The Monster Energy Supercross returns to San Francisco’s Oracle Park for the first time since 2010 after 14 seasons of racing across the bay in Oakland and the historic names that fill the record book make this a fitting second venue for the series’ 50th Anniversary.
Ryan Villopoto was crowned the most recent winner over Josh Hill and Davi Millsaps, but if one looks a little further down the recorded order, NBC’s own Jason Thomas appears in 13th.
Villopoto’s win was not without drama. A rookie who would go on to do great things, Ryan Dungey led the field by 10 seconds and was seeking his third consecutive win until he cross-rutted and crashed late in the race. Dungey faded to fourth with a mangled bike.
Last year Eli Tomac beat Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton in a race that was postponed a month because of massive storms in the Bay Area.
It is fitting that another rookie in the 450 class is prepped to make a lot of noise. Last week, Jett Lawrence became the first rider in history to win in his first Supercross start. Coupled with his perfect Pro Motocross season and inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship title, he is the favorite to win this week also.
While Jett’s inaugural win is unmatched, there are a couple of comparable accomplishments according to Clinton Fowler at WeWentFast.com. Ken Roczen won A1 as a 450SX rookie in 2014 but he made two previous starts in the class. Josh Grant had one start under his belt when he won the 2009 season opener.
Justin Barcia came close. He won in his second attempt in 2013 in Phoenix.
On the other side of the coin, after a horrible week in Anaheim for the season opener, Hunter Lawrence is still looking to make his first 450 Supercross start.
The numbers do not support Jett in his quest for the championship. No rider since Villopoto in 2012 has followed up a Round 1 win with the title.
A couple of milestones to look for in San Francisco include Ken Roczen’s potential to climbed to 10th on the all-time podiums list with 114, which will tie Jeff Stanton. Chase Sexton could tie Jimmy Ellis and Ron Lechien with eight Supercross wins and move to 25th on that list.
Previous San Francisco Winners
450s
2010: Ryan Villopoto
2009: James Stewart
2008 Chad Reed
2007: Ricky Carmichael
2006: James Stewart
250s
2010: Trey Canard
2009: Jake Weimer
2008: Jason Lawrence
2007: Ryan Villopoto
2006: Nathan Ramsey
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