Jason Anderson continues inching closer to his first career 450 class Supercross Championship and could wrap it up Saturday when Round 15 of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross series visits Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.
But he'll need a rough outing from Marvin Musquin.
Last week in Minneapolis, Anderson took second adding two points to his lead over Musquin which now stands at 39 with three rounds remaining. Musquin has one bad ride coming on the heels of a Round 2 crash and DNS this year but in terms of tanking thereafter he has stepped on the podium eight of the last nine rounds. In other words, it's unlikely to happen and conversely his hopes of catching Anderson for the Championship probably have similar chances. Anderson has proven nearly indestructible this year finishing fourth or higher every round this season except one and taking well-fought second-places the last two rounds, including the risky mud race in Seattle, when he could simply coast for points. Anderson needs a 52 point advantage over Musquin to wrap up the series on Saturday otherwise, all things remaining the same, expect a trophy lift in Utah.
A small chance Jason Anderson raises his fist in Championship celebration on Saturday
Meanwhile, Eli Tomac will at least tie for the most wins on the season though probably, like last year, finish with the most checkers and no title. Tomac won last week in Minnesota his second straight and seventh of the season, the most of anyone. Anderson has four wins. It would come as no surprise to anyone, if Tomac wins out, besting his win total from last year, but instead of a second-place finish on the year quite possibly end the season in third-place. Musquin holds a 26 point lead over Tomac for second-place.
Every legitimate threat to Anderson's title hopes has fallen on the wayside starting in Round 1 when Tomac, the reigning 450 class Motocross Champion and heavy pre-season favorite for the Championship, crashed and later pulled off after infamously fumbling around trying to keep his pants buckled. He did not start Round 2 and suffered another crash in San Diego that more or less ended his chances of a comeback. Musquin crashed in Round 2 after a season opening victory then second-place in the standings turned bad luck after Ken Roczen went down followed by Justin Barcia and finally Cole Seely. Barcia returned last week with a fifth-place finish but all he can do now is get in the mix up front.
A battle for second-place between Eli Tomac (L) and Marvin Musquin (R) certainly seems plausible during the next three rounds
Often overshadowed by the struggles and injuries that mounted for numerous contenders, then veteran Justin Brayton getting his first career win becoming the oldest ever, but all the while Anderson remained rock steady taking wins and podiums as he slightly closed the door on the Championship every round.
Jeremy Martin is 2-2-1-1 the last four rounds heading into Foxborough
The 250SX East class races for the final time as a unit since the final round in Las Vegas combines with the West. Championship hopes remain alive for several riders but defending Champion Zach Osborne has held the Red Plate all season and got some breathing room as the season ended last week for Austin Forkner who broke his collarbone. Forkner matched wins this year with Osborne, banged bars a few times and tied Osborne for the lead after four rounds. But Osborne came back with a win in St. Louis and now has an eight-point lead over Jordon Smith and a 16 point lead over red hot Jeremy Martin, winner of two straight.
Two more podiums guarantee Zach Osborne back-to-back 250SX East Championships
Osborne has five podiums this year the most of any East rider and his worst outing, a fifth-place, came two weeks ago in Indianapolis during the first of two East/West shootouts that left all the East contenders, but Martin, off the podium giving way to Luke Renzland who posted a career high third-place. That win for Martin though came with a loss of seven points since he jumped on a Red Cross flag. At any rate, Osborne, Smith and Martin have finished on the podium the last two East-only rounds so with Forkner out and no other legitimate podium threats expect the same for Saturday.
Our Podium Picks for Foxborough:
450 Class
- Eli Tomac
- Marvin Musquin
- Jason Anderson
250SX East Class
- Jeremy Martin
- Zach Osborne
- Jordon Smith
Check out the track map for Round 15:
No mudder, but expect cool temperatures in the 50s. An early race scheduled with practice and qualifying at 8 a.m. (EST) and the Night Show at 3 p.m. (EST) on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. FOX carries the race live on your local FOX affiliate channel.
2018 Supercross Season Standings
450 Class
- Jason Anderson (311)
- Marvin Musquin (272)
- Eli Tomac (246)
- Justin Brayton (232)
- Blake Baggett (224)
- Weston Peick (202)
- Broc Tickle (184)
- Cooper Webb (181)
- Dean Wilson (165)
- Malcolm Stewart (134)
250SX East Class
- Zach Osborne (154)
- Jordon Smith (142)
- Jeremy Martin (138)
- Austin Forkner (137)
- Luke Renzland (95)
- Kyle Peters (86)
- Sean Cantrell (78)
- Brandon Hartranft (73)
- RJ Hampshire (57)
- Anthony Rodriguez (57)
