The 2023 AMA Supercross championship embarks on a trip this weekend to Indianapolis for round 9 of the series, and after last weekend’s win for Eli Tomac in Daytona will that see him start to gap his opposition??
Images and Stats courtesy of Feld Motor Sports, Inc
Cooper Webb certainly is a close match for Tomac, but has Chase Sexton run out of steam? Mistakes just keep creeping into the Honda riders’ game and frustration is taking hold.
Justin Barcia had his best round last weekend, but does he have enough speed to make it onto the podium and can Jason Anderson replicate his end-of-2022 season form??
Lots of questions but will Indianapolis gives us the answers?
Hunter Lawrence is starting to clear off in the 250 East Championship, but he can’t afford to drop the ball as our very own Max Anstie has been consistent throughout and is lurking in the background. Haiden Deegan got his first podium in Daytona, so this could be the start of his rise towards the pointy end. Nate Thrasher, like Sexton needs to eradicate the mistakes if he is to have a chance of pushing for a podium position come the end of the season…
450 Class Recap: Daytona Beach
Seventh in the Sand: Eli Tomac stole the show in Daytona once again with his seventh Daytona Supercross win. He now moves into third by himself with 49 all-time 450SX Class victories surpassing Ricky Carmichael. He also now has 90 podiums and is looking to tie James Stewart for second on the all-time wins list in Indy with 50.
Still Right There: Early leader Cooper Webb was unable to reign in his first Daytona victory but is still only five points off of the red-plate. He now has 51 450SX Class podiums which moves him into a tie for 13th all-time with Supercross legend Rick Johnson. He also moves into a tie for 15th in all-time top-five finishes with 64.
Sexton Podiums Again: Chase Sexton nabbed his sixth straight podium, seventh of the season, and 18th of his 450SX Class career with a third-place finish in Daytona. He sits only 10-points behind the red-plate and looks to keep his career best podium streak alive in Indy. He now has 26 top-fives and 30 top-10 finishes in 35 starts.
Notes: RJ Hampshire (8th) Won his first ever 450SX Class gate drop in the Heat 2 and then finished eighth in the Main Event. Shane McElrath (13th) Earned a season best finish. Grant Harlan (14th) Snagged a career-best Premier Class finish and for the third time finished top-15 in Daytona (250/450 combined). Josh Hill (15th) Made his 90th start. Benny Bloss (16th) Made his 50th start. Justin Starling (18th) Made his 30th start.
450 Class: Indianapolis Historical Facts
History Lesson: The first 450SX Class race held in Indianapolis was on March 21, 1992 at the RCA Dome and Jeff Stanton won on a Honda. It was Stanton’s second of only three wins in the season and he would win the title by only three points over Damon Bradshaw (331-328).
RCA/Lucas Oil: The Indianapolis Supercross was held in the RCA Dome 17 times from 1992-2008 before it was demolished. Lucas Oil Stadium took over hosting the Indy Supercross in 2009 and has only missed one season since. 2023 will be the 33rd Indy Supercross and 16th at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Milestone City: Indianapolis hosted the 300th round of Supercross in 1997 and the 600th round of Supercross in 2015. 2021 Indy hosted rounds 695-697 of 450SX Class Supercross racing just missing the 700 mark. It also just missed hosting the 600th round of 250SX Class racing this season by one week. Round #800 is projected to be in the 2027 season.
Indy’s Champ: The winner of the Indy Supercross has gone onto win the 450SX title in 20/30 seasons (67%). In the RCA Dome the winner of the Indy SX won the title 14/17 times. Eli Tomac won Indy and the title in 2022.
450 Class: Indianapolis Wins
Manufacturer Wins in Indianapolis/Lucas Oil Stadium (Last Win)
Honda: 11/3 (2021)
Kawasaki: 8/5 (2017)
KTM: 5/5 (2019)
Yamaha: 5/1 (2022)
Suzuki: 3/1 (2009)
Top Winners in Indianapolis
1) Jeremy McGrath: 6 (‘93-’96, ’98, ’00)
2) Ricky Carmichael: 4 (’01, ’03, ’05-’06)
2) Ryan Villopoto: 4 (’10-’13)
4) Ken Roczen: 3 (’21 x3)
4) Ryan Dungey: 3 (’14-’16)
First-Time Winners in Indianapolis
(none)
250 Class Recap: Daytona Beach
Hunter Pulling Away: Hunter Lawrence scored his third win of the season and eighth of his 250SX Class career with a dominating Daytona performance. He has a 14-point lead through four rounds and is now 23rd on the all-time 250SX Class wins list. He is now fifth on the all-time 250SX Class Honda wins list only behind Tomac, Jeremy McGrath, Justin Barcia, and his brother Jett. H-Law was making his 25th start in Daytona.
All About Anstie: Max Anstie has turned heads in 2023 especially after a runner-up performance in Daytona. He has three podiums and four top fives in the four Eastern Regional 250SX Class races this season. He was making his 20th career 250SX Class start in Daytona and now has 14 top-10 finishes.
Deegan Day in Daytona: Fans were going crazy for Haiden Deegan all day as he whipped his Yamaha around for an eventual third-place finish, the first podium of his young career. Deegan has exceeded expectations this year and sits third in the points standings.
Notes: Jeremy Martin (5th) Tied Shane McElrath for third on the all-time 250SX Class top-fives list with his 38th. He can tie Nathan Ramsey for second in Indy with a 39th. Chris Blose (7th) Earned a season best finish and his 30th career top-10 finish in the 250SX Class (55th all-time). Coty Schock (8th) Snagged his second-best career 250SX Class finish and fifth top-10 in his 17 class starts.
250 Class: Indianapolis Historical Facts
History Lesson: The first 250SX Class race held in Indianapolis was on March 21, 1992 at the RCA Dome and Jimmy Button won on a Yamaha. He would eventually lose the Eastern Regional title to Brian Swink. 2023 will mark the 33rd time the gate will drop for a 250SX Class race in Indianapolis, having the same venue history as the 450SX Class.
Indy’s Champ: The winner of the 250SX Class Indianapolis Supercross has gone on to win their 250SX Class Regional Championship in 17/32 races. This includes Jett Lawrence last season. Can Hunter Lawrence keep Indy in the family in 2023?
Last Man Standing: Six different brands have won the 250 Class Indianapolis Supercross in the previous eleven seasons. Could GASGAS make it seven?
199 and 22 in Indy: Travis Pastrana made his professional racing debut in Indianapolis on February 12, 2000 finishing fourth in the 250SX Class. Pastrana would go on to earn one of his 14 career professional victories in Indianapolis on February 10, 2001 (250SX Class). The next season in Indy, 2002, Pastrana would finish eighth in the 450SX Class in one of his eight career 450SX Class top-10 finishes. Chad Reed began his historic career of wins in 2002 with his first 250SX Class win.
250 Class: Indianapolis Wins
Manufacturer Wins in Indianapolis/Lucas Oil Stadium (Last Win)
Yamaha: 10/5 (2022)
Kawasaki: 7/4 (2019)
Suzuki: 6/1 (2012)
Honda: 6/2 (2022)
KTM: 2/2 (2015)
Husqvarna: 1/1 (2017)
Top Winners in Indianapolis
1) Mickael Pichon: 2 (’95-’96)
1) Davi Millsaps: 2 (’05-’06)
1) Marvin Musquin: 2 (’13, ’15)
1) Colt Nichols: 2 (21 x2)
First-Time Winners in Indianapolis
Michael Brandes: 2000 (RCA Dome)
Chad Reed: 2002 (RCA Dome)
Josh Hansen: 2004 (RCA Dome)
Davi Millsaps: 2005 (RCA Dome)
Ryan Sipes: 2011 (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Aaron Plessinger: 2016 (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Indianapolis Track Map
