The three riders at the top of the 450 points standings each experienced troubled in at least one of the three features that make up the Monster Energy Supercross Triple Crown format at Arlington, but when the checkered flag waved over Race 3, the results were the same as everyone has come to anticipate.
Cooper Webb won his second races of the season, Chase Sexton finished second and Eli Tomac was third, which tightened to championship battle. Only five points separate the three riders.
RESULTS: Click here for full 450 Overall Results; Click here for 250 Overall Results
The night got off to a rocky start for Webb. He was mired in traffic at the start of the Race 1 and could only limb as high as fifth in that feature. With Tomac winning and Sexton on the podium as well, he might have been counted out, but Webb did what Webb does.
Webb kept his composure and finished better in each successive round with a second in Race 2 and a win in Race 3. His 5-2-1 combined for eight points and tied Sexton, but by virtue of winning the final race, he owned the tiebreaker.
Sexton failed to win any of the three races, but his 3-3-2 was enough for eight event points as well. Race points are not paid out until the three features are totaled, so Sexton’s second-place finish overall allowed him to make up ground on Tomac in the championship hunt. Sexton is now five behind Tomac and three behind Webb for second in what is becoming a very compelling three-man contest.
Tomac rarely makes mistakes, so it was with a little shocking when he crashed while leading Race 3. As with Anaheim 1, he failed to navigate the tunnel jump, but where he was able to overcome his mistake in California, the Texas track was not as forgiving. Tomac dropped to fourth immediately following his crash and lost another couple of positions after losing his rhythm.
His 1-4-6 combined for 10 points and placed him third on the grid.
Click here for 450 Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Last Chance Qualifier
Like Webb, Jason Anderson got better in each race, but a crash as the start of the first feature was too much to overcome. He dropped to the back of the pack in that race and, while he climbed to eighth at the checkers, damage was done. He made a valiant effort by winning Race 2. His 8-1-3 combined for 12 points and placed him fourth overall.
Ken Roczen also earned 12 points with a 2-6-4, but with Anderson having the better finish in Race 3, Roczen was awarded fifth. That was still a solid rebound from last week’s 11th-place finish and Roczen’s fifth top-five in the first seven rounds of 2023.
Click here for 450 Overall results | Rider Points | Manufacturer Points
It turns out Hunter Lawrence can be beat.
Despite riding with a knee injury, Nate Thrasher swept the podium in the three-races of the Arlington Supercross Triple Crown and his results of 2-2-3 were enough to give him the overall victory. He has not yet stood on the top of the podium after an individual race, but his second-place finish in the 250 East opener in Houston contributes to his third-place standing in the points.
Thrasher’s teammate Jordon Smith had a mathematical path to the overall win before he bobbled in the whoops in the closing minutes of Race 3. Finishing fourth in the first feature put him at a bit of a disadvantage, but he rebounded to win Race 2. In the final tally, his 4-1-5 tied him with Lawrence in points and Smith was awarded second via the tiebreaker.
Click here for 250 Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Last Chance Qualifier
Perhaps the only thing keeping Lawrence off the top box of the podium is bad luck. He ran out of room entering Turn 1 of the final race and crashed. He might have overcome that still, if Max Anstie had not run over his bike and pinned Lawrence underneath for a few seconds. With a broken clutch lever, Lawrence had to ride conservatively in that race, but he climbed to sixth at the end and his 1-3-6 was enough to put him on the podium.
The European motocross star Tom Vialle continues to impress. He has been in contention for a top-five in every race this year and finally got it done in Arlington. His 5-9-2 placed him fourth on the chart.
Click here for 250 Overall results | 250 East Rider Points | Combined Rider Points
Anstie’s involvement in the Lap 1 crash of Race 3 dropped him to the back of the pack in that race; he was able to climb to only ninth at its end. With a third in Race 1 and fourth in Race 2, he combined to finish fifth overall.
Jeremy Martin won the final race of the night, but a dismal showing in Race 2 and 12th-place finish relegated him to sixth overall. In a race filled with accidents, Martin was as surprised as anyone that he stood on the top of the podium in that final feature.
2023 Results
Race 6: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence win
Race 5: Cooper Webb, Hunter Lawrence win
Race 4: Tomac, H Lawrence win
Race 3: Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen win
Race 2: Tomac, J Lawrence win
Round 1: Tomac, J Lawrence win
2023 SuperMotocross Power Rankings
Week 6: Perfect Oakland night keeps Tomac first
Week 5: Cooper Webb, Chase Sexton close gap
Week 4: Eli Tomac retakes lead
Week 3: Ken Roczen takes the top spot
Week 2: Roczen moves up; Sexton falls
Week 1: Tomac tops 450s; Jett Lawrence 250s
