Supercross 2021: Results and points standings after Round 14 at Atlanta

By Apr 13, 2021, 11:06 PM EDT
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Time is running out on Ken Roczen, but his Monster Energy Supercross Round 14 win shaved a lot of points off his deficit to Cooper Webb and if the results continue to trend favorably, he is back in the thick of the championship battle.

Roczen grabbed the lead early in the Main and cruised to an easy victory over teammate Chase Sexton, while his principal rival in the points struggled. Roczen entered the race 22 points out of the lead with four races remaining. He left only 13 down but will need more nights like this to become the fourth consecutive first-time Supercross 450 champion.

Jason Anderson took the last spot on the podium, but he had to ride through the Last Chance Qualifier to be a part of the Main.

RESULTS: Click here for 450 Results; Click here 250 Results

Anderson got tangled up with Alex Ray as the two had a mid-air collision that sent both hard to the ground. Instead of immediately remounting, Anderson stopped long enough to chastise Ray for the contact – and as a result, he narrowly missed advancing directly into the feature as one of the top nine riders in his heat.

Justin Barcia remains on a quest to win a second race this season in the 450 class after taking the season-opener. He made himself as wide as possible, but slipped to fourth at the checkers.

Eli Tomac had another mediocre start that had him mired ninth in the opening laps. He climbed to fifth at the end, but without major problems for Webb and Roczen, his hopes of defending his 2020 championship are all but over.

Meanwhile, it was a bad night for Webb. He started with the leaders but never really seemed to find a rhythm. As he dropped back steadily, he saw his points lead wither with a sixth-place finish.

Marvin Musquin in seventh, Aaron Plessinger in eighth, Dean Wilson in ninth, and Joey Savatgy rounded out the top 10.

Click here for Round 14 450 Main results | 450 Rider Points | Manufacturer Points

Justin Cooper kept the pressure on Cameron McAdoo and Hunter Lawrence in the 250 class. He scored his second win in the last three races and continues to have a perfect record of top-five finishes.

In the closing laps, Hunter Lawrence had the fastest bike on the track. He was more than a second a lap faster than Cooper as the leader rode safely to protect a 10-second lead. That speed allowed him to catch and pass McAdoo as the white flag waved.

If McAdoo can make up the ground he needs in the final two races, he will have a red flag to thank for his championship. It will not matter at all that the red flag waved for him.

Click here for 250 West Main results | 250 Rider Points

McAdoo won Heat 1 and hoped to keep the points tight. He was racing fifth when he slammed into the face of the tunnel jump. His foot got hung on the peg and his Kawasaki dragged him up and onto the top of the obstacle.

The rider was stunned and the race was red-flagged in order to help him down from the tunnel jump. But as the field prepared to line back up, McAdoo was heard pleading his case to the medical staff. He won his argument and was cleared to restart. The race had not completed three laps so a complete restart was required.

Round 13 winner Nate Thrasher finished fourth to earn his second career top-five in as many weeks.

Garrett Marchbanks rounded out the top five.

Mitchell Harrison in sixth, Coty Schock in seventh and Pierce Brown in eighth grabbed the next three positions.

Seth Hammaker had an adventurous race. He fell from second in Heat 2, remounted and fell again. His second crash dropped him to 13th and he was not quite able to transfer directly into the Main. He rebounded to finish ninth.

Jalek Swoll rounded out the top 10.

Next Up: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga. April 17.

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 1 AT HOUSTON: Justin Barcia, Christian Craig take early lead

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 2 AT HOUSTON: Eli Tomac closes gap, Jett Lawrence wins his first

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 3 AT HOUSTON: Ken Roczen earns one-point margin; Colt Nichols, Christian Craig share 250 lead

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 4 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen wins to extend points margin, Colt Nichols doubles down

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 5 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen makes it two in a row; Colt Nichols threepeats

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 6 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen continues to roll; Christian Craig stops Colt Nichols

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 7 AT ORLANDO: Cooper Webb gets second win as Jett Lawrence also doubles

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 8 AT ORLANDO: Cooper Webb wins again to close the gap on Ken Roczen

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 9 AT DAYTONA: Eli Tomac gets back in contention with fifth Daytona win

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 10 AT ARLINGTON: The Battle of words between Webb and Roczen ends with Webb win

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 11 AT ARLINGTON: Cooper Webb two-for-two in Arlington; Hunter Lawrence wins first 250

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 12 AT ARLINGTON: Cooper Webb gets second residency sweep with perfect Arlington effort

POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 13 AT ATLANTA: Eli Tomac surges to second win on NASCAR infield course

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Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).