Smartop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda had an excellent night at the 2022 St. Louis Supercross, as team riders Mitchell Oldenburg, Justin Brayton, and Vince Friese raced their way through the Triple Crown at the thirteenth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship. Brayton and Friese's efforts brought sixth and seventh place overall results in the 450 Class, while solid finishes by Oldenburg put him on the podium in the 250 East Region.
Mitchell Oldenburg had a successful weekend in St. Louis, his first of three consecutive races on the Honda CRF250R to wind down the 250 East Region. The rider started his day with a 54.384 lap during the first practice session, escaped from a wild crash caused by another rider in session two without injury, and ended the afternoon ranked fourth overall in the Timed Qualifying results. An excellent start put Oldenburg up front in 250 Race One, and after twelve intense laps, including one in the lead, he crossed the finish line in third place. Oldenburg got out of the gate well again in 250 Race Two, an early advantage that he turned into another third-place finish. A poor launch in 250 Race Three put Oldenburg outside of the top five on the opening lap, but early passes on riders and a hard-fought battle for a fourth-place finish made up for the start. The 3-3-4 finishes were enough for Oldenburg to earn his first podium of the season in the 250 East Region. Oldenburg shared after the race. "It feels good, and it was a long time coming. I was focused all day because this was the goal, and I'm glad that we got it done. The whole team has been amazing, and it's good to repay them. It's a good feeling. It had been a long couple of years, but I'm proud of myself for keeping my head down and sticking with the plan." Oldenburg is nearly fifth overall in the 250 East Region championship standings with three rounds remaining.
After spending two rounds on the sidelines due to a concussion, Justin Brayton returned to competition in the 450 Class. The time off, though unwanted, seemed to rejuvenate the rider, and he was immediately on pace during the afternoon's practice. Like many, Brayton's best lap occurred during the first session, and the 53.893 put him seventh overall in the Timed Qualifying results. Seventh was very much Brayton's place in the pack in St. Louis, and he found himself in the spot through all three of the night's races. He was scored in seventh on the opening lap of 450 Race One, dropped down to eighth on lap two, and reclaimed the spot in the final minutes of the moto. Although 450 Race Two was a duel between Brayton and teammate Friese, which ended with the two separated by seconds at the finish line, Brayton maintained seventh place for all fifteen laps. The rider spent much of 450 Race Three on his own, a few seconds behind the lead group but safely ahead of the following pack, and ended the evening with another seventh place. The consistency paid off in the end, and with 7-7-7 scores, Brayton was credited with sixth overall. "It was great to get back on the track at one of my favorite rounds of the season, especially with the family and friends from Iowa who came to our home race," said Brayton of the night. "This was the sort of track that I like. It had the big jumps and whoops, and the dirt made it even more fun to ride, but it was tough to make up time or pass. I was in the same spot for most of the night, and that paid off in the end when it bettered my overall score. It felt good to be on the gate again, and I'm excited about the last stretch of the season." Brayton is now twelfth overall in the 450 Class championship standings and has his sights on breaking through the top ten in the next few races.
Vince Friese lined up in the 450 Class at St. Louis, one of his last rides aboard the Honda CRF450R this season. The Missouri native was determined to have a standout ride in the Show-Me State. After a 54.101 lap in the afternoon's first practice session put him ninth overall in the Timed Qualifying result, it was evident that he had the speed to back up the expectations. The rider never fell out of the top ten during the night's three races, a rank he maintained through good starts and hard laps. A pair of excellent starts put Friese in the thick of the action and ended with him scoring eighth in 450 Race One and sixth in 450 Race Two at the checkered flag. Things went much differently in 450 Race Three, as Friese pushed back from a mediocre start, ran as high as eighth, made contact with a track marker, and slid back to tenth. The 8-6-10 scores put Friese seventh in the final results, his third top-ten of the season. "I had good starts in the first two and went into the last one thinking about a shot at the top-five," Friese noted of night. "I had high hopes but botched the start and had to come through the pack. I landed on a Tuff Block and almost crashed big, so I just settled in after that. I'm happy with that, especially with the 450 getting only part of my focus this year, and I am excited about the Showdown in Atlanta." Friese is now ranked sixteenth overall in the championship standings.