An energised crowd filled the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada as the world’s top two-wheeled athletes entered the arena in hopes of winning the Million Dollar purse.
The unique race format consisted of three motos designated the cup class in which all invited 250 and 450 riders competed in the same field.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson kicked the night off in a dramatic way as he scored the holeshot in Moto 1 and crossed the finish line in first. Sadly, only to realise he forgot to take the mandatory Joker Lane. He joins Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey as notable riders to miss the Joker Lane. Jason forfeit five places, moving down to sixth.
Heading into the second moto, Jason was certain to not make that mistake again and seek redemption. He launched out of the gate to claim another holeshot, leading every lap to the chequered flag, and deciding to Joker on the last lap.
Coming from a low in Moto 1 to a high in Moto 2, Anderson conjured some more confidence and secured a remarkable third holeshot in Moto 3, winning a Toyota Tundra in the process. He then battled with top contenders, Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen, until settling into third position.
The sixth, first, and third place finishes earned Jason third overall but the three consecutive holeshots earned Jason the coveted holeshot award. Although the taste of a million dollars was so close, Jason was thrilled on his second and third moto redemptions and looks forward to the 2016 Supercross season.
“Had a good night with getting three holeshots and a third overall,” said Anderson. “Missing the Joker Lane in the first race was really disappointing but a win in Moto 2 made up for it. Starts usually are a struggle for me so holeshotting all three rounds is a huge plus!”
After a lengthy absence from Supercross style racing, team-mate Christophe Pourcel showed promise throughout the evening as he finished 13th overall. “It was good to learn after not racing Supercross for a while,” said Pourel. “I made some beginner mistakes but I will focus on getting better for Supercross.”
Fellow team-mates Zach Osborne and Martin Davalos traded up to the Husqvarna FC 350 for this unique event. Zach Osborne finished 15th overall in the premier cup class and Davalos was unable to finish after sustaining an injury during Moto 1.
Osborne said: “Qualifying eighth was a good start for me especially since 250 and 450 riders are all mixed in the same class. I had an unfortunate crash with Martin and he ended up getting injured so I’m rather sad about that. Other than that I am okay with how it went and my bike was superb.”
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team now will focus heavily on training for the start of the 2016 AMA Supercross season in January.
