2019 Indianapolis Supercross | Kickstart

Mar 18

Mar 18 2019 Indianapolis Supercross | Kickstart

The 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Series continued on with the eleventh round of the season, the 2019 Indianapolis Supercross. We all know that the SX season means months of non-stop racing and travel, but that doesn’t mean burnout doesn’t occur and the overall vibe at Indianapolis was mundane, to say the least. And that’s a damn shame, because Indy is one of the long-running rounds of the series and the Midwest fans come out in droves to see the top riders in the world put in laps. It didn’t affect the racing, per se, because the action on the track was still very good and we watched twenty-six tense laps in the 450 Main Event that brought another new winner into the fold. Want to know all we saw at Lucas Oil Stadium? Read on.

ANOTHER NEW WINNER

Five winners thus far in the 450 class. By all measures, this is incredible and has helped create an amazing level of intrigue to the 2019 season. The competition between the front-runners is very close and it really comes down to which rider can make the moves when it necessary and no later. Marvin Musquin knew that a start would be key at Indianapolis and he led the field into the first turn, which set up a long pursuit of the fast French rider by Blake Baggett, Cooper Webb, and Eli Tomac at different points in the race.

ELEVEN ROUNDS IN

Usually by this point in the year, 450 class riders are anxious for the lone weekend off or a change in routine that comes with testing for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. That doesn’t seem to be the case this year, though, because every front-runner in the 450 class seems to be at their best right now and know that concentration will be key to closing out the season. Marvin Musquin has raced his way into peak form, Cooper Webb is in control and shows no signs of “conserving” his riding for a championship chance, Blake Baggett has boosted himself into contention for a podium finish each weekend, Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac are in the mix for wild card contenders, and there are a number of others that can shock the field at any given time.

ELI TOMAC & KEN ROCZEN

Off day for both riders, but a look at the bigger picture of the season seems to take the sting out of these results a little bit, as it’s not the first time that it’s happened in 2019. Roczen never seemed to be in the mix on Saturday, from qualifying to the Main Event, and he finished eighth for the second week in a row. Look, 2019 has been an emotional grind for Roczen as he came into the year with high expectations and lots of uncertainties, has had a number of sure wins snatched away, experienced a family trauma with brother in law Blake Savage’s injury, and has spent the last few weeks under the weather. Is all of that playing a part?

For Tomac, mixed finishes have come up at different points in his career yet they seem to be more frequent in 2019 and for different reasons, be it tip-over or just a problem with maintaining the pace. By all accounts the fourth-place finish is good but the manner in which it happened, Tomac being in the mix early but sliding back, raises the most questions. Tomac was visibly frustrated after the race and was out of the stadium as soon as he was allowed to leave (top-five finishers are required to hang out for potential interviews).

CHAD REED

Look, there was a lot of talk that this was going to be the last year for Chad Reed. Hell, he even said it himself. But I have to think that his recent results have given him a new motivation, because a podium finish and repeat runs near the front of the pack have to give the 37-year-old a reason to stick around for another year, or at least think about it. A crash early in the Main Event put Reed against the wall early in the race and he rallied back with a series of good laps to finish eleventh. Don’t let the number fool you, it was a very good ride.

JUSTIN BRAYTON

An ankle injury is taking a toll on Brayton and he’s been unable to ride during the week between races. The technical track at Indy didn’t make matters easier and the team is doing what the need to in order for him to ride with some level of comfort. Although the pain is substantial, Brayton says that he’s not going to pull the plug on the season.

We were interested to see how the dual berm would be used in the race, as there were pros and cons to each line, like the longer route up top and the two small bumps at entry-exit down low. For the 450 class, the inside line was the preferred way because the single at the exit launched riders into the rollers, while the 250 class seemed to go wide for extra momentum before the whoops. All in all, this was a nice and unique element that could become a common obstacle with more testing.

Yeah, it was one of those days at Indy. Temps in the 40s meant that teams went through a number of procedures to keep bikes warm and ready for action. We caught Frankie Latham as he used the Akrapovic silencer as a heater for his hands…

We all know that a warm engine works better, but the same applies for suspension. Dave Feeney hit the WP forks on Zach Osborne’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 450 with a torch in the morning in an effort to warm the oil inside and improve overall function of the suspension. If you’re someone that rides in cold climates, this probably looks like a trick you’ll want to add to your pre-moto routine, but Dave says to exercise caution because it’s very easy to overheat the parts and cause damage. You’ve been warned.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing went all-out when it came time to warm up Justin Barcia’s YZ450F. The Dunlop tires were wrapped in warmers from Chicken Hawk Racing, the battery was topped off by their custom made Speedcell external unit, and a heater sent shot hot air at the motorcycle. We hung around this setup for a few minutes and soaked in the warmer temps.

Big bling. Eli Tomac’s Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450 is complete with a billet Nissin front brake caliper and necessary parts, while the rest of the green team runs a Nissin unit made from magnesium. Tomac has run this setup since his time with Honda and brought it with him in the transition, as he prefers the feel it offers.

Rear wheel shots of gold chains, colored hubs, polished spokes, and big sprockets never get old. We like that Monster Energy Kawasaki has gone back to a brown hue for their bikes, as it reminds us of the old magnesium hubs that were staples of KHI works machines.

Low boy. Last week in Kickstart we showed the header pipe used by Dean Wilson and at Indy Zach Osborne had another version of the extended FMF Racing exhaust on his bike, but this pipe was not as long as the unit run by Wilson. Again, the benefit of a longer header is a broader powerband with emphasis on low-end performance.

Set the sag. Todd Brown has been a part of multiple teams as a suspension tech over the years and his current gig with WP puts him under the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing tent each weekend. And yes, for those of us that often blow the task off, setting sag is something that is done constantly throughout race day by teams.

JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing always seems to have a new graphic package setup for their bikes and for Indy, they had special set of stickers printed for Chad Reed’s 37th birthday, including messages from his family around the gas cap.

Pre-ride routine for Austin Forkner includes a couple of leg swings as a warm-up…

We had a long talk with Justin Bogle and Brad Frace before the night show for an article that’ll run later this week. After a very difficult 2018, the two friends have made it a point to do things that make them satisfied this year and it shows in Bogle’s morale at the track. In addition to having Frace around, Bogle has benefited from the insight that Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM team manager Michael Byrne shares, as Byrne’s career was much like Bogle’s in tons of talent but unfortunate injuries, and Bogle has spent recent weeks living at Byrne’s house in Florida.

Hey, JB…

Remember what we said about Husqvarna having the low pipes? SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda had Yoshimura build a similar setup for Justin Brayton and the exhaust system on the number 10 Honda CRF450R is much longer and routed differently than the one run by Ken Roczen.

Privateer power. Cole Martinez was on his own at Indy and his pit area was an empty space in the basement of the stadium. Unfortunately for Martinez, a hard crash in practice required the attention of the Alpinestars Mobile Medical staff and he was taken out of the track in the medical mule. The broken femur is a major bummer for Martinez, because he has improved his results in recent weeks and has been in the mix for respectable Main Event finishes.

Carve it up. Justin Cooper opted to miss the ruts that were in the face of the triple and used the smoother surface on the left side of the jump to pitch his Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha for a lower flight path and better line.

Chase Sexton has done a damn good job repping the GEICO Honda team on the East Coast this year, as the lone rider for the factory-supported team has been in the mix for top of the field finishes at every race. Sexton once again finished second place in the 250 Main Event and with Jordon Smith out with a wrist injury, the fight for second place in the series standings is now just between Sexton and Justin Cooper.

Essentials

Lucas Oil Stadium has been the venue for the Indianapolis Supercross since 2009 and on Saturday, it was announced that the series will be back in 2020 (they didn’t state the day, however). Even though you can see the massive brick building from miles away on Interstate 70, the floor of the building isn’t as big as you might expect; Lucas Oil Stadium is 92,000 square feet, AT&T Stadium (Arlington) is 98,2000 square feet, and State Farm Stadium (Glendale) is 160,000 square feet. This year’s track drew mixed reviews for the six 90-degree turns and the flow of the rhythm lanes, while the sand section that was in the preseason drawing was axed from the build following rider comments.

More nets. The one catch fence was wisely put behind the berm that was next to the starting gate. Good thing too, because the posts of the international flags would have turned an unlucky rider into a kabob…

“What are those?!” Joey Savatgy’s shoe game is solid with kicks like these adidas SOLARHU NMD shoes that are part of Pharrell William’s line. Most of you probably won’t get why these are coveted items in the shoe world and hey, that’s okay. Nobody is knocking what you’ve got in the closet.

One thing we can all agree is stylish are the carbon fiber guards Monster Energy Kawasaki have for their hydraulic clutch units.

Air it up, Mo’head.

Zach Osborne’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing bike is outfitted with the LED “dashboard” that’s offered by KTM-Husqvarna and helps a rider find their ideal rpm for the start. This is probably extra important for Osborne and his third gear start technique. And yes, we know a similar setup has been used by other teams and offered to the public by GET, we just wanted to show you some parts on a factory bike.

Hidden behind the front number plate of Osborne’s Husqvarna is a Honda-style steering dampener. This has been a common addition to the factory bikes for Husqvarna and KTM in recent years. Cooper Webb’s bike also features this part.

Air force.

Why the big carbon fiber guard over the rear brake caliper? Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing said it’s to protect the piece from getting knocked out of place or damaged by flying objects, including a swinging leg. Turns out rider losing their footing in a rutted corner can lead to a heavy boot hitting the caliper and impairing function, so Yamaha wants to keep that from happening.

We’re pretty damn certain this is a stock link with some polish, but the Yamaha guys said it’s just stock looking and smiled when we asked. Do with it what you like…

Yamaha has added a sleeve to shaft of their front fork data acquisition system to keep the expensive piece from being pitted by rocks or flying debris. Yeah, that’s a small thing considering how it hangs off the side of the bike in a vulnerable area, but you still run a cover on your cell phone.

With Aaron Plessinger on the sidelines, the team has yanked the shock from his YZ450F to put back into rotation and replaced it with a solid rod to hold the rear-end in place. Don’t expect the bike to be idle for long, as the fill-in rider should be on it in Seattle.

Mitchell Oldenburg had a busy week, as he and his wife welcomed their newborn son Ryker on Thursday and Mitchell was at the track on Saturday. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Oldenburg, as his crash at Atlanta had him doubting his career and his desires to race, but a season-best fourth place finish in the 250 Main Event finish put things back into perspective.

O’Neal added a small touch to the back of Justin Hill’s pants with a nod to his Jr Hill musical side project. If you haven’t heard Hill’s homage to Seattle’s early 90s alternative music scene, search it on iTunes and Spotify. Almost all of the instrumentation is done by Hill in his home studio.

Two brothers. Mitchell and Hunter Falk are taking on the former’s rookie Supercross season with Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM. Falk missed time due to injury, but with Jordon Smith sidelined and Shane McElrath back in the groove for West Coast, Falk was back in rotation at Indianapolis and he put in a fifteenth-place finish.

GoPro has added Dean Wilson into the mix as one of their riders equipped with the Hero 7 camera and it’s been cool to see footage from the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider’s point of view. We’re excited to see the footage from Wilson’s Heat Race win and eventful Main Event hit the internet later this week.

Custom painted helmets seem to be making a comeback thanks to riders and brands getting in touch with independent artists. CMS Art Worx has handled the paint gun recently for lids run by Chase Sexton, which included metal flake and bold colors…

And Alex Martin, who’s Arai showed sharp details and personal touches. You can find the Midwest paint shop on Instagram at @cmsartworx.

The Dirt Wurx crew didn’t get a bare floor to work with at Indianapolis, as the turf for the Colts and the recent NFL Combine was still in place. Instead, the builders laid dozens of sheets of plywood over the fake grass and build on top of the wood.

A glimpse at the sound testing setup used for random rider checks. As you can see, there are multiple things that are put into the system, including rider name and number, bike displacement and engine type, and even exhaust brand.

It was good to have Justin Barcia back on the starting line after a two-week hiatus due to a concussion and sore shoulder. Barcia was cleared to ride ahead of Daytona, but due to the discomfort in his shoulder and the challenging track, he elected to wait another week and returned at Indianapolis. Barcia put in a fifth-place finish during the Main Event, a solid result at any time of year and especially so after time away.

Hoosier tires in the Hoosier state. The well-known car racing brand has made quite a push in motocross for the last two years and their rubber is on quite a few bikes in the 250 class. This shot shows the stout lug-wide tread pattern that Hoosier has gone with, compared to the more intricate (and trademarked) details of Dunlop tires.

We need to arrange an interview with Steven Clarke. The British rider has been a staple of the 250 East Coast region for the last decade and continues to put in solid finishes with support for the TiLube Honda by Buddy Brooks team. Clarke missed making the Main Event at Indy due to a fifth place finish in the LCQ, but he’s made three features this year and is twentieth overall in the season standings.

A small line developed on the far right of option turn’s exit roller and Dean Wilson made good use of it. Instead of blasting off of the lip and into the whoops, Wilson kept his wheels on the ground and powered into the rollers.

Justin Hill, meanwhile, was one of the riders that opted for the high-line during qualifying. It worked, clearly, because Hill put in the fastest lap in the first round of afternoon qualifying. The big talk of the weekend was that Hill had a duty-free airport store size bag of Haribo gummy bears in his locker, a treat that raised some eyebrows until Hill explained that the gelatin in them is good for ligaments. The more you know…

This small electric motor was some of the debris that we found in the Indy dirt. Props to Feld for sifting the soil as much as they can before it’s loaded into the stadium, but damn, finding stuff like this really makes one wonder what kind of stuff is just dumped into dirt as “harmless garbage.”

When a simple baking tray from the home goods section of Target would suffice but you hit’em with the carbon fiber instead.

Although Indianapolis had a pit party that many teams had to erect their awnings for, many teams like Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM opted to work inside the warmer climate of their rigs. Better to be cramped and cozy than cold and spacious…

Red Bull KTM fabricated this carbon fiber cover for the top of Marvin Musquin’s left radiator to prevent his legs from damaging the unit. Musquin is known for getting his legs up high when going through turns, so the backside of the boot can strike the top of the cooling unit.

For the second year in a row Blake Wharton is sidelined with a knee injury. The TiLube Honda by Buddy Brooks rider went down during practice at Atlanta and suffered tears to his ACL, MCL, and meniscus, all damage that will keep him from racing the rest of the 250 East Coast region. Although this is unfortunate, the team’s press release states that they are planning for offseason Supercross events and another year together in 2020.

Want to rid your helmet of sweat between motos but don’t want to drop the coin for a Simpson Racing equipment dryer? Follow Monster Energy Kawasaki’s lead and build your own setup with some PVC pipe and a hair dryer. We applaud the ingenuity of the team’s staff for this creation.

Check back April 1st for something special with Cooper Webb on our new website…

New boot goofin’. Alpinestars always seems to pay tribute to Indianapolis’ legacy as a racing city with limited edition products and this year’s release was an eye-catching set of Tech 10 boots that were on the feet of nearly every Astars-backed rider. We are fans of the redesigned kicks, which feature crumple zones for high-energy impact, and this style is sure to be a sell-out so act fast if you want them in your gearbag.

Token pre-race Monster Energy girl image

Sure, Austin Forkner has had his share of get-offs in practice, but the Heat Race first-turn melee was the first time that he has had a “serious” issue in a race at any point this season. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider was one of the many that got caught up in the crash and he remounted at the very tail-end of the field before clicking off passes and finishing the short race in fifth place.

John Short, however, was not so fortunate and his Heat Race was ended due to badly bent handlebars. The privateer was back for the LCQ, where he faced more issues and finished just two laps. Tough break for a rider that’s a staple of the East Coast region.

The 250 Heat Race Two battle for the top spot was solid, as we watched the lead got between three different riders in the final stages of the short race. Kyle Peters controlled the early portion of the moto until late charges by Martin Davalos put the veteran rider into the lead. All looked for Martin until the last lap, when Justin Cooper snaked away the lead with a decisive pass and took the win.

Takeoff

We watched through our camera viewfinder as Marvin Musquin hung off the side of his Red Bull KTM after a mistake during his Heat Race and really thought things were not going to end well, but much to our surprise, he saved the swap and rode it out as he entered the following turn. Musquin’s riding style rarely has him hanging it out, but this year he seems more willing to go for it, even if it means risking a wreck.

We rarely see these two in a tussle. Think about it: when was the last time that you saw Tomac and Roczen head-to-head for a top spot in the field, with no one else in the mix? Glen Helen last summer is one that comes to mind. Even more rare is a race for the win. The two top-tier riders went at it in their Heat Race, with Roczen taking the better finish of third and Tomac fourth.

Last words of encouragement to Cedric Soubeyras from his mechanic-girlfriend, Sophia.

Pre-race moment of clarity.

It was good to see Dean Wilson back on the podium for a race and he seemed a little caught up remembering sponsors in the post-race interview following his Heat Race win. For an extra little note, remember that Wilson was en route to a podium finish at Indianapolis in 2018 until a late collision with Broc Tickle put him on the ground and Tickle rode off.

Props to Blake Baggett for becoming a front-runner in Supercross. The Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM rider has had a breakout season of sorts with a career-first Main Event win at Glendale and multiple podium finishes. This is a massive improvement from last year, when Baggett was expected to be in the mix from the very beginning but instead struggled at the opening rounds. His second-place finish at Indianapolis has him fifth in the points and should things continue at the current clip, he has a safe buffer over Dean Wilson for the rank in the standings.

Indianapolis did not start well for Zach Osborne, as he was considerably off the pace in practice and faded in his Heat Race. An immediate post-race debrief between him and the team helped them figure out the issues and in the Main Event, Osborne was in the mix from the moment the gate dropped for a seventh place finish.

We know you’re reading Kickstart, Alex.

Instead of setting up outside in the cool weather, the SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda crew moved their key equipment inside and worked in the privateer pit area. The team seems to prefer this setup, because they’re close to the action and all together, while Justin Brayton says it feels similar to all of the overseas Supercross races he does each offseason.

That metal bar in the dirt? That’s as far as mechanics can prep in front of a gate. Anything past that, like picking out debris from the rut, will bring a penalty from the race officials.

Just a pre-race shot of Brandon Hartranft we thought you’d like.

To meet the AMA name and number requirements, Henry Miller busted out the silver Sharpie and added his name to the back piece of his chest protector. For those of you that aren’t sure why this is necessary, the AMA scorers need to clearly see a rider’s and number.

Annnnnnd that was that for the 250 Main Event. Austin Forkner controlled the Main Event again in Indianapolis from the start and went wire to wire for another win, his fifth of the season. He’s now a full race ahead of the competition in the series standings. We asked Forkner if Ricky Carmichael, a rider that had a similar season to Forkner in the 125 class back in 1998, had shared any advice on how to take on the series but he instead said that they two just crack on each other’s faults.

After completing in the Kicker Arenacross Series during the first part of the year, Freddie Noren and Phoenix Racing have switched to the 250 East Coast for the rest of the tour. Indianapolis was Noren’s first Main Event of the season and he put in a thirteenth-place finish.

Props to the CTR Motorsports team for their Indianapolis results, as all three of their riders made the Main Event for the first time this season. Josh Osby was the highest finisher of the trio with an eighth-place result, Justin Thompson finished eighteenth, and Bradley Taft finished twenty-second.

The start was everything on the Indianapolis track, as the short straightaway and sharp left turn fed riders into back-to-back 90-degree turns. Marvin Musquin and Blake Baggett fared best at the gate drop and both came from far outside spots to snag the front spots. The two noted this in the post-race press conference and Baggett joked that he will continue to pick far-out gates to lure in the competition.

Shout-out to Adam Enticknap for his first Main Event of the season. The H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki rider has been on the cusp of the feature all season, but crashes or issues at every round have kept the fan-favorite rider from making the cut. Enticknap has taken his role on a team very seriously and knows this is the best opportunity of his career thus far, yet things just hadn’t worked out in his favor. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him go on a run of Main Events in the latter part of the season.

If you’ve paid close attention to Supercross over the last few years, you’ve seen track workers in helmets. With FLY Racing now a major sponsor of the series, all flagger and track workers have been outfitted with mountain bike or motocross helmets to protect them in case of a collision, and most have a communication system in place so they can receive orders from race direction. As much as we dread it, we wouldn’t be surprised for helmets of some sort to become mandatory for anyone on the floor in a few years. In MotoGP this season, any person that is on pit lane while the track is hot must have at least a bicycle style lid on to protect them.

Strange day for Eli Tomac, as the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was never really in the mix and put in a fourth-place finish. This, plus Musquin’s win, pushed Tomac back to third place in the series standings. There’s a lot of talk going on from fans in the forums to people in the pits about the Kawasaki truck, including Mike Williamson’s recent decision to depart the team from time with the family, but we’ve spent plenty of time in the truck on weekends and don’t feel a sense of tension. Some disagreements or something similar may have happened recently, which is common of a team, but there doesn’t seem to be a major issue for one of the most successful teams of the last decade.

Better late than never. Marvin Musquin went from not leading a Main Event lap at any point this year to running the pace in all twenty-six laps of the Indy feature. This win continues Musquin’s run of success at the venue, as he won multiple times in the 250 class, and ties him with riding coach David Vuillemin in the record books with seven 450 main event wins. But most importantly, this could be the start of Musquin’s typical late-season surge that tightens up the championship chase. We’ll see as the next few weeks unfold.

So, what’s there to make of all this supposed tension about who is the “top rider” at Red Bull KTM? If you ask Webb or Musquin, it’s unnecessary drama that has been created by outside sources and there’s a clear vibe that both are equals for the factory effort. In fact, Webb was on the of the first people to congratulate Musquin after the win. We asked both about the situation in How Was Your Weekend and are working on a bigger story that’ll hit the site this week. Check back.