Image: Octopi Media.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Christian Craig took steps in the right direction during Saturday night’s main event in Oakland, crossing the finish line in P7 and providing ‘something to build on’ in his full-time 450SX debut.

Craig started the race in P7 before losing a few spots, falling back to ninth-place, eventually fighting his way up to seventh at the chequered flag.

Notably at RingCentral Coliseum, Craig averaged lap times closer to front runners Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) despite Oakland’s longer track layout, finishing the race 30.146s behind eventual race winner Tomac – the closest he has been in a traditional 20-minute plus one lap main event this year.

“In the heat race, I was a little tight and rode a little tentative, but I fixed those mistakes in the main,” said Craig. “I got off to a better start and was in the mix, finally, I had good battles with some of the guys and was seventh for most of the main. It’s something to build on and I’ve got some positive to take away and on to Arlington next week.”

The season-best finish for the Husqvarna rider sees him move into 10th position in the Monster Energy Supercross Championship standings as the series heads to Arlington, Texas, this weekend.