As the Monster Energy Supercross season heads into Round 9 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, the halfway points battle is shaping up as a two-rider affair with Eli Tomac holding a seven-point lead over Ken Roczen. (Watch on NBCSN or stream live.)
Cooper Webb and Justin Barcia sit 26 and 27 points out, respectively, with a real chance at catching the leaders, but only if they begin standing on the podium regularly in the final nine rounds. At 42 points in arrears, Jason Anderson needs to make up nearly five points per race, which could be difficult with how Tomac is performing.
After getting off to a slow start in 2020 with a seventh in Anaheim 1 and a fourth in St Louis, Tomac won Anaheim 2. He has stood on the podium in all but one round since then. Tomac’s win in Tampa two weeks ago and his victory in Arlington last week give him more momentum than anyone in the field.
Roczen is slowly losing ground. His only bad effort since the season opener was a sixth in San Diego, but that bobble allowed Tomac to get close. Roczen lost the red plate at Tampa with a third-place finish and saw a few more points slip in Arlington.
MORE: Justin Barcia set to attack the final nine rounds
MORE: Adam Cianciarulo, Cooper Webb crash in Arlington
Meanwhile, two of the riders who were keeping Tomac and Roczen in sight had terrible outings in Arlington. Cooper Webb and Adam Cianciarulo had hard offs in the dragon’s back section of the track. Webb will race this week despite his soreness; Cianciarulo is recovering from a broken collarbone.
Zach Osborne sustained a broken rib, sprained wrist and bruised lungs in a practice crash this week. The timing of his return to the bike is unknown at this time, but he will certainly miss Atlanta.
Broc Tickle broke his hand in an incident last week in Dallas. He just climbed back on a bike and is off once more.
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Two winners in two rounds of the 250 East division sees a tie at the top of the standings. With 49 points apiece, Shane McElrath and Chase Sexton will both have red plates affixed to their bikes this week. Only one will be so adorned next week.
Jimmy Decotis crashed in Arlington and was unable to ride. He is expected to be on his bike this week despite nursing a fractured pelvis.
After getting battered and bruised during the offseason, Pierce Brown will make his 250 East debut this week.
Jace Owens will miss Atlanta with an illness.
Schedule:
Qualifying: 11 a.m. on NBC Sports Gold
Race: 5:00 p.m. on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN
Last Week:
Eli Tomac beat Ken Roczen and Jason Anderson in the 450 class.
Chase Sexton beat Shane McElrath RJ Hampshire in the 250 class.
Last Atlanta race (March, 2019):
Cooper Webb beat Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin in the 450 class.
Adam Cianciarulo beat Dylan Ferrandis and Austin Forkner in the 250 class.
Points Leaders
450s:
Eli Tomac (181)
Ken Roczen (174)
Cooper Webb (155)
Justin Barcia (154)
Jason Anderson (139)
250 West:
Dylan Ferrandis (135)
Justin Cooper (128)
Austin Forkner (122)
Brandon Hartranft (110)
Alex Martin (98)
250 East:
Shane McElrath (49)
Chase Sexton (49)
Jeremy Martin (40)
Garrett Marchbanks (38)
Jordon Smith (37)
Wins
450
(4) Eli Tomac (Anaheim 2, Oakland, Tampa, and Dallase)
(2) Ken Roczen (St. Louis and Glendale)
(1) Justin Barcia (Anaheim 1)
(1) Cooper Webb (San Diego)
250 West
(3) Dylan Ferrandis (Anaheim 2, Oakland, and San Diego)
(2) Austin Forkner (St. Louis and Glendale)
(1) Justin Cooper (Anaheim 1)
250 East
(1) Shane McElrath (Tampa)
(1) Chase Sexton (Dallas)
Top-5s
450
(7) Eli Tomac
(6) Cooper Webb
(6) Jason Anderson
(6) Ken Roczen
(6) Justin Barcia
(3) Adam Cianciarulo
(3) Zach Osborne
(2) Blake Baggett
(1) Justin Hill
250 West
(5) Dylan Ferrandis
(5) Austin Forkner
(5) Justin Cooper
(4) Michael Mosiman
(4) Brandon Hartranft
(3) Alex Martin
(1) Christian Craig
(1) Jett Lawrence
(1) Jacob Hayes
(1) Luke Clout
250 East
(2) Shane McElrath
(2) Chase Sexton
(2) Jeremy Martin
(2) Garrett Marchbanks
(1) Jordon Smith
(1) RJ Hampshire
