Monster Energy Riders Conquer the Mud in San Diego

The heavy rain forced the schedule to include just one practice session, and while posting a good time was still important, there was arguably a bigger emphasis on getting a sense of what the track would be like that night. In the end, Tomac ended up with the fastest time of the session aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki. His fellow Monster Energy riders all secured a spot inside the top 10 as well, with the Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Justin Barcia and Aaron Plessinger in sixth and ninth, respectively, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgyin 10th.

The first Heat Race saw Barcia and Savatgy on the gate, and they experienced different misfortunes off the start. Savatgywas in the thick of it in second, while Barcia found himself caught up in the first turn, eventually slotting into 10th. Savatgy rode steady and maintained his spot inside the top three, while Barcia was on a mission as the fastest rider on the track. At the finish, they followed each other across the line in third and fourth, respectively.

Heat Race 2 featured Tomac and Plessinger, with the rookie positioning himself in second off the start and Tomac in fourth. It wasn’t long before both Monster riders pushed their way to the front and were running 1-2 on the track. A persistent Tomac was able to make a last-lap pass on Plessinger to steal the win.

A pair of solid Heats provided ample reason for optimism from the Monster foursome, but the challenge of a lengthy, albeit shortened Main Event presented an entirely different challenge. When the gate dropped to kick off the race for the win, it was Ken Roczen who narrowly grabbed the holeshot over Tomac. However, Roczen tipped over a short time later, which opened the door for Tomac to not just take over the lead, but also push the pace to establish some distance between he and the field.

While Tomac led the way, Barcia was also making a run, feeling confident in conditions that were similar to those on his victorious night at the season opener. He successfully positioned himself inside the top three and was showing the same aggression that carried him to the front in the Heat Race. Unfortunately, his hopes of making an impact came to a heartbreaking end when hid bike stopped and needed to be pushed off the side of the track. 

Without the threat of his fellow Monster rider, Tomaccontinued to add to his lead and soon enough built an advantage that was insurmountable. A formidable mud rider in his own right, Plessinger was enjoying one of his best outings of the young season, fighting for a spot in the top five. Just a few spots behind him, Savatgy was putting up a valiant fight of his own.

As chaos ensued around him over the late stages of the race, Tomac was forced to give up some of the cushion he’d established, but there was never any real threat to his lead. He went on to lead all 12 laps of the Main Event to take a long-awaited first win of the 2019 season. Plessinger just missed out on his first career top-five result, but equaled his best result of sixth. Savatgy was able to climb up all the way to seventh after starting 12th, giving him the best result of his rookie campaign.

Tomac’s convincing win, combined with a bit of a tough night for entering points leader Cooper Webb, vaulted him from third to first in the championship. He now holds a four-point lead over Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen, who sit tied for second.

The final Western Regional race before their annual breakput an added emphasis on the San Diego round, and when combined with the adverse conditions it set the stage for a night that would have a big impact on the season.

The Monster Energy foursome of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammates Cianciarulo and Garrett Marchbanks, along with the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha duo of Colt Nichols and Dylan Ferrandis, all looked good in the lone practice session of the day with Ferrandis, Marchbanks, and Cianciarulo all inside the top five, with Nichols in seventh.

The first Heat Race featured Ferrandis and Cianciarulo, who established themselves as the dominant force. They easily seized control of the race and put on an exciting battle for the lead. Ferrandis ultimately prevailed, but it looked as though the battle for the win might come down to one of these two.

The second Heat Race quickly turned into a nightmare for Marchbanks who found himself on the ground in the first turn. It took him an extended amount of time to get restarted, which all but guaranteed a trip to the LCQ. Nichols, meanwhile, was engaged in a battle for the lead with RJ Hampshire. The championship leader didn’t force the issue and settled for a solid second-place result. In the LCQ, Marchbanks was able to avoid trouble and took an easy win to secure his spot in the Main Event.

Tensions were high when the Main Event got underway, where Cianciarulo emerged with the holeshot. Ferrandiswas right behind in third, with both Marchbanks and Nichols also inside the top 10. Cianciarulo pushed the pace as much as he could in the opening laps and it helped him put some distance between he and Ferrandis, who moved into second. The Frenchman kept his Kawasaki counterpart within reach and ended up bringing along Marchbanks, who was defying the odds given all the additional track time he endured. With his closest rivals out front, Nichols had his work cut out for him after a start deep inside the top 10. Things only got tougher when he went down and dropped to about 15th.

Cianciarulo withstood the early pressure from Ferrandis and inched away slightly, while the Frenchman was forced to fend off pressure from Marchbanks. After holding off an initial pass from Marchbanks, Ferrandis went down as he navigated the finish line jump. That gave the position to Marchbanks, while Ferrandis was able to get going again in third.

The Pro Circuit duo controlled the remainder of the race and went on to capture the first 1-2 finish for the team since the Las Vegas finale in the 2017 season. Given how eventful of a night Marchbanks had, it made the result even more improbable, but nevertheless is was a well-earned, hard-fought first ever podium for the rookie.

Ferrandis appeared to have third place locked up, which would have led to yet another Monster Energy sweep of the podium, but his bike stopped running on the final lap. Misfortune plagued both Star Yamaha riders, but they dug deep to both pull out top-10 finishes, with Ferrandis seventh and Nichols 10th.

Nichols had led the championship since his opening round win, but his worst result of the season, combined with Cianciarulo’s third victory in five races, put the Kawasaki rider on top of the standings. Cianciarulo now holds an eight-point lead over Shane McElrath, with Nichols third and Ferrandis fourth. Marchbanks’ runner-up finish moved him into the top 10 as well.