After more than a month in the sunshine on America's West Coast, the Monster Energy Supercross Championship and Smartop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda headed to the country's center for the 2022 Minneapolis Supercross. The seventh race of the season signified the start of the 250 East Region for Mitchell Oldenburg and put Vince Friese back in the 450 Class alongside Justin Brayton.
Weeks of practice on the Honda CRF250R, plus five Main Events in the 450 Class, have Oldenburg ready for the very competitive 250 East Region. Oldenburg showed an elite level of speed during Timed Qualifying with a 48.960 lap time in the second session put him a fraction of a second off the leader's best lap time in the final results. Unfortunately, a malfunction occurred just before his 250 Heat Race that would ultimately cause him to miss the start of the race. A very experienced crew of mechanics completed the repairs between the Heat Race and LCQ, allowing Oldenburg to qualify out of the Last Chance Qualifier. Unfortunately, a bad start combined with a short race prevented him from qualifying for the main event. “As difficult as it was to have the race go like that, I'm not upset. The team put everything they had into getting the bike going, behind the gate before the Heat Race and in the pit as I waited for the LCQ, and I did what I could on the track," Oldenburg reflected of the day. "It would be easy to feel like this is over before it started, but we have put in too much work and feel too good to stop now. Next week is another chance to do what we know is possible."
Minneapolis was the closest stop to home on Justin Brayton's Supercross retirement tour, and with things like subzero windchills and indoor pits, he got the whole Midwest winter experience. Fast riding and consistent laps from practice to the feature race showed that the rider had put the string of crashes, minor injuries, and various issues that hampered the results in recent weeks behind him. The 49.017 lap in the afternoon put him 10th overall in the Timed Qualifying results, and pace he backed that up with a sixth-place finish in 450 Heat Race One. Brayton's launch out of the gate in the 450 Main Event was key, as he got into the center of the pack, maintained the pace for all 26 laps, and crossed the finish line in 10th place. "I grew up three hours south of here, so pitting inside and away from the freezing cold brought back some memories of Arenacross," Brayton noted at the end of the weekend. "The day was solid again, I qualified 10th and finished 10th in the Main Event. I feel like I'm building because I'm getting more bike-time in during the week and am figuring out some settings, so it should get better every race." Brayton is now ranked 13th overall in the championship standings.
With the 250 West Region on hold for the next month, Vince Friese has transitioned to the 450 Class, where he is expected to have a constant presence in the Main Events. It didn't take long for the rider to get back up to speed on the CRF450R, and a 50.431 lap in Timed Qualifying put him 19th overall and on pace with the preferred group. Friese rocketed out of the gate in 450 Heat Race Two, a reaction that earned him the lead for two laps and a respectable fifth-place finish. Another excellent start in the 450 Main Event put Friese in a great position, as he hovered around the top-10 through every lap and ended the night in 12th place. "It started out tough, being in the B Group for practice and on soft dirt, but the track was like brand new for the Heat Race, and that was pretty sweet," explained Friese. "I got the holeshot and led a few laps in the Heat Race, and that felt nice. I tried to be steady throughout the whole race in the Main Event, which got me a 12th place finish. I've been on the 250 so much, it's been my focus, so jumping back on the 450 and feeling like this gives me something to build on." Friese is currently ranked 26th in the championship standings.
The 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship continues with the 2022 Arlington Supercross at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 26th.
Smartop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts Honda 2022 Minneapolis Race Report
