actually proved to be a pretty nice concept because instead of just racing for gate position or just to get into the main event, each of the three races all counted to the overall and one bad moto could trash your night, just ask Jason Anderson or Cole Seely. Both riders had one bad or should we say less than great moto and it pretty much cost them the overall. Eli Tomac, just back from taking the week off from Houston and a bad crash during the opening round, had the most consistent scores to win the first round of the Triple Crown and A2 honors. However, if Tomac has any hopes to win the title with a 47-point deficit, he is going to have to win every week from now on and hope for a little luck to finally go his way.
The only bad part of this sort of format is a slew of fast, hard-charging privateers do not get to race in front of the main crowd of fans. The mains are seated by time qualifying during the day and Last Chance Qualifier at dusk before the show technically starts and the TV cameras fire up. This means that nearly 40 riders you normally watch race are already parked as spectators themselves.
It was a little bit of a bummer to see some of the top riders have off-nights, Marvin Musquin, who had a bad crash last week and Ken Roczen, who some believe it is amazing he is just racing after what happened a year ago at A2 in 2017. Roczen had a solid third moto finishing fourth yet Musquin was reported to have bike issues in the final moto. Hope to see them back next week closer to the front when the format goes back to a single main event.
Just like the 450 riders, the 250 squad also raced the three-race format.The race for the West is a tight battle after the first three rounds with Joey Savatgy technically leading the charge but also tied in points with Shane Mcelrath, yet Aaron Plessinger is only two points behind the top two.
A2/Triple Crown Scores
Eli Tomac–5-1-2
Cole Seely–1-2-7
Jason Anderson–7-3-1
Justin Brayton–2-6-3
Weston Peick–4-9-5
Josh Grant–6-4-8
Blake Baggett–3-10-6
Justin Barcia–8-5-9
Ken Roczen–11-12-4
Cooper Webb–10-7-11
Malcolm Stewart–16-8-14
Jeremy Martin–15-15-10
Marvin Musuin–9-11-21
Chad Reed–12-17-16
Tyler Bowers–13-16-17
Broc Tickle–22-13-12
Vince Friese–18-19-13
Dean Wilson–14-14-22
Kyle Cunningham–17-20-15
Alex Ray–19-18-18
Dakota Tedder–20-21-19
Ben Lamay–21-22-20
Points Standings:
1 Jason Anderson–70
2 Cole Seely–59
3 Justin Barcia–57
4 Ken Roczen–56
5 Weston Peick–54
6 Justin Brayton–52
7 Josh Grant–45
8 Blake Baggett–43
9 Broc Tickle–37
10 Cooper Webb–37
11 Marvin Musquin–36
12 Jeremy Martin–36
13 Eli Tomac–27
14 Vince Friese–26
15 Malcolm Stewart–24
16 Chad Reed–24
17 Kyle Cunningham–20
18 Tyler Bowers–17
19 Ben Lamay–15
20 Alex Ray–14
