Tomac Likes it Sloppy

Sloppy CenturyLink Field in Seattle hosted Round 13 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross in front of 55,407 rowdy, rain-soaked fans for one of the slimiest, slickest races in SX history.

The CP-Carillo equipped Kawasaki of Eli Tomac found its way to a third-place start, battling back and forth with Team Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin for second with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson out front for the first five laps.

*Tomac barely missed a step in this quick off-and-on-again in front of Musquin*

After Tomac passed Musquin, a mistake by Anderson handed Tomac the lead for the remaining six laps of the 11-lap race. Anderson held on to second ahead of Musquin, who rounded out the podium with a third-place finish.

“It’s just one of those tracks where you just have to either ride it and have fun or you’re just in misery, and today we were having fun,” Tomac said after the race. “That was, by far, the craziest Supercross moments I’ve ever been in. It felt like I was in the backyard just having fun and riding in the mud, and that’s how you had to treat it.”

*Chad Reed came off his bike feet from the finishline and throttled it up the hill sidecar-style*

Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Aaron Plessinger ran away with the 250SX Class win, leading from the start of the 8-lap Main Event. GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton earned a career-best second-place finish ahead of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo in third.

“That was fun,” Plessinger said on the podium. “That was a sick race; it reminded me of a lot of GNCCs, so it was good to get out there and have some fun and rip some ruts. There were sometimes where the ruts were two feet deep, and you just had to pick a good line.

“I knew I could do it here. I love Seattle. I love all these fans here; they make it exciting.”

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo was able to make his way through the pack to finish on the podium in third, while teammate Joey Savatgy had to overcome a tip over into a mud pile to finish 12th.

With only one practice to get acquainted with the track, Cianciarulo did well in his heat before ultimately getting stuck in the mud. He went on to win the LCQ and when the riders lined up for the main event, they were only facing eight minutes plus one lap instead of the usual 15 minutes plus one lap.

Doing what he could to keep his bike upright, Cianciarulo settled into 10th on the start. He chose his lines wisely and as other riders battled the conditions, Cianciarulo made his move to the front, sliding into third with two laps to go.

“I really want to get my first win of the season, but in a night like tonight I’ll take a podium,” said Cianciarulo. “We get another couple weeks off and my goal is to finish strong. We’re 17 points back and we’ll do everything we can to be in contention at the end.”

Cianciarulo’s podium pushed him ahead of his teammate to take over second in the point standings, sitting 17 points back with two rounds to go.

Savatgy got out to a great start in second, but tipped over in between the lanes of the track. The accumulated mud ate his bike up and it took a lot of time to get going again. He didn’t give up and was able to score a 12th when the race was all said and done.

“I put myself in good position on the start, but a little mistake turned into a big one with those track conditions,” said Savatgy. “I didn’t want to give up and tried to make up as many positions as possible in the shortened race. Anything can happen so we won’t give up until the checkered flag in Vegas.”

The 2018 Monster Energy Supercross season continues April 14 with Round 14 inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Watch the action on FS1 at 10 p.m. ET.

story and photos courtesy of Supercross, with additional commentary by Tim Hailey