Spokane, Wash. (February 1, 2022) - Smartop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda returned to Orange County for the 2022 Anaheim Two Supercross, round four of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship. All three riders once again lined up for the Main Events in their respective classes, and although hard crashes during the Main Events impacted the final scores for Justin Brayton and Vince Friese, neither were injured in the incidents.
Vince Friese entered the 2022 season with ambitions of winning a 250 Heat Race and finishing on the podium in a 250 Main Event. Although his adaptation to the small-bore motorcycle is ongoing, the progress has been easy to follow, and he was on pace to accomplish both goals at round four. Friese cut more than a full second from his lap times between the two practice sessions, and a 1:05.317 put him sixth overall in the Timed Qualifying results. The rider gave his all in 250 Heat Race One, as he led for five laps and put in the best lap time of the race before a costly mistake on a flat turn dropped him from first to third; he quickly regrouped from the crash and raced back to a second-place finish. Another excellent start in the 250 Main Event put Friese over the holeshot stripe first and the lead group, track position he maintained for most of the race. Still, the night came to a sudden end after a minor crash in the whoops put him directly in the path of an oncoming rider. Astonishingly, Friese was not severely injured by the incident, and he was credited with 19th place in the results. “There was some good stuff to take away from the night, and I think that my riding was better, but I’m still learning the little bike. My speed was better, and my starts have been on point. I was really close in both races to achieving the goals I have for this season, which is to win a Heat Race and to podium in the Main Event. I was coming around for the white flag in both races,” he recalled. “In the Heat, I barely clipped a Tuff Block with my clutch lever, and that’s all it took. I felt like I was riding really well in the Main Event. I didn’t have the pace to fight with the top two, but I felt like I put up a good fight and pushed for a little bit. It was going to be a good battle for the last spot on the podium between me, Hunter, and Jo. We were coming around to the white flag and were all right there. I wish I could have held onto that one, but it wasn’t meant to be. I got a sideways in the whoops, which were tough all night, and had a little crash. When I popped my head up, I took a front tire to the face. I bit my tongue really bad, but that was about the only major thing I got out of it. I’m a little sore, but not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I’ve already got a few workouts in, so that’s good, and I plan to ride this week to get ready for the weekend.” Friese is now ranked sixth overall in the 250 West Coast region standings.
Justin Brayton had his share of highs and lows at round four. On pace with the front-runners from the very first laps of practice, Brayton ended the afternoon with a personal best time of 1:04.780 and was ranked ninth overall in the Timed Qualifying results. An excellent start put Brayton into fourth place at the very start of 450 Heat Race One, a position he maintained for the entirety of the seven-lap dash thanks to fast laps and defensive line. A tough go at the start of the 450 Main Event put Brayton outside of the top-15 on the opening lap, but he soon settled into a rhythm, passed his way through the pack, and reached the top-10. Unfortunately, and for the second week in a row, all of the effort was erased by a late-race crash, as Brayton made a mistake jumping through the track’s longest rhythm section and was ejected from the bike. Sore, but uninjured, he called it a night and was scored with a 21st place finish. “Anaheim was similar to San Diego with good pace in Timed Qualifying and a solid Heat Race. Things were going well in the Main Event until I made a late-race mistake in the rhythm section,” he said of the weekend. “I feel like I’m making rookie mistakes this year for some reason, so I’ll have to clean those up so that I can get back into the top-10. My riding is good and the team is awesome, so I just have to get away from the mistakes of the last two weeks.” Brayton is now ranked 16th overall in the 450 Class standings.
Mitchell Oldenburg continues to impress in the 450 Class. With the start of the 250 East Coast region on the horizon, the rider put in his first laps on the MCR CRF250R this past week, then got back on the big bike for the weekend. A 1:05.502 put Oldenburg 15th overall in the Timed Qualifying results, as he was remarkably consistent through the afternoon but was surprisingly faster in the first session. Oldenburg started and finished 450 Heat Race Two in ninth place, and although it was tense, it was enough to get him into the night’s final. The 450 Main Event was another test of Oldenburg’s talents, as he overcame a subpart start, stayed out of trouble, and matched his season-best result of 15th place. “It was nothing too crazy this weekend, just good to get the laps in and put another Main Event together. Like I’ve said all along, the 250 East Coast region is our focus, so right now I’m just trying to get some gate drops and be in the flow of race day for when it matters,” he explained. “I’m already starting to put in practice sessions on the 250 and will get a few days in this coming week. Even with that said, I know I’m better than my results and I’m looking forward to this weekend.” Oldenburg is now ranked 18th overall in the 450 Class standings.
The 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship continues with the 2022 Glendale Supercross, the fifth round of the season and the first to feature the Triple Crown format, this weekend at State Farm Stadium.