Smartop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda raced to another set of top-ten results at the 2022 Denver Supercross. Vince Friese completed the 250 West Region’s “regular season” while Justin Brayton and Mitchell Oldenburg lined up in the 450 Class at round sixteen of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship.
Vince Friese fought through the pack to a solid sixth-place finish in the 250 Main Event. Because Denver’s elevation put a heavier load on the small-bore bikes, the rider had to adjust his equipment and strategy. A 46.656 lap in the morning’s last practice session showed that Friese could match the pace with the front-runners, while a sixth-place rank in Timed Qualifying gave him a goal to aim for. The 250 Heat Race One saw the rider start in fourth place, get in with the pack, make a key pass on lap six, and finish in third place. A minor change in technique on the starting line in the 250 Main Event, a must considering the conditions, put Friese in the middle of the pack through the opening laps, then led to an exciting battle for positions later in the race, when patience and prowess helped push his way to sixth place. “It was a wild time at the end of the race. I was in a battle with a handful of guys, and we caught up to a pack of lappers that were in their own race. I just sat back while they got wild, jumped the triple when they didn’t, and made the right moves,” said Friese of the 250 Main Event. “The first gear start and the altitude threw my races off, and I had to work to overcome that all day, but we will know for next week in Salt Lake City.” Friese is ranked fourth overall in the 250 West Region Championship standings.
Justin Brayton’s experience paid off in Denver, as the veteran rider knew hurried riding on the hard-pack conditions and basic layout wouldn’t work well. Instead, he put in controlled and consistent laps, posted a 45.756 in the final session, and ended the morning sixth overall in the Timed Qualifying results. An excellent start in 450 Heat Race One saw Brayton get in right behind the leader and finish in a respectable third place. Another good start in the 450 Main Event put Brayton in a desirable position for what turned out to be a dry and technical 26-lap challenge, and he crossed the finish line in eighth place. “I feel like the track had a speed limit, and if you went above it, you were taking huge risks. To finish eighth in those conditions is good,” Brayton noted of the afternoon. “There weren’t many places to pass, and if you didn’t make moves in certain sections, you weren’t going forward.” Brayton is now ranked ninth overall in the 450 Class championship standings.
Mitchell Oldenburg ended his time in the 450 Class with his second top-ten in the premier division this season. The rider’s limited time in the 450 Class meant that he was part of the B Group for the morning’s Timed Qualifying session, and he turned a 46.426 lap to get ranked thirteenth overall. A fair start in 450 Heat Race Two put Oldenburg in tenth place, a precarious position given the competition. He was able to make the necessary pass to get into a transfer position on lap two and rode his way into the 450 Main Event. The back-and-forth between two divisions has helped Oldenburg tremendously this year, and he put the skills to the test to finish in ninth place. “With that kind of track, I knew I needed to get myself into a good spot and maintain. But I enjoyed the Main Event because I rode a manageable pace, never out of control, and clicked the laps off,” Oldenburg explained of his performance. “This has been my best and most consistent year, and I’m excited to end it in the 250 Class.” Oldenburg is currently ranked twenty-second overall in the 450 Class championship standings, a position that could change with his participation in next week’s 250 East-West Showdown.
The 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship will conclude with the 2022 Salt Lake City Supercross on May 7.