Shhh!
Jason Anderson quietly controls his destiny and with just one clunker through 11 rounds and a 40 point lead with six remaining he has the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season wrapped around his finger as the series continues the trek back west on Saturday for Round 12 in Indianapolis.
The headlines keep Anderson under wraps and instead focus on all the injuries and bad rides eliminating pre-season and early season favorites, then Justin Brayton won a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the 2014 250SX West Champion slowly closes ranks on his first 450 class Supercross Championship.
Jason Anderson is slowly closing the door on the 2018 Championship
Anderson returned to the podium in St. Louis after a one week hiatus in Daytona that featured his worst ride of the year in sixth-place. Though he had little in the tank for Eli Tomac last week, coming in second 20 seconds back, Anderson added two points to his lead over second-place Marvin Musquin who finished in third. Standings wise, Brayton sits close by in third, 15 points behind Musquin and really the biggest threat, Eli Tomac, winner of three of the last five and six on the year, sits in fourth. Certainly Tomac can win out and may very well, but the little Anderson that could has him on the ropes at 60 points back.
So unless Anderson goes the way so many others have this year, solid racing from here on out at worst wraps up the Championship a round early, and at best (for him) along with a few more wins ends the title chase in Massachusetts.
Eli Tomac dominated last week and won last year in Indianapolis
Tomac won Indianapolis last year which also marked a career first three straight victories but he has mixed results in previous seasons. No such streak this year but ripping off another second straight certainly seems more than plausible as Tomac has back-to-back wins several times this year. Anderson finished ninth last year in Indianapolis, third in 2016 and 17th in 2015 his rookie year which ended a then season-long streak of Top 10 finishes so not a great history coming into Saturday. Musquin took second last year his only ride in the 450 class as he was out in 2016 from a wrist injury. He won this round in the 250SX East class three years ago.
With the 450 class on cruise control much excitement brews in the 250 class as East and West combine for the first time this year. With titles very much up for grabs in both classes Indianapolis just might make or break a season for several riders.
Zach Osborne won last week for the first time since the opening round in Arlington
The 250SX East class brings mid-season form while the 250SX West comes in well-rested but with six weeks of inaction. Like the showdown finale in Las Vegas where the two classes traditionally meet for the first time, points break down just as if a singular class were racing meaning first place gets 26 points and so on regardless of class.
In the 250SX East, Zach Osborne has some breathing room after tracking down Austin Forkner for 10 laps last week in St. Louis. Forkner crashed midway through and tossed the lead away allowing Osborne to sail home. Osborne and Forkner were tied heading in to St. Louis and now Osborne, the defending 250SX East Champion, takes an eight point lead to Indy where he won last year. Jordon Smith and Jeremy Martin ride podium streaks of their own - Martin looking for his third straight and first win while Smith has a three race podium streak including his win at Daytona - in their quest for a first 250 class Championship. Martin still has some catch-up to do in fourth-place, 22 behind Osborne, while Smith continues moving up after starting the year with two sixth-place finishes, now in third place just five behind Forkner and 13 back from Osborne.
The 250SX West class returns to action on Saturday in the East/West showdown
And, Osborne can expect a full plate with the 250SX West class on-board as Joey Savatgy might want some justice after last year's last lap dump he received from Osborne that secured the title for Osborne by two over Adam Cianciarulo and dropped Savatgy to third-place for the year after holding his first career title mere moments earlier with half a lap to go. Saturday marks the first time these two race together since the 2017 Las Vegas final.
Savatgy meanwhile has his own Championship fight bubbling in the West as he sits four points back from Aaron Plessinger. However, the last we saw the 250SX West class, in San Diego, defending 250SX West Champion Justin Hill finally rode to form grabbing his first win, Adam Cianciarulo finished a season high second-place and rookie Chase Sexton took third for his second podium of the year. Hill jumped to the 450 class briefly thereafter taking sixth in Tampa and ending his stint on the big bikes after a nasty crash in Atlanta. Hill is expected to race Saturday but chances for back-to-back titles look about as good as Tomac rising to the top since he sits in seventh-place 28 points from the lead with four rounds remaining.
Plessinger's lead in the West got chopped a bit after a season worst eighth-place finish in San Diego which came on the heels of two straight wins. He has four podiums for the year along with three wins and needs another podium to keep the Red Plate out West. Savatgy is his biggest threat and he has not finished outside the Top 4 all year. Shane McElrath exploded out the gate to start the year but a 15th in Oakland then a fifth in San Diego drops him to third-place in the standings 16 points back of Plessinger.
Our Podium Picks for Indianapolis:
450 Class
- Eli Tomac
- Justin Brayton
- Marvin Musquin
250 Class (East/West Showdown)
- Joey Savatgy
- Zach Osborne
- Aaron Plessinger
Check out the track map for Round 12:
Practice for Indianapolis starts at 11:30 a.m. (EST) with the Main at 6:30 p.m. (EST) on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. FOX Sports 1 provides television coverage. Expect snow, sleet and rain on Saturday with a high in the mid-30s.
2018 Supercross Season Standings
450 Class
- Jason Anderson (246)
- Marvin Musquin (204)
- Justin Brayton (189)
- Eli Tomac (186)
- Blake Baggett (181)
- Weston Peick (171)
- Broc Tickle (147)
- Cooper Webb (146)
- Cole Seely (124)
- Dean Wilson (115)
250SX East Class
- Zach Osborne (115)
- Austin Forkner (107)
- Jordon Smith (102)
- Jeremy Martin (93)
- Luke Renzland (71)
- Kyle Peters (70)
- RJ Hampshire (57)
- Sean Cantrell (56)
- Colt Nichols (54)
- Martin Davalos (53)
250SX West Class
- Aaron Plessinger (133)
- Joey Savatgy (129)
- Shane McElrath (117)
- Adam Cianciarulo (116)
- Chase Sexton (107)
- Christian Craig (106)
- Justin Hill (105)
- Kyle Chisholm (84)
- Mitchell Harrison (72)
- Hayden Mellross (67)
