On Saturday, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team took on the first Triple Crown of the season for Round 5 of the AMA Supercross Championship in Glendale, Arizona. With three Main Event scores contributing toward the overall finish, Marvin Musquin was on track for a top-five in the 450SX class before a crash in the final race gave him seventh overall for the night.
The race
Musquin powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to a fifth-place start in the first 450SX Main Event, and he battled for a top-five position throughout the 13-lap race. In fast company upfront, Musquin couldn’t make up any time, ultimately finishing fifth in the first race.
He had a significant jump off the line in the second Main Event to put himself into third on the opening lap. He settled into fourth on lap two, and he raced steadily in that position for the remainder, securing a fourth-place finish in race two.
Musquin grabbed another solid start inside the top-five in the third and final Main Event, and he battled up front for the first few laps. While making a hard charge in fifth, Musquin lost the front-end and went down in a corner, which dropped him back to 19th early in the race. Quickly re-mounting, he put his head down and climbed his way back up to finish 11th in the final race.
Marvin
Marvin Musquin: “I knew the Triple Crown was going to be tough because you have to execute three times, but I did pretty good. I never got a holeshot, but I was right there in the mix, and that was my goal – to be consistent and top-five. The riding was okay today, but I’m glad I was able to fight to stay in front of some of the good guys and be in the mix. This championship is tough. There are a lot of good guys, and we’re trying our best.”
It was a challenging night for defending 450SX Champion Cooper Webb, who finished just behind his teammate Musquin in eighth overall. In the first Main Event, Webb got off to a seventh-place start, and he diced back-and-forth between sixth and seventh for the first half of the race. He got passed with about five laps to go, and he fought hard to finish eighth in race one ultimately.
In the second Main Event, Webb had a significant jump to put his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into third off the start, and he settled into fifth on lap one. He again battled just outside the top-five, ultimately finishing eighth in the second race. In the third Main Event, Webb started in fourth, and he battled just outside the podium for the first five laps.
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He dropped to fifth halfway through the 13-lap race, and he maintained a strong pace through the checkers to secure the best finish of fifth on the night. With combined finishes of 8-8-5, Webb came away with eighth overall in the Triple Crown format, and he now sits sixth in the 450SX Championship standings.
Still feeling the effects from an impacting crash at last weekend’s race, Aaron Plessinger eased his way through the three-race format in Glendale. In the first Main Event, he had a mid-pack start and climbed his way up to salvage a 12th place result.
Plessinger found himself mid-pack off the beginning in the second race but dug deep and clawed his way to a top-10 finish. With a 15th-place start, Plessinger had his work cut out for him in the third Main Event, but he was able to break into the top-10 just after the halfway point, and he brought it in for 10th in the final race. With 12-10-10 finishes, Plessinger came away with 11th overall on the night.
Aaron
Aaron Plessinger: “This was not the night we wanted or needed. I spent the week off the bike – I tried to ride but couldn’t really –, and it showed here tonight. I didn’t get the starts I needed out there, and I was struggling in some places, but I’m going to go back, do some homework, be healthier this week and just try to come back strong at A3.”
Next Race: February 12 – Anaheim, California
Triple Crown Results 450SX Class – Glendale SX
- 1. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha, 1-1-3
- 2. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna, 3-2-4
- 3. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, 11-3-1
OTHER KTM
- 7. Marvin Musquin (FRA), KTM, 5-4-11
- 8. Cooper Webb (USA), KTM, 8-8-5
- 10. Shane McElrath (USA), KTM
- 11. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 12-10-10
- 19. Max Anstie (GBR), KTM
- 22. Fredrik Noren (SWE), KTM
Standings 450SX Class 2022 after 5 of 17 rounds
- 1. Eli Tomac, 111 points
- 2. Chase Sexton, 100
- 3. Jason Anderson, 96
OTHER KTM
- 6. Cooper Webb, 88
- 8. Marvin Musquin, 80
- 10. Aaron Plessinger, 67
- 12. Shane McElrath, 50
- 13. Max Anstie, 44
- 17. Joey Savatgy, 27
via KTM Press
