Weekend Recap: October 8 - 9, 2022

WORLD SUPERCROSS
Eli Tomac Dominates Inaugural FIM World Supercross Championship Grand Prix in Wales

The sensational Eli Tomac kept up his 2022 winning ways on Saturday when the Monster Energy racer totally dominated the inaugural FIM World Supercross Championship Grand Prix, which took place in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. The Colorado-born rider secured the WSX (450) class win with three convincing GP race victories atop his Monster Energy Yamaha on Saturday evening.

“To be honest I started off a little bit slow and Ken Roczen rode really well in that heat race, and in the superpole I just never manned up for the quad, to be straight up,” world championship leader and defending Monster Energy Supercross Champion Tomac explained. “That thing was a big nope, I was going to stay with the triple-single, and it ended up working out. All three mains were a little bit different; obviously I got the gift from Ken in the first and then had to make a couple of passes in the second, but I think the most technical part of the night was the dirt: it was tough, very hard pack. I actually almost fell in the third, near the mechanics in that last left-hander.”

“But overall, I just enjoyed the whole schedule and the racing. Coming in here, I thought that the 8- and 12-lap races were going to be a little short, but that wasn’t easy, and it obviously showcased some good racing and I had a lot of fun doing it. The World Supercross Championship is real: it was a real supercross and nothing was second level with it, it was all first class, and it was great to see the big crowd here. It was really cool to see the stadium filled up. To be honest, I was looking at it thinking this is a big stadium, but I think we filled it pretty well.”

XFINITY
Ty Gibbs Narrowly Beaten to Top of Podium in NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs

Monster Energy wheelman Ty Gibbs came up just short of nailing down yet another Xfinity Series victory, this time in the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, the Round of 12 elimination race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. Finishing 2nd to race winner A.J. Allmendinger, Gibbs lost out when his rival surged ahead into Turn 2 and cleared Gibbs from the inside line through Turns 3 and 4 of the 2.38-mile, 17-turn race circuit.

“I just lost the lead on that one restart and didn’t execute the right way and lost it there,” said Gibbs afterwards. “The last one, I caught the fence when I got ran wide, and it just kind of hurt my momentum. I feel like I gave it my best run, but I was proud of the effort. I had fun out there and learned a lot.”

Gibbs and the Xfinity Series contingent will compete next in the Alsco Uniforms 302, scheduled next Saturday for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s the first event in the three-race Round of 8 that will determine the four-driver Championship 4 field in the Nov. 5 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Bathhurst 1000
Cameron Waters Survives the Flood to Grab 3rd at Mount Panorama

Monster Energy Ford driver Cameron Waters started Australia’s rain-lashed Bathurst 1000 from pole position after frantic weather and a driving storm forced the cancellation of Saturday’s highly anticipated top 10 Shootout. For the first time in 40 years, the traditional single-car qualification session was scrapped after torrential rain flooded the sprawling 3.85 mile Mount Panorama on Saturday afternoon. The aptly-named Waters, who topped Friday’s provisional qualifying session, earned the top qualifying spot to lead the prestigious 2022 Bathurst 1000 field away in his Monster Energy/Tickford Racing Ford Mustang.

After all was said and done on race day Down Under, Waters wheeled to an excellent 3rd place finish. “We’ve been close,” sighed a disappointed, yet still optimistic, Waters of his podium finish. “We’ll get it one day guys.”

WORLD SUPERBIKE
Jonathan Rea Podiums All Three Races at FIM World Superbike Championship in Portugal

“No regrets, I did my best.”

Six-time World Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea referring to his run of three third place finishes in the three races from round nine of the 2022 FIM World Superbike Championship at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal.

Despite podiuming all three atop his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR over the weekend, he lost further ground on his main rivals. The Irish racer is now 82 points adrift of Aruba.it Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista, and 26 behind Toprak Razgatlioglu, with three long distance flyaway events and nine races remaining in the 2022 WSBK season.

35-year-old’s Rea’s last victory was achieved at Estoril in Portugal in May, and his downturn in winning fortunes have been reflected in the dominance of Bautista and Razgatlioglu, who have between them won all 18 races since.

“I’m a bit disappointed because I wanted to come here and get some race wins under my belt, and it wasn’t for the lack of trying,” admitted Rea, now a distant third in the tussle for the ’22 WSBK title. “Thanks to all of my team because we keep digging in, and I think we got the best bike we could at the end. We chipped away at the set-up all weekend and finished with a decent set-up, and we look forward to Argentina now.”

Round 10 of the championship is up next and set for the San Juan Villicum circuit in Argentina on October 21-23; Rea is already concerned for his prospects of ending his winless streak there, where the long back straight will play to the strengths of Bautista’s Ducati.

“I’m a bit disheartened for Argentina with that long straight,” Rea said. “But we’re going to go there and give it everything we have.”

For the record, Rea’s Kawasaki teammate Alex Lowes was also quite competitive at the Algarve circuit, the Englishman racing to 5th, 5th and 4th in the three races run in Portugal.

MOUNTAIN BIKE
Troy Brosnan and Connor Fearon Pull Off Monster 1-2 at Crankworx Cairns

Monster Energy’s Troy Brosnan from Adelaide, Australia, continued his gold-medal streak in his home country at the penultimate round of the Crankworx Downhill series this weekend, while teammate Connor Fearon, also from Adelaide, was hot on his heels sprinting his way into 2nd place.

Brosnan’s Crankworx DH win was a big one, with his time of 3:26.840 almost 2.5 seconds ahead of Monster Energy teammate Fearon. At the end of the day, it was all Australia, with Brosnan and Fearon taking the home country gold and silver medals.

Riding clean and consistent was Brosnan’s strategy to maintaining his winning streak; elated with yet another win, Brosnan got redemption on a track he was so close to winning in the past.

 “It feels amazing to get a Crankworx win on home soil after missing the top step at the World Cup and Worlds in 2016 and 2017,” said Brosnan. “I am so happy to finally take the win here.”

Fearon went for broke for the entire competition, but came up short in the final 14-second sprint. After spending the end of the season sidelined because of a concussion at the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, he was stoked to make it back onto the podium.

Monster Energy’s Sam Hill, who returned to downhill racing this week, was riding well and having a blast on the course training with Brosnan — until a crash sent him to the hospital. Unfortunately, a dislocated shoulder and broken vertebrae put an end to the legend’s racing this season, but never fear: he will be ready for next season after he takes some time to heal.

Next up is the final Crankworx event of the season, in New Zealand on November 5-13.