ANDERSON BATTLES FROM THE LCQ TO THE PODIUM AT ATLANTA 2 SX

Tuesday proved to be an eventful day of racing for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson, who came away with a third-place podium finish at Round 14 of the AMA Supercross World Championship after being forced to battle his way through the last chance qualifier due to a bad luck situation in his heat race.

For the second straight round, Anderson claimed the fastest qualifier position at Atlanta Motor Speedway but he found himself in an unfavorable position off the start of 450SX Heat 2 after stalling the bike on the gate drop. Forced to overcome a dead last start, Anderson got up to 12th on lap one but he encountered another setback when a rider landed on him mid-air and caused them both to go down hard and he ultimately missed the Main Event transfer by one spot. Lining up in the LCQ, he wasted no time getting out front where he charged his way to a 30-second victory. In the Main Event, Anderson proved to be a man on a mission as he swiftly climbed from an eighth-place start up to fourth early on, positioning himself to overtake a podium spot halfway through the race. With a hard-fought effort, he locked in third to secure his second podium finish of the season.

“Today was pretty stressful,” Anderson said. “It started out amazing and I felt like everything was going smooth, and then I stalled it on the gate for the start but I was able to come back and ride good. I was lacking a little bit of energy at the end but I feel like my speed is good and my riding is really well so I’m excited.”

Dean Wilson, the fourth-place qualifier, powered his way off the line in 450SX Heat 1 to grab an impressive second-place start. He maintained a fast pace behind the leader to secure a runner-up finish and a clean transfer into the Main Event. In the main, Wilson shot off the line to capture a top-five start and he hung with the front-runners early on. He dropped a few positions later in the race but he was able to hold strong for a top-10 finish.

“I was riding really good today, definitely a step up from the last round,” Wilson said. “I was happy with second in the heat race and in the Main Event, I got a pretty good start and was really in the mix of the battle until about halfway and unfortunately just struggled to the end. If we can figure out the second half and just get in the top five, I’d be happy with that.”

250SX West

Swoll got off to a great start in 250SX Heat 1, leading the opening lap before settling into second early on. He rode a solid pace to ultimately secure a second-place finish in the heat. In the Main Event, there was a red flag early in the race, which sent the riders back to the starting gate for a second drop. Swoll put himself into a top-10 position off the re-start but a mistake dropped him back a couple spots early on. He spent the remainder of the laps trying to fight his way back through the pack, ultimately finishing 10th.

“It was not the result we wanted but riding-wise I feel like it was really good,” Swoll said. “I made a lot of progression from the first round but I found myself on the ground early and that was unfortunate. I feel like the speed was there, so at least we can take the positives and come back in three days to have another go at it.”

Stilez Robertson missed the night program due to a crash during the first qualifying session of the day. He plans to recover over the next few days with hopes of lining up for the next round this Saturday.

“Definitely not the night I was hoping for,” Robertson said. “In the first qualifier, I had a big get-off through the whoops and wasn’t feeling too good. I went out for the last qualifying session and ended up seventh but the team and I made the decision to sit it out but we should be good to go for Saturday.”

Next Event (Round 15): Saturday, April 17 – Atlanta Motor Speedway – Atlanta, Georgia

Round 14 Results: Atlanta 2 SX

450SX Results 

1. Ken Roczen (HON)

2. Chase Sexton (HON)

3. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 

250SX West Results 

1. Justin Cooper (YAM)

2. Hunter Lawrence (HON)

3. Cameron Mcadoo (KAW)

...

10. Jalek Swoll – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing

450SX Rider Point Standings

1. Cooper Webb – 313 points

2. Ken Roczen – 300 points

3. Eli Tomac – 278 points 

...

6. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 211 points

11. Dean Wilson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 124 points

12. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 123 points

250SX West Rider Point Standings

1. Justin Cooper – 157 points

2. Cameron Mcadoo – 148 points 

3. Hunter Lawrence – 141 points 

…

5. Jalek Swoll – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 121 points

12. Stilez Robertson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 57 points