Photos by Jeff Kardas
This season just keeps on delivering. Coming into Indianapolis, the 11th round of the 2013 Monster Energy Supercross Series, we thought we knew exactly who would be vying for the wins and titles in the next few weeks. By the time we left, we had witnessed major shake-ups and season changing events. At this point, it is still anyone’s year.
250 Supercross Heat One
Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin blasted out of the gate, but when the pack rounded the left-hand hairpin turn, Jimmy Decotis would steal the lead. The privateer’s lead would be brief, as Musquin reclaimed the spot and motored away to an uncontested heat race win. To his credit, Decotis ran a pace close to Musquin’s and distanced himself from the rest of the competition.
With first and second place on lock, the true racing took place just a bit deeper in the field. Cole Thompson and Jeremy Martin exchanged third place a handful of times until the Myplash/Metal Mulisha/Star Yamaha railed the turn just before the finish line and claimed the spot for good.
Results
1. Marvin Musquin
2. Jimmy Decotis
3. Jeremy Martin
4. Cole Thompson
5. Kyle Peters
6. Levi Kilbarger
7. Gavin Faith
8. Daniel Herrlein
9. Lance Vincent
250 Supercross Heat Two
Justin Hill pinned the throttle on his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki and grabbed the heat two holeshot, just ahead of teammate Dean Wilson and GEICO Honda’s Wil Hahn. Just moments into the race, Wilson went wide around a turn in an attempt to take the lead, but went too far right off of a jump and landed on the Tuff Blocks that lined the track. Wilson’s impact was intense and just after the pack jumped over and by him, he shuffled off the track in apparent pain.
Though Wilson was out of the front pack, it did not end the three-rider battle for the lead, because Blake Wharton simply moved into the open spot. Hahn got by Hill at one point in the second lap, but got out of sorts in the whoop section and bounced off the track. This would drop him back to third and hand the lead back to Hill. Wharton then went to work on the rookie and just after the sand section, blocked Hill, gained the lead, and pulled away. Despite Hahn’s constant efforts to come back, he would fail to get by Hill for second place.
Results
1. Blake Wharton
2. Justin Hill
3. Wil Hahn
4. Zack Freeburg
5. Jackson Richardson
6. PJ Larsen
7. AJ Catanzaro
8. Vince Friese
9. Steven Clarke
250 Supercross LCQ
Dean Wilson was forced to sit out the LCQ due to injures suffered in his heat race crash and headed to the local hospital for further evaluation. With the title contender out of the night show, the racing in the final two 250 events was thrown wide open.
Todd Krieg grabbed an excellent start aboard his Munn Racing KTM, but the speed GEICO Honda’s Zach Bell linked together a rhythm section was unmatchable. While Bell took command of the LCQ, Mitchell Oldenburg stormed from fourth to second in just a matter of moments. With that, Bell and Oldenburg took the final gates in the main event.
Results
1. Zach Bell
2. Mitchell Oldenburg
250 Supercross Main Event
Blake Wharton carried the momentum from his heat race performance into the main event by just edging out AG Motorsports/Peters Auto Mall privateer Kyle Peters at the holeshot stripe. One turn later and Wharton was in full control of the main event. Wharton was the lone rider in the championship hunt to make it through the first corner without issue; both Marvin Musquin and Wil Hahn were stopped by Tuff Blocks which were drug onto the track during the typical start madness and were knocked to the very tail of the field.
Having two normal front-runners buried so far in the field allowed a new crop of riders to shine in the main event. Peters held onto second place and gapped third place runner, AJ Catanzaro considerable. Both were putting in career-best rides and did not let the excitement of running at the front break their focus.
Overcoming the major setback would be a tall order for both Musquin and Hahn, but a come from behind ride of this caliber would prove that both are ready to take home the East Coast 250 title. Just one-third of the way through the main event, both had climbed through the pack and into the top-10. The charge continued until the final flag on lap 15; both riders were safely in the top-five and Musquin was running a distant second to race-leader Blake Wharton. There were just moments to in the race and the final order appeared to be set until disaster struck Wharton. Stuck in the midst of a pack of lapped riders, his bike got out of sorts through the whoop section and spit him off the track. With that, Wharton dropped from first to ninth and Musquin was gifted the lead and resulting main event win. The crash also moved Hahn one position higher and onto the podium.
| Main Event 1. Marvin Musquin 2. Kyle Peters 3. Wil Hahn 4. AJ Catanzaro 5. Justin Hill 6. Vince Friese 7. Mitchell Oldenburg 8. Gavin Faith 9. Blake Wharton 10. PJ Larsen 11. Steven Clarke 12. Jimmy Decotis 13. Zach Bell 14. Zack Freeburg 15. Levi Kilbarger 16. Cole Thompson 17. Daniel Herrlein 18. Jackson Richardson 19. Lance Vincent 20. Jeremy Martin |
250 Class Championship Points Standings (After 5 of 9 rounds) 1. Wil Hahn (112pts/2 wins) 2. Marvin Musquin (103pts/2 wins) 3. Blake Wharton (88pts) 4. Dean Wilson (87pts/1 win) 5. Kyle Peters (67pts) 6. Justin Hill (67pts) 7. Vince Friese (65pts) 8. Jeremy Martin (53pts) 9. Gavin Faith (53pts) 10. Jimmy Decotis (52pts) |
