The fourth stop of the 17-race Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, resulted in a shakeup in the 450SX Class standings. RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John's Factory Suzuki's Ken Roczen entered the previous race with a 12-point lead in the points, but following a crash and a 15th-place finish it was Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey who walked away with the red number plate as the points leader. Dungey's second straight runner-up finish gives him a four-point advantage heading into the third and final visit to Angel Stadium on Saturday in Anaheim, California.
In the Western Regional 250SX Class, drama reigned supreme as GEICO Honda's Malcolm Stewart won the first Main Event of his career. Additionally, the championship battle between Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha's Cooper Webb and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Tyler Bowers took a controversial turn as the two riders made contact for the second consecutive race. Webb was forced to bounce back after dropping outside the top 10 and clawed his way to a runner-up effort, passing Bowers along the way to retain his points lead, which now sits at eight coming into Anaheim.
Red Bull KTM
#5 Ryan Dungey
Current Championship Position: 1st
Oakland Start: 4th
Oakland Finish: 2nd (+2)
Average Finish: 2.75
Dungey is one of just two riders to finish inside the top-10 in every race this season.
"I am excited to run the red plate at [Anaheim]," stated Dungey. "I wish I could have taken the win [in Oakland] but I am happy that my consistent results have paid off and we are in the top spot heading to the next round. I have to keep building off these results and continue to work toward that win."
#15 Dean Wilson
Current Championship Position: 16th (-59 behind leader)
Oakland Start: DNS
Oakland Finish: DNS
Average Finish: 13.33 (3 races)
Wilson underwent season-ending surgery this week to repair an ACL and MCL injury to his knee.
"My doctor said the surgery went well and I'm looking at a regular rehabilitation process for my knee," said Wilson. "I have been down this road a few times over the past five seasons but I have never been more committed to getting myself back to the top of the mountain. I am focused on a full recovery for myself, and the people and companies that stand behind me help add fuel to that fire. I have a major commitment to my team and will do my best to get back to 100-percent where I can then hop back on my KTM and push it to the front of the field."
RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John's Factory Suzuki
#94 Ken Roczen
Current Championship Position: 2nd (-4 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 3rd
Oakland Finish: 15th (-12)
Average Finish: 4.75
Oakland signified the first time Roczen failed to lead a lap in 2015.
"I'm going to keep working this week," said Roczen. "I'm feeling great. I feel great on the bike. Everything is good. I'm not too worried about the championship. It's only four points. We've got a lot of racing left. Oakland could have been another good night but I messed it up. Luckily, I wear Fox helmets and Oakley goggles to protect my head and eyes. Otherwise, my incident last weekend could've been a whole different story."
#20 Broc Tickle
Current Championship Position: 12th (-43 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 22nd
Oakland Finish: 22nd (+/- 0)
Average Finish: 11.75
Tickle crashed on the opening lap of the Main Event and failed to finish. He will miss Anaheim, citing a concern with his back.
"I'm disappointed that I'll miss this weekend, but given my recent experience with back injuries, I've learned to take the doctor's advice," explained Tickle. "I don't want turn a one-race injury into something bigger. It should be a pretty quick recovery and I can still do everything training-wise, except for riding. I need to stay off the bike for five to seven days. After that, I should be ready to go for San Diego in two weeks."
Team Honda
#41 Trey Canard
Current Championship Position: 3rd (-14 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 10th
Oakland Finish: 1st (+9)
Average Finish: 5.75
It was Canard's fourth career 450SX Class win and his first since Arlington, Texas, in April of 2011.
"I'm just so happy with how [Oakland] went, I don't even know what to say," said Canard. "I didn't think I would be on the podium after the first few laps; it was chaotic out there. It's been a long haul to get on top of the podium, but it feels so great. Everyone on the team has been working their butts off this season and I'm so grateful that I could finally give them what they've been working so hard for, a win. I got lucky with Kenny's [Roczen] problem, so now the points gap has been closed a bit. I just need to work on my starts and stay on the podium each week, and it'll be a fight to the end."
#14 Cole Seely
Current Championship Position: 7th (-37 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 5th
Oakland Finish: 5th (+/- 0)
Average Finish: 9.75
Oakland was Seely's best finish of his rookie 450SX Class season.
"I'm excited and happy with how the night went [in Oakland]," said Seely. "We're moving in the right direction, for sure. I felt like I was hitting all my marks really well, and I put myself up front and in a good position early in the race. Unfortunately, I made some mistakes five or six laps in, which really cost me a lot of time and positions. I'm happy I was able to regroup and shake it off to salvage a fifth from that, which is my best finish of the season. My starts are improving and I'm riding well."
GEICO Honda
#3 Eli Tomac
Current Championship Position: 4th (-18 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 7th
Oakland Finish: 4th (+3)
Average Finish: 7.0
Tomac has finished in the top-five in every race since finishing 20th at the opening race, gaining 16 spots in the championship standings.
"Going to the third Anaheim race, I've been feeling pretty good, but it seems like when we get to some of the bumpier tracks, that is when I get a little bit tight," Tomac said. "Once I get that figured out, hopefully we'll be consistently getting first or second instead of third or fourth. That's what I'm shooting for right now. It's a long season. The points will take care of themselves as long as we're performing at a high level and staying consistent."
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
#21 Jason Anderson
Current Championship Position: 5th (-20 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 8th
Oakland Finish: 10th (-2)
Average Finish: 6.25
Anderson is the only other rider, with Dungey, to finish in the top-10 in every race this season.
"[Oakland] was ok," said Anderson. "When it came down to it I was up there, but I ended up crashing pretty hard and finished 10th. I'm ready to get back up there [in Anaheim] to redeem myself."
Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha
#51 Justin Barcia
Current Championship Position: 6th (-24 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 9th
Oakland Finish: 6th (+3)
Average Finish: 6.75
Barcia is in search of his first podium finish of the 2015 season.
"Oakland was good, I won my heat race and rode well in the Main Event," said Barcia. "I am working with the team on starts and fine-tuning the bike setup, and I feel like we are getting better each week. My goal for Anaheim is to be on the podium."
#46 Phil Nicoletti
Current Championship Position: 21st (-75 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 21st
Oakland Finish: 14th (+7)
Average Finish: 14.0 (1 race)
Nicoletti made his first start of the season for JGRMX, replacing an injured Weston Peick.
"Oakland was my first race of the 2015 season, and everything was good," said Nicoletti. "Now that I have a race in the books, I'm really looking forward to racing at Anaheim this Saturday."
Monster Energy Kawasaki
#18 Davi Millsaps
Current Championship Position: tied for 8th (-38 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 6th
Oakland Finish: 7th (-1)
Average Finish: 10.0
Millsaps has finished in the top-10 in every race since finishing 19th at the opening race, climbing 11 positions in the 450SX Class standings.
"Each week we're getting better and better," said Millsaps. "The track in Oakland was tough and technical, which made it hard to push. I'm excited to get back to Anaheim and finish off our third stop with a podium finish."
BTO Sports KTM
#29 Andrew Short
Current Championship Position: tied for 8th (-38 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 1st
Oakland Finish: 8th (-7)
Average Finish: 10.25
Despite starting up front in every Main Event this season, Short earned his first SupercrossLive.com Holeshot Award of the season in Oakland.
"It was a difficult weekend [in Oakland]," said Short. "I didn't feel comfortable out there, but the highlight was the start and the first few laps of the main. We'll regroup and come back strong at Anaheim."
Discount Tire Racing/TwoTwo Motorsports
#22 Chad Reed
Current Championship Position: 10th (-40 behind leader)
Oakland Start: 2nd
Oakland Finish: 3rd (-1)
Average Finish: 7.67 (3 races)
Reed earned his first podium finish of the season and led his first laps of 2015 in Oakland.
"It's great to get up [on the podium] after [the black flag in Anaheim]," said Reed. "I'm bummed because I really do feel like I had a win in me [in Oakland], but I made a couple mistakes and jumped off the track. We've put what happened [in Anaheim] behind us and will move forward with a new motivation."