Round 9 of the 2019 AMA Supercross World Championship series took place inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team took home two top-ten finishes with Dean Wilson claiming eighth in the 450SX class and Michael Mosiman ninth in the 250SX East/West Showdown.
450SX
Wilson had a great start to the day, qualifying third overall in the 450SX class. In his heat race, Wilson powered his FC 450 to the holeshot and settled into second on the opening lap. He worked hard to maintain his runner-up position as he secured a second-place transfer into the Main Event. Wilson got a ninth-place start in the Main Event and he battled for a top-ten position for the remainder of the race. He turned it up in the final stretch as he overtook eighth on lap 22 to ultimately secure eighth-place for the night.
“I think it was a pretty positive day,” Wilson said. “I qualified third and was riding really well in my heat race. In the Main Event, I kind of didn’t get a great start and just pushed all the way through the checkers. Unfortunately, I only ended up with an eighth and that’s not where I want to be but I’m just going to keep pushing every week and aim for that podium because I know that’s where I can be. I’ve been through a lot, so I’m happy to just be at every race but the big goal for me is the podium because that’s where I really want to be.”
It was a challenging night for Zach Osborne, who battled through adversity in both the heat race and Main Event. In 450SX Heat 1, Osborne got pinched off in the first turn while fighting for the holeshot and he went down, beginning the race outside the top-15. By lap six, Osborne had made his way into a ninth-place transfer position and he continued to climb, securing a sixth-place transfer position. In the Main Event, Osborne didn’t get off to the best start but he climbed his way up to 14th by lap six. He battled inside the top-15 for the majority of the race but unfortunately he ran into an issue on lap 16 that ended his race earlier than expected.
“Overall, it was a positive day. The result was terrible again but it doesn’t really show how well I rode and especially not how I felt,” Osborne said. “So, we’ll just keep fighting and try to make some results here soon. It definitely stinks to have an issue tonight because I felt really good, but it is what it is.”
250SX East/West Showdown
With the East/West Showdown taking place in Atlanta, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 250SX teammates Michael Mosiman (West) and Jordan Bailey (East) lined up together for the first time in the 250SX Main Event. Mosiman, who qualified fourth in the West heat race, got a top-ten start aboard his FC 250 and he battled for the eighth-place position early on He dropped back to tenth in the middle of the race before clawing his way back up to ninth on lap 13. From there, Mosiman held strong to ultimately secure ninth-place in the stacked field of 250SX riders.
“This is my first repeat venue because this was my first race last year [Atlanta] and now here we are at the East/West Showdown at the same place and man, Atlanta really showed up! The ruts were gnarly and the track broke down quick,” Mosiman said. “I felt okay all day, I had a really big crash this week and it’s really just a miracle that I’m here, so I’m just really thankful that I’m here and to be able to race. I hurt some ribs and banged up everything but I ended the night with a ninth-place. I’m not content with ninth-place but all things considered, I am content with that this weekend. We have a lot to build on – I had a good heat and my starts were good.”
His east coast teammate, Jordan Bailey, took the long route into the Main Event after getting tangled with another rider in the heat race, resulting in a trip to the last chance qualifier. In the LCQ, Bailey put himself into a favorable position off the start and ultimately worked his way into a second-place transfer position. In the Main Event, Bailey began just outside the top-20 and he worked hard to climb his way through the pack. After 20 laps, Bailey was able to secure the 17th place position to round out the evening.
Bailey commented, “I felt really good in practice, the bike was handling well and I qualified ninth. In the heat race, I worked my way into ninth but someone crashed and we had a restart. Unfortunately, I got tangled up with another rider after the restart, which caused a DNF in the heat race. I had last gate pick in the LCQ but I made it through and had an alright Main Event. We kind of just survived the night but all-in-all looking forward to Daytona.”
Next Event: March 2 – Daytona SX – Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida
Atlanta SX Results
450SX Main Event
1. Cooper Webb
2. Blake Baggett
3. Marvin Musquin
…
8. Dean Wilson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
22. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
250SX East/West Showdown Main Event
1. Adam Cianciarulo
2. Dylan Ferrandis
3. Austin Forkner
…
9. Michael Mosiman – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
17. Jordan Bailey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
450SX Rider Point Standings
1. Cooper Webb – 199 points
2. Ken Roczen – 186 points
3. Marvin Musquin – 182 points
…
6. Dean Wilson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 137 points
250SX East Rider Point Standings
1. Austin Forkner – 99 points
2. Justin Cooper – 81 points
3. Chase Sexton – 79 points
…
11. Jordan Bailey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 39 points
19. Thomas Covington – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 12 points
250SX West Rider Point Standings
1. Adam Cianciarulo – 140 points
2. Dylan Ferrandis – 125 points
3. Shane McElrath – 123 points
…
6. Michael Mosiman – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 80 points
