Smartop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda continued its run of solid results at the 2022 Atlanta Supercross, as Vince Friese and Mitchell Oldenburg held their own in the 250 East-West Showdown and Justin Brayton finished in the top ten in the 450 Main Event. Getting through the tricky, technical conditions without issue at the fourteenth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship benefited the riders. All three are now poised to score important points late in the season.
Fast, consistent laps by Mitchell Oldenburg proved MCR’s East Region rider is one of the strongest in the 250 Class. A 1:30.569 lap during the morning’s single Timed Qualifying session, when the track was still wet and slick, put him third in his group and ninth overall in the 250 Class. A good start in the 250 East Region Heat Race allowed the rider to make early moves, and by the time end of the opening lap, he worked his way into the lead. Oldenburg ran in the top spot for most of the sprint, did his best to defend against others, and scored second at the end of the race. Although Oldenburg didn’t get the best drive out of the gate in the 250 East-West Showdown, he made up a handful of positions by the exit of the first turn, found a place in the middle of the pack, and finished the feature in a ninth place. “This weekend was something. The track time we got on Friday helped, especially after so much got cut out on Saturday morning, so I knew it was important to get a good lap in during practice,” Oldenburg explained of the days at the speedway. “The long start and this bike helped a ton. I got myself where I needed to be in the Heat Race, and it felt so good to lead laps against the pack like that. The Main Event wasn’t my best start, and it put me at the back of a very fast pack, but I stayed in the top ten all the way to the end.” Oldenburg is now ranked fifth overall in the 250 East Region championship standings.
Vince Friese fared well against the combined field in Atlanta. The day started with a 1:33.317 lap during the West Region’s Timed Qualifying session, an effort that put the rider ninth overall in his group and fourteenth overall in the 250 Class. A mediocre launch mired Friese to the middle of the pack in the 250 West Region Heat Race, but a seventh-place result advanced him directly to the 250 East-West Showdown. Friese got a much better drive out of the gate in the 250 East-West Showdown, put his elbows up as the pack filed into the first turn, and battled through the entirety of the twelve-lap feature for a thirteenth-place finish. “That wasn’t my best ride of the season, but I’ll take it,” stated Friese after the checkered flag. “This wasn’t the weekend everyone expected it to be. It was just wet enough to be tricky but not too muddy. The track was just big enough to let us wind the bike out, but there was still plenty of power if we needed it. There are things I could have done better, but we made it out of here in one piece and with points.” Friese is now ranked fourth overall in the 250 West Region championship standings.
Justin Brayton’s top-ten finish at Atlanta helped MCR’s full-time 450 Class rider get back up to speed after two missed rounds and added to his point total in the championship standings. It didn’t take long for him to learn the big jumps and fast lines around the track, and a 1:30.637 lap put him ninth overall in the Timed Qualifying results. A fair start put Brayton in seventh place on the opening lap of 450 Heat Race Two, but he worked his way forward during the five laps and crossed the finish line in fifth place. The rider again got himself into seventh at the start of the 450 Main Event, a spot he held unchallenged for the entirety of the fifteen-lap race. “I really loved the track. I didn’t get a chance to race here last year, but I feel like it is the best of both worlds. It had some technical rhythms and two sets of whoops, but there were also some fast sections and sand,” Brayton said of the speedway layout. “It’s been a tough season, from not riding a month before Anaheim to getting sick to crashing at Indianapolis. I feel like I’ve climbed up the ladder and went back down all season, but now I feel really good. My mindset shifted this week, and I’m all in again. I really tried to enjoy it because it’s my last season, but I want results. It’s a hard balance, but it’s more fun to do well.” Brayton is now ranked twelfth overall in the 450 Class championship standings.
The Monster Energy Supercross Championship continues with the 2022 Foxboro Supercross at Gillette Stadium on April 23.