Foothill Ranch, Calif. (March 4, 2018) – Round 9 of Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship was the second Triple Crown format event with three main events deciding the overall winner. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Austin Forkner captured his second consecutive Monster Energy Supercross victory with an exciting last lap pass. In the 450SX Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac charged his way to a third place finish.
The new Triple Crown format includes three main events with the lowest combined points deciding the overall event finish positions. As the gate fell for the 450SX Class Main Event 1, Monster Energy Kawasaki teammates Eli Tomac and Tyler Bowers rounded the first corner in 10th and 11th. With only 10-minutes on the clock, Tomac quickly began charging through the competition and crossed the finish line in fifth place. Bowers rode strong to finish 10th. At the start of the second 450SX Main Event, Tomac came through the first lap chaos in third place and began applying pressure to the leaders. The top-3 raced at a blistering pace for 12-minutes and set themselves apart from the rest of the field. Tomac applied pressure for the top two spots all race but would finish in third place, while teammate Bowers recovered from a first lap crash and finished 17th. Main Event 3 saw Tomac start in sixth place with Bowers in 11th. Tomac made incredible passes to finish second, finishing 5-3-2 for third overall, while Bowers finished 10-17-11 for 14th overall. With this third place finish, Tomac moves up to fifth in the 450SX Rider Point Standings.
“These triple-crown races are very intense and at times dangerous,” said Tomac. “So, to make it out of here healthy and on the box is a positive. We’ll keep moving on to next weekend.”
“We made some improvements this weekend,” said Bowers. “We’re getting better and better with every week and I can’t thank the team enough for all their support. I’m looking forward to Daytona.”
450SX Race Results
1. Jason Anderson
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Eli Tomac
14. Tyler Bowers
450SX Point Standings
1. Jason Anderson 207
2. Marvin Musquin 165
3. Blake Baggett 150
5. Eli Tomac 137
17. Tyler Bowers 60
In the eight-minute Main Event 1 of the 250SX Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Martin Davalos grabbed the holeshot and early lead with teammate Forkner back in sixth place. While leading, Davalos crashed on lap 4 and remounted in 10th place. Forkner rode well to finish fourth, while Davalos raced back to eighth place. At the gate drop of Main Event 2, it was the No. 35 Kawasaki KX™250F of Forkner grabbing the holeshot, with Davalos in third place. Forkner led 11 of 12 laps, before Davalos made the pass on his teammate and took the win with Forkner finishing second. The third and final main event saw another great start by Davalos in second place with teammate Forkner in ninth. Forkner knew he had a chance at the overall and never quit, making an incredible last lap pass for third place to win the overall. Davalos went on to finish 17th after a mid-race crash in the whoop section. Forkner now moves within two points of the 250SX championship lead.
“Tonight went really well”, said Forkner. “The track conditions here in Atlanta got really rough and rutted which made for some very technical racing. I had a blast racing this track and I’m so pumped to get another win.”
“Today started really well,” said Davalos. “I felt strong and fast on the track all day, but mistakes held me back all night from finishing well. I’m disappointed, but we’ll keep our head up and move on to next weekend.”
250SX Race Results
1. Austin Forkner
2. Zach Osborne
3. Jordan Smith
8. Martin Davalos
250SX Point Standings
1. Zach Osborne 70
2. Austin Forkner 68
3. Rj Hampshire 57
10. Martin Davalos 34
