News 25 Feb 2023

Thrasher takes Arlington 250SX victory

Triple Crown race wins go to Lawrence, Smith and Martin.

Image: Octopi Media.

Despite a last-race crash and battling a torn ACL, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher took overall honors in the 250SX East class, after a chaotic night of racing at the Arlington round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith, and Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin split the wins in the Triple Crown format, while the podium positions on the night went to Thrasher, Smith and Lawrence.

Hunter Lawrence claimed the opening Triple Crown win, quickly surging past Fire Power Honda’s holeshot winner, Max Anstie into the lead in the opening turns.

From that point the Australian was never headed, although Thrasher hung tough and kept the gap to within 1.5 seconds until the final laps.

The pair finished more than 13 seconds ahead of Anstie, with Smith and Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) finishing inside the top five.

Martin placed sixth ahead of Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas), who was down as low as 15th on the opening lap.

Chris Blose (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), Chance Hymas (Honda HRC) and Cullin Park (Phoenix Honda Racing) rounded out the top 10.

Jordon Smith took well-earned wire-to-wire victory in the second 250SX race as Thrasher got the better of Lawrence after a moto-long battle.

After Thrasher took Lawrence high on a berm on the opening lap, Lawrence quickly got back onto the back of the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing pairing and commenced a three-way battle for the lead.

It came to a head in the dying laps when Lawrence went down while trying to force a pass on Thrasher, but he was about to remount and finish a distant third.

Anstie and Deegan completed the top five, as Mosiman, Hymas, Blose, Vialle and Park finished P6-10.

Jeremy Martin claimed the victory in a chaotic final 250SX race.

Thrasher grabbed the holeshot as Lawrence went down in the first turn with Anstie, and remounted at the back of the pack.

Up front, Thrasher pulled out a commanding 10-second lead until, with two laps to go, he crashed in the whoops and handed the lead to Martin.

Martin held on to take the checkered flag from Vialle as Thrasher finished third and claimed the overall win of the night.

Deegan and Smith – who crashed twice in the race – finished fourth and fifth, as Lawrence clawed his way back to sixth.

Mosiman, Blose, Anstie and Jace Owen (Honda) completed the remaining top 10 placings.

With 73 points, Lawrence still holds an 11-point lead over Anstie, with Thrasher another five markers back.

In the Supercross Futures main event, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s top qualifier Daxton Bennick claimed the Supercross Futures holeshot and checked out to a comfortable seven-second victory.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Casey Cochrane finished a solid second, as Orange Brigade KTM pairing Preston Boespflug and Julien Beaumer placed third and fourth respectively. Brice Shelly (Yamaha) finished fifth.

Detailed results

 

Recent