ST LOUIS, Mo. – In a return to the top step of the podium, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin was brilliant inside The Dome at America’s Center to take the victory at Round 13 of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series.
The Triple Crown race format, the third of the year, played to Musquin’s consistency over the three races of the night. Musquin earned one race win and two second place finishes to easily win the event overall. Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton also racked up a race win. Sexton finished in second place overall for the night. The event ended Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Eli Tomac’s five-race win streak but the points leader left St. Louis with a podium finish. Tomac also stretched his points lead over his nearest title rival from 54 to 56. In the Eastern Regional 250SX class Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire used three holeshots to capture an emotional first-ever Supercross event victory.
Chase Sexton grabbed the holeshot in Race 1 and rode a nearly flawless race to an uncontested win in the first of the three 12-minute plus one lap races the 450 riders faced. After starting up near the front, Marvin Musquin had the pace to remain unchallenged in the second place spot. The excitement came just behind as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Malcolm Stewart took over third place two laps into the race, and soon after had Eli Tomac on his rear fender and pushing to get around. On the final lap Tomac made a pass, but Stewart battled immediately back, reclaimed the spot, and held on until the checkered flag.
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Race 2 had a similar cadence to the first. This time it was Musquin grabbing the holeshot. He was pressured early by Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson, but after a few laps Musquin pulled out of attack range and was not challenged again for the top spot. Tomac found himself in ninth place at the start; he made quick early passes, then took until nearly the midpoint to get around Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia for fourth. Malcolm Stewart took a hard crash, wedging his bike’s handlebar into his knee brace. He remounted and put in a little more track time before finally pulling off and heading back to the pits. Musquin took the win ahead of Anderson, Sexton, and Tomac. The finishing order gave Musquin the advantage going into the final race of the night with an overall score of 3 against Sexton’s 4. Anderson and Tomac sat with 8 points and Barcia held 10.Â
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In Race 3 Tomac was on point from the drop of the gate with Musquin right on his rear wheel and Anderson looking aggressive behind Musquin. Anderson applied the pressure for the first two and a half minutes before Musquin managed some breathing room. Behind them, Sexton was recovering from a poor start but sliced his way quickly up to third place before Race 3’s midpoint. In the closing laps Musquin closed on Tomac but never got close enough to mount a challenge for the lead before Tomac stretched it back out to win the battle but not the war. Musquin’s victory makes him the fifth race winner of the season with four rounds still remaining.
The Eastern Regional 250SX class delivered three intense races and when the dust settled RJ Hampshire stood tallest on the podium for his first Supercross victory. Hampshire was perfect on starts, nabbing three holeshots. Hampshire led most of Race 1. But in the second half of the 10-minute plus one lap race he got off-line in the main rhythm section, landed on a Tuffblox, and crashed hard onto the stadium floor concrete. The Race 1 win went to a hard-charging Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence. In Race 2 Hampshire again led for the first half, this time Jett Lawrence caught and passed him, yet Hampshire nearly took back with lead with a last-corner pass attempt that put him on the ground; he remounted for second place. In Race 3, Hampshire battled for the lead with Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Pierce Brown early and held on for the win. Lawrence started Race 3 in 20th place after a bad start and a crash on the opening lap. Hampshire easily won the event’s overall. Lawrence finished in second overall, and Smartop Bullfrog Spas MotoConcepts Honda’s Mitchell Oldenburg took the final podium spot.
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The championship finishes off the final four races in the 17-round series in rapid-fire style with an event scheduled for the next four consecutive weekends. Round 14 takes place on April 16th at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, Ga. for the season’s first of two Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown events.
The Finish:
450SX: 1. Marvin Musquin, 2. Chase Sexton, 3. Eli Tomac, 4. Jason Anderson, 5. Justin Barcia, 6. Justin Brayton, 7. Vince Friese, 8. Brandon Hartranft, 9. Malcolm Stewart, 10. Justin Bogle
250SX East: 1. RJ Hampshire, 2. Jett Lawrence, 3. Mitchell Oldenburg, 4. Kyle Chisholm, 5. Phillip Nicoletti, 6. Jordon Smith, 7. Jace Owen, 8. Joshua Varize, 9. John Short, 10. Ramyller Alves