The first weekend of each new year is just another pair of days for the majority of earth’s population, but for some, it marks one of the most exciting weekends of the year. Each year, the best supercross riders in the world line up in Anaheim, California to compete in the opening round of the most prestigious series in two wheeled motorsports.
Anaheim 1 always hosts a race that is entirely up for grabs. Pre race jitters, egos of the offseason, and overtraining often bites the heavy favorites in the rear and an underdog comes out of nowhere. A rider that fully took advantage of this was Colt Nichols. We didn’t hear much about him through the off-season, but he has historically shown ample speed. The Oklahoma native came out swinging and led the main from start to finish, winning his first ever Supercross race and striking first in the West Coast points race.
After a rough start to Cooper Webb’s 450 career, he looked for a fresh start with his new team. The fresh blood of the Factory Redbull KTM team settled in nicely and came out of the gate swinging at the season opener. A small crash in the first corner of the main event stacked the odds against him, but Cooper wasn’t done. He got up to put together the ride of the night. A charge from dead last to fifth place, while setting the fastest lap of the night in the pouring rain was a massive feat and will be one to be talked about for the remainder of his season.
A set of new signings to our family are Cole Seely(left) and Dean Wilson(right) came to Anaheim a bit under the radar but with momentum building. Cole made his return to Supercross after a season ending injury last year, he was ready to make his mark once again. Dean on the other hand, put together a race program of his own, gathering his own sponsors and racing out of his own truck, doing it his way. The now “privateer” shot out to a holeshot and lead the majority of the main event, until just a few laps left. He finished fourth, but stamped the 2019 season proving he is a player to not be taken lightly.
A handfull of rookies made the step up from the 250 class to the premier 450 class this year and Aaron Plessinger is amongst them with the highest hopes. After a fairytale 250 season in 2018, winning both the 250-West Supercross Championship and the 250 Outdoor National Championship, Aaron made the move to the Factory Yamaha team aboard the 450. He finished as the top rookie in 6th place on the night.
The Geico Honda team had a bit of a rough off-season, where two of the riders postponed their Supercross season until the east coast round due to injury. Rj Hampshire and the new fill-in rider, Cameron McAdoo made their appearance in Anaheim. Hampshire rode to a solid 4th and McAdoo hit the ground hard and still managed an 11th.
Marvin Musquin didn’t quite have the night he was looking for. An 8th place is a fantastic result for most people, but not even close for the 2018 runner-up. The rain came down in a quick manor and made the track difficult to navigate. Only a few riders could maintain the pace, but Marvin escaped unscathed and is ready for weeks to come.
A1 was a successful night for the Star Racing Yamaha boys. 1&2 in points heading into Phoenix.
