ANAHEIM – Elite Supercross athletes faced off in Anaheim this past Saturday, Jan. 7, opening the season in front of a packed stadium for Round 1 of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross championship racing season. 2023 marks the 50th season of Supercross racing in America and this year’s opener was the 79th race held at Angel Stadium as Supercross visits multiple times a year.
The local area was well represented as a handful of riders, representing Menifee, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, and Wildomar, all made it to the final race of the first event.
While the top finishers for the Western Regional 250SX Class were Jett Lawrence (Zephyrhills, FL – Honda HRC), RJ Hampshire (Minneola, FL – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing), and Cameron McAdoo ( Sioux City, IA – Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), local riders Dylan Walsh (Wildomar) finished in 11th place, Derek Drake (Lake Elsinore) took 12th place, and Hunter Yoder (Menifee) came in 17th place.
The top finishers for the 450SX Class were Eli Tomac (Cortez, CO – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Cooper Webb (Newport, NC – Red Bull KTM), and Chase Sexton (Clermont, FL – Honda HRC) with local riders Colt Nichols (Murrieta) finishing in 6th place, and Dean Wilson (Menifee) taking 14th place.
The world premier off-road motorcycle championship is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing series on the planet, attracting nearly one million fans in live attendance over the course of the 17-race series, now a part of the 31-event SuperMotocross World Championship series stretching from January to October.
The next stop on the event is Oakland Saturday, Jan. 14, then Round 3 will be in San Diego Saturday, Jan. 21, with a return to Anaheim Saturday, Jan. 28, for Round 4 action. AMA Supercross racers will be on the road through May when the series wraps up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fans can keep up with schedules and events at https://www.supercrosslive.com.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
