Musquin spent much of the race within one second of the lead, and was disappointed to end the night in third.
“I got a great start but I wish I got the holeshot, it would have been maybe a different story,” he said. “But I fought really hard trying to pass Cooper. I think the speed was really good, going through the whoops was good, I was definitely a little faster than him, but I just couldn’t make the pass. Some sections I was definitely catching him, but then through the whoops you kind of had to follow the main line to jump [through the whoops], then in the sand you kind of had to follow. And eating sand the whole moto, man, I was pulling tear offs and stuff, I’m full of sand right now [in my gear].”
The first of two 2019 East/West Showdowns found the East Coast riders racing their fourth round and the West Coast riders, who have been off for three weekends, competing in their sixth round. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner grabbed the holeshot with teammate Adam Cianciarulo right behind.
It looked like the teammates, who each led their points in their respective series, would go to battle but GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton slipped past into the runner up spot. Cianciarulo stayed close, then pulled back up, and just over six minutes into the 15-minute plus one lap main event got back around Sexton and started setting faster lap times than his teammate just ahead of him. Behind them Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis also got past Sexton.
Ten minutes into the race Cianciarulo passed his teammate, and one lap later Ferrandis also went by Forkner. That’s where the top three racers stayed, giving the top two spots to Western Regional 250SX Class riders. The unique regional mash up allowed both division leaders to stretch out their points leads over many of their competitors, bringing the East Coast lead to 18 and the West Coast lead to 15.
Cianciarulo was thrilled with his win, which was his third East/West Showdown win, the most of any rider in Monster Energy Supercross history.
“First and foremost, those guys are riding so good,” Cianciarulo said. “I can’t say enough good things about Chase and Austin both; their pace was unreal. So for me it was just about trying to learn their pace and learn where they’re doing better than me, and that’s what I’m most proud of in that main. I didn’t feel good all day, honestly. I was pretty good in practice and just terrible in my heat and just stayed patient, just told myself on the line, I said, ‘Whatever you do, just do your best the entire time.”