This Week in Monster Energy Supercross: Round 17 in Las Vegas, NV
. By Bikeland Staff
450SX Class
A Tide Shift: For the first time since Round 8, and just the sixth time all season, Ryan Dungey finished ahead of Eli Tomac. Dungey’s win, combined with Tomac’s eighth-place finish, resulted in a 12-point swing that gives the champ a nine-point lead entering Las Vegas. It equals the largest points discrepancy between the two in a race this season.
Pushed to the Limit: Should he successfully defend his title, Dungey will have earned the lowest total of wins in any of his championship-winning seasons. It would also signify the least amount of wins for 450SX Class Champion since Jeff Stanton earned three victories en route to the 1992 title.
A New Endeavor: For the first time in his career, Dungey enters Las Vegas without the championship already in hand. In each of his three previous title-winning seasons he clinched the championship at least one round early. Dungey has achieved considerable success in Las Vegas, with four career wins at the finale.
Keep it Clean: Dungey will need to finish fourth or better in order to guarantee his third-straight title. A fifth-place finish, combined with a Tomac victory, would award the championship to Tomac via tiebreaker. The last time Dungey failed to finish inside the top four was the second-to-last round of the 2014 season, 51 races ago.
Tough to Swallow: For the first time this season Tomac failed to win a race in which he led a lap. Prior to East Rutherford he had compiled a perfect 9-0 record when putting his Kawasaki at the front of the field. His 163 total laps led is still 67 more than any of his fellow competitors.
Wrong Side of History: If he comes up short of capturing his first career title, Tomac will have at least equaled the highest number of wins in a season for a rider that did not win a championship. In 1992, Damon Bradshaw captured nine wins but finished second to Stanton for the championship.
Highest Standing Championship Rider by Manufacturer
KTM – Ryan Dungey, 1st
Kawasaki – Eli Tomac, 2nd
Husqvarna – Jason Anderson, 4th
Honda – Cole Seely, 5th
Yamaha – Chad Reed, 9th
Suzuki – Broc Tickle, 10th
450SX Class Championship Standings
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 341
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 332
Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM – 292
Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna – 248
Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda – 212
Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., KTM – 208
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 206
Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna – 169
Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha – 167
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 167
Main Event Wins (Total)
Eli Tomac – 9
Ryan Dungey – 3
Marvin Musquin – 2
Ken Roczen – 2
Main Event Wins (By Race)
Anaheim: Ken Roczen
San Diego: Ken Roczen
Anaheim II: Ryan Dungey
Glendale: Eli Tomac
Oakland: Eli Tomac
Arlington: Marvin Musquin
Minneapolis: Eli Tomac
Atlanta: Ryan Dungey
Toronto: Eli Tomac
Daytona: Eli Tomac
Indianapolis: Eli Tomac
Detroit: Eli Tomac
St. Louis: Eli Tomac
Seattle: Marvin Musquin
Salt Lake City: Eli Tomac
East Rutherford: Ryan Dungey
Podium Finishes
Ryan Dungey – 13
Eli Tomac – 11
Marvin Musquin – 10
Jason Anderson – 5
Ken Roczen – 2
Cole Seely – 2
Blake Baggett – 1
Jeremy Martin – 1
Chad Reed – 1
Broc Tickle – 1
Cooper Webb – 1
Average Finish (Top 10)
Ryan Dungey 2.5
Eli Tomac 3.5
Marvin Musquin 4.8
Jason Anderson 5.5 (15 Races)
Cole Seely 6.4 (14 Races)
Davi Millsaps 7.2 (15 Races)
Blake Baggett 8.4
Dean Wilson 10.5
Chad Reed 10.7
Broc Tickle 10.0 (15 Races)
Average Start (Top 10)
Ryan Dungey 5.7
Eli Tomac 4.9
Marvin Musquin 6.2
Jason Anderson 7.5 (15 Races)
Cole Seely 7.6 (14 Races)
Davi Millsaps 6.5 (15 Races)
Blake Baggett 8.6
Dean Wilson 13.1
Chad Reed 10.2
Broc Tickle 13.1 (15 Races)
Start/Finish Ratio (Top 10)
Ryan Dungey +3.2
Eli Tomac +1.5
Marvin Musquin +1.4
Jason Anderson +1.9 (15 Races)
Cole Seely +1.2 (14 Races)
Davi Millsaps -0.7 (15 Races)
Blake Baggett +0.2
Dean Wilson +2.7
Chad Reed -0.4
Broc Tickle +3.1 (15 Races)
Main Event Laps Completed (By Race)
Anaheim: 20 Laps
San Diego: 24 Laps
Anaheim II: 22 Laps
Glendale: 21 Laps
Oakland: 21 Laps
Arlington: 26 Laps
Minneapolis: 26 Laps
Atlanta: 24 Laps
Toronto: 22 Laps
Daytona: 20 Laps
Indianapolis: 27 Laps
Detroit: 24 Laps
St. Louis: 25 Laps
Seattle: 20 Laps
Salt Lake City: 27 Laps
East Rutherford: 24 Laps
Season Average: 23.4 Laps
Laps Led
Eli Tomac – 163
Ryan Dungey – 96
Marvin Musquin – 62
Ken Roczen – 37
Jeremy Martin – 10
Blake Baggett – 2
Davi Millsaps – 2
Jason Anderson – 1
SupercrossLive.com Holeshots (Total)
Ryan Dungey – 3
Blake Baggett – 2
Marvin Musquin – 2
Eli Tomac – 2
Jason Anderson – 1
Justin Bogle – 1
Vince Friese – 1
Davi Millsaps – 1
Ken Roczen – 1
Cole Seely – 1
Cooper Webb – 1
SupercrossLive.com Holeshots (By Race)
Anaheim: Ken Roczen
San Diego: Ryan Dungey
Anaheim II: Cooper Webb
Glendale: Eli Tomac
Oakland: Vince Friese
Arlington: Marvin Musquin
Minneapolis: Cole Seely
Atlanta: Ryan Dungey
Toronto: Blake Baggett
Daytona: Eli Tomac
Indianapolis: Blake Baggett
Detroit: Marvin Musquin
St. Louis: Ryan Dungey
Seattle: Davi Millsaps
Salt Lake City: Justin Bogle
East Rutherford: Jason Anderson
Heat Race Wins (Total)
Ryan Dungey – 6
Jason Anderson – 5
Eli Tomac – 5
Davi Millsaps – 3
Ken Roczen – 3
Marvin Musquin – 2
Cooper Webb – 2
Blake Baggett – 1
Justin Barcia – 1
Justin Bogle – 1
Josh Grant – 1
Chad Reed – 1
Cole Seely – 1
Heat Race Wins (By Race)
Anaheim: Ken Roczen & Eli Tomac
San Diego: Jason Anderson & Ken Roczen
Anaheim II: Davi Millsaps & Ken Roczen
Glendale: Davi Millsaps & Eli Tomac
Oakland: Jason Anderson & Cooper Webb
Arlington: Justin Bogle & Ryan Dungey
Minneapolis: Jason Anderson & Davi Millsaps
Atlanta: Blake Baggett & Ryan Dungey
Toronto: Chad Reed & Eli Tomac
Daytona: Justin Barcia & Eli Tomac
Indianapolis: Marvin Musquin & Eli Tomac
Detroit: Ryan Dungey & Cole Seely
St. Louis: Ryan Dungey & Jason Anderson
Seattle: Marvin Musquin & Cooper Webb
Salt Lake City: Ryan Dungey & Josh Grant
East Rutherford: Jason Anderson & Ryan Dungey
Heat Race Main Event Transfers
Blake Baggett – 15
Marvin Musquin – 14
Ryan Dungey – 13
Jason Anderson – 12
Eli Tomac – 12
Davi Millsaps – 10
Chad Reed – 9
Cole Seely – 7
Malcolm Stewart – 7
Justin Bogle – 4
Josh Grant – 4
Broc Tickle – 4
Cooper Webb – 4
Justin Barcia – 3
Justin Brayton – 3
Ken Roczen – 3
Mike Alessi – 1
Trey Canard – 1
Dean Wilson – 1
Fastest Qualifiers (Total)
Eli Tomac – 7
Ryan Dungey – 3
Marvin Musquin – 2
Cooper Webb – 2
Blake Baggett – 1
Broc Tickle – 1
Fastest Qualifier (By Race)
Anaheim: Marvin Musquin
San Diego: Ryan Dungey
Anaheim II: Eli Tomac
Glendale: Blake Baggett
Oakland: Cooper Webb
Arlington: Eli Tomac
Minneapolis: Eli Tomac
Atlanta: Eli Tomac
Toronto: Eli Tomac
Daytona: Ryan Dungey
Indianapolis: Marvin Musquin
Detroit: Broc Tickle
St. Louis: Eli Tomac
Seattle: Cooper Webb
Salt Lake City: Eli Tomac
East Rutherford: Ryan Dungey
Qualifying Average (Top 10)
Ryan Dungey 4.4
Eli Tomac 2.2
Marvin Musquin 3.4
Jason Anderson 5.5
Cole Seely 7.9 (14 Races)
Davi Millsaps 12.5
Blake Baggett 7.2
Dean Wilson 8.3
Chad Reed 11.2
Broc Tickle 9.2 (15 Races)
Eastern Regional 250SX Class
Big Blow: Joey Savatgy’s crucial penalty in East Rutherford not only erased what was a provisional seven-point lead for the Kawasaki rider, but instead dropped him from the points lead and into a tie for second. The penalty resulted in a dramatic seven-point swing for Savatgy.
The Final Four: In total, four riders will enter Las Vegas with a shot at the East Region title, separated by a total of just 14 points. The top three – Jordon Smith, Zach Osborne, and Savatgy – sit within a single point of one another, setting the stage for arguably the most dramatic championship battle in history. Smith will carry the red plate for the first time.
Comeback Kid: As has been the case in each of his four wins this season, Osborne stormed through the field in East Rutherford in order to seize control of the Main Event. His latest win was his most impressive, passing six riders to climb from seventh to first, all of whom sit within the top six in the championship standings.
Mr. Resilient: East Rutherford signified the fifth race this season, and the fourth consecutive Main Event in which Savatgy gave up the lead after leading multiple laps. Despite that, he has been the most statistically consistent rider in the championship with the best average for qualifying, starting, and finishing. However, he’s earned just one win.