Follow the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship with direct updates from today’s 16th round of the season at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver through Racefeed.

Image: Octopi Media.

250SX qualifying one:
Enzo Lopes made Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha the fastest team as timed qualifying kicked off at Denver. Due to become the first Brazilian to participate in opening ceremonies at this round, Lopes beat championship leader Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) to the top of the running order by 0.136s with his best lap of 45.717s. RJ Hampshire (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), and Max Vohland (Red Bull KTM) completed the top five. Carson Mumford (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) added a fifth manufacturer and sixth team to the top six. After him on the timesheet came Derek Kelley (AEO Powersports KTM), Cole Thompson (Team Solitaire Heartbeat Hot Sauce Racing), Mitchell Oldenburg (Smartop MotoConcepts Honda Racing), and Dilan Schwartz (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) comprised the remainder of the top 10.

450SX qualifying one:
For the 21st time of the 2023 Supercross season, Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) set the mark to beat in a premier-class qualifying session. Sexton’s best lap of 45.396s put his Honda CRF450R a mere 0.021s clear of points leader Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), who landed second on the timesheet. Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki), Colt Nichols (Team Honda HRC), and Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) found the top five. Justin Hill (Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsports) in sixth was the last rider to come within a second of Sexton. Dean Wilson (Fire Power Honda), Shane McElrath (Twisted Tea Suzuki Progressive Insurance), and Justin Starling filled the rest of the top 10.

250SX qualifying two:
With a blisteringly quick 43.893s revolution of the Denver Supercross track, Lawrence put his No. 18 Honda CRF250R atop the running order for the second and final round of 250SX West qualifying in Colorado. Hampshire came closest to Lawrence’s pace with a best lap 0.837s slower than the young Australian’s. Lopes followed his chart-topping performance from Q1 with the third-fastest Q2 lap. Vohland and Oldenburg completed the top five while Kitchen, Mumford, Kelley, Hunter Yoder (Partzilla PRMX Racing) and Thompson rounded out the top 10.

450SX qualifying two:
After his teammate Lawrence set the only 43s lap in the 250SX West division, Sexton did the same in the premier 450SX class. Sexton’s 43.968s lap in the second timed qualifying session put him 0.41s clear of fellow Clermont, Florida resident Roczen. Tomac, Cianciarulo, and Wilson found the final three spots in the top five, followed by Justin Hill, Nichols, Kyle Chisholm (Twisted Tea Suzuki Progressive Insurance), Josh Hill (Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsports), and Anthony Rodriguez (Smartop MotoConcepts Honda Racing) in the top 10.

250SX heat one:
Battling leg pain that first started earlier in the day, Kitchen reached the checkered flag first aboard his Star Racing-prepared Yamaha YZ250F to begin the night of racing. Kitchen held an advantage of 6.414s over Hampshire as the race expired. Vohland, Kelley, and Robbie Wageman (BarX Suzuki) comprised the rest of the top 10. Thompson, Jerry Robin (AJE Motorsports), Mitchell Harrison (AJE Motorsports), and Dominique Thury (Team Solitaire Heartbeat Hot Sauce) finished in positions 6–9 to secure spots in the main event.

250SX heat two:
The night’s second race began with a bout of excitement as Yoder and Lawrence collided, putting both plus a couple other riders on the ground. Lawrence caught up to fourth at the checkered flag, but Yoder retired from the race after being struck by another bike. A battle for the win broke out between Mumford, Oldenburg, and Lopes, with the Brazilian ClubMX rider getting the best of the other two for his first heat race win. Oldenburg secured second ahead of Mumford, Lawrence, Schwartz, Derek Drake (BarX Suzuki), Max Miller (Rides Unlimited KTM), and Luke Kalaitzian in the remaining transfer positions.

450SX heat one:
After his Suzuki stablemate Chisholm secured the holeshot, Roczen moved into the lead and rode to the win. Steady speed from Cianciarulo put the Kawasaki rider within 1.295s at the checkered flag and a considerable 22.388s up the track from Justin Hill. Chisholm finished fourth, while Starling, Grant Harlan (Rock River Yamaha), Rodriguez, Michael Hicks (TiLube Honda Racing), and Logan Karnow also earned main event gates.

450SX heat two:
Causing loud cheering from the Denver crowd, local favorite Tomac rapidly broke away to an early lead. The audience’s enjoyment turned into disappointment when Sexton reeled in Tomac and swiped the lead from the reigning champion and points leader. Tomac stayed close, particularly when Sexton got crossed up with lapper Joan Cros (MaddParts.com Kawasaki) at one point, but followed Sexton to the checkered flag from 1.513s behind. Sexton’s Honda teammate Nichols occupied the third position at the end, leading McElrath and Wilson in completing the top five. The remaining direct transfer positions went to Josh Hill, Kevin Moranz, Joshua Cartwright, and Cade Clason (Partzilla PRMX Racing).

250SX LCQ:
A strong start for Geran Stapleton saw the privateer lead the majorty of the night’s first LCQ. Meanwhile, an unideal start for Yoder saw the Partzilla PRMX Racing rider charge forward and eventually pass Stapleton as the race wound down. Stapleton settled for second while Brandon Ray and Kaeden Amerine (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Rides Unlimited Racing) also enabled the continuation of their nights by finishing in transfer positions. RJ Wageman and Maxwell Sanford were first to miss out with fifth- and sixth-place finishes.

450SX LCQ:
Tristan Lane perfectly executed his start and led from start to finish. Behind him, Chase Marquier pursued Lane Shaw, Devin Simonson, and Freddie Noren, but came up half a second short of Noren at the checkered flag, missing out on a spot in the main event while the four riders just ahead successfully transferred.

250SX main event:
Lawrence started well outside of the lead group but charged forward to third, fulfilling the requirement of finishing 10th or better to secure his second Supercross title. Kitchen led the majority of the main event, fending off increased pressure from Hampshire. Seemingly eliminating his chance to win, Hampshire attempted an outside pass on Kitchen, but the Yamaha rider pushed him ride and forced Hampshire to check up before a double out of a 90-degree turn — a situation made worse as he accidentally clicked his Husqvarna FC 250 RE into neutral. Hampshire rode alongside the whoops off the track before rejoining and mounting a new charge toward Kitchen. He successfully caught and passed Kitchen and earned his first win of the 2023 Supercross season by a margin of 1.353s seconds. Lawrence finished 21.231s further back in third and laid down his Honda CRF250R after the checkered flag to salute the crowd and the bike itself as a clear send-off of his 250 career. Lopes fell victim to Lawrence’s charge and settled for fourth. Oldenburg completed the top five. A tip over after contact with Lopes while battling for third limited Vohland’s ability in the main event, leading to a sixth-place result. Kelley finished just behind in seventh while Mumford, Thompson and Robbie Wageman rounded out the top 10.

450SX main event:
The small handful of factory machinery lined up on the gate for the year’s penultimate 450SX main event became even smaller leaving Denver, with reigning champion and season-long points leader Tomac the latest to sustain injury. While running in podium position, Tomac ruptured his Achilles tendon and rode as quickly as he could to the Alpinestars medical unit, nursing the injured leg. The race continued with Sexton in the lead after a pass on Cianciarulo, effectively the new champion elect. Roczen charged forward from last place after a first-turn crash to finish second, 8.361s in arrears of Sexton at the checkered flag. Despite losing second to Roczen, Cianciarulo held on for third to secure his first Supercross podium since January 2021 in Houston. Justin Hill and McElrath were fourth and fifth, leading Wilson, Josh Hill, Chisholm, Harlan, and Starling in the top 10. In addition to Tomac, Moranz and Nichols left the race early, with Nichols notably receiving medical attention for multiple minutes after a crash.