News 20 Mar 2022

Lawrence bests McAdoo in Indianapolis battle

Patient Tomac claims victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Image: Octopi Media.

An incredible night of Monster Energy Supercross saw a head-to-head battle between 250SX East title rivals, with Jett Lawrence grabbing the win in Indianapolis, while a hectic 450SX main ended with Eli Tomac on the top of the box.

With the soft racing surface inside Lucas Oil Stadium leading to a treacherous track come main event time, the two 250SX East title contenders got off to a great start, setting up an epic battle for the win.

Lawrence grabbed the holeshot with McAdoo, Jace Owen(Muc-Off ClubMX Yamaha) slotting in behind him. The lead duo began to gap the field, with Lawrence putting a bit of space between himself and McAdoo in the early stages.

With 11 minutes to go, McAdoo put on a charge, catching Lawrence and the two began to swap positions. Eventually gaining the position, McAdoo assumed the lead and looked to be putting time on Lawrence.

Not to be denied, Lawrence closed the gap as they hit lapped traffic, making a pass with seven minutes left in the race, eventually putting a six second gap on McAdoo and taking the victory.

Lawrence’s win gives him three in a row and four on the season, while McAdoo’s second place puts him 11 points back on Lawrence as the series ticks down to just four rounds to go.

Third place went to RJ Hampshire(Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) who recovered well from a rough start, just beating Pierce Brown on the final lap. Brown recovered from a crash while leading the heat race that nearly ended his night for fourth place.

Mitchell Oldenburg(Smartop Bullfrog Spas Motoconcepts Honda) finished fifth, while Enzo Lopes continued his recent run of success aboard his Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha, taking a sixth place finish.

Kyle Chisholm’s fill-in ride with Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha continued in Indiana, with him nearly winning the heat race and eventually finishing seventh on the evening.

Jordon Smith(Fire Power Honda) had podium chances in his sights early on in the main event, but contact with Brown dropped him outside the top five, eventually finishing eighth.

Jace Owen(Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha) had another solid showing, running near the front and eventually finishing ninth with Cullin Park(Phoenix Racing Honda) notched a solid 10th place finish on the evening.

The 250SX East riders now get a weekend off as the series heads west to Seattle, before returning to St. Louis in two weeks time.

Image: Octopi Media.

As the gate dropped on the 450SX main event, Justin Barcia(TLD Red Bull GasGas) stormed to the lead with Jason Anderson(Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Malcolm Stewart(Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) in tow. Tomac however didn’t wait long to work his way into the mix, passing Stewart and catching the lead duo quickly.

The leaders worked their way into lapped riders within the first five minutes of the race, setting the stage for a chaotic few minutes, and allowing Stewart to close. As things heated up, a mistake in the whoops by Barcia saw Anderson grab the lead.

Anderson’s good fortune didn’t last long, with Barcia reclaiming the lead with a block pass that put Anderson on the ground, dropping him down the order and subsequently out of the running for the win.

Barcia maintained the lead for the middle portion of the race, with Tomac and a charging Marvin Musquin(Red Bull KTM) closing in with seven minutes to go. Tomac charged at the five minute mark and put a pass on Barcia for the lead and looking as though he was going to check out for a win.

A mistake by Tomac saw Barcia close the gap in the final moments of the race, but Tomac was not to be denied, taking the win and stretching his points lead to 48 points in the process.

Barcia and Musquin rounding out the podium, but official results were not yet posted at the time of publishing, as officials review Barcia’s move on Anderson.

A last lap battle saw Sexton hold off Webb for fourth, the duo recovering well after a collision last week that ended both of their races.

Anderson eventually ended up sixth place after his collision with Barcia, the latter taking over the second place position in the points in the process.

Dean Wilson(Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) had a solid day that saw him finish seventh, while his teammate Stewart crashed hard in the closing stages and eventually finished eighth. Rounding out the top 10 were Vince Friese(Smartop Bullfrog Spas Honda) and Ryan Breece(Yamaha).

Tomac now leads Barcia in the championship by 48 points as the series heads to Seattle, Washington for round 12 of the season.

Detailed results

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