Musquin’s one-year contract extension has the French rider competing exclusively in the AMA Supercross Championship for 2023, where he looks to build upon his positive performance in 2022. Finishing fourth overall in the 450SX Championship, Musquin scored six podium finishes and one Triple Crown victory during the season, and the 32-year-old is hungry for more as the stadium gate drops in just six months’ time. 

Marvin Musquin:“I’m very excited, this is exactly what I was looking for in the new season – to be part of the Red Bull KTM team – where I have been for 12 years here in America and 14 years total with KTM. It’s very special for me to still be around Frankie and the whole team, and to be based in California like I did for the 2022 season. I’m looking forward to improving the new bike even more and learning even more with more time coming up. I know that the whole team is motivated to keep on trying, never give up, and to get the KTM back on the top spot.”

Ian Harrison – Red Bull KTM Team Manager:“Marvin has been racing for Red Bull KTM since the summer of 2009 and he will be going into his 14th year with the brand, which is nearly unheard of for a rider and team. After winning the 250SX title in 2015, Marvin moved to the 450 class in 2016 and he has been extremely competitive throughout the years. This 2022 SX race season was no different and the Red Bull KTM team is confident he will carry the 2022 momentum into the 2023 race season.”

But one of the highlights was in the last lap of the last race. Tony Cairoli, who had started on the second row of the grid, was in fourth place but caught up to Cedric Soubreyras and Justin Brayton who were battling hard and taking each other wide on the run to the flag. Cairoli saw his chance and dived under Brayton who fell, allowing the Italian to finish third. The event was a three-moto format with points for each moto, saw Musquin won overall from Soubeyras and Brayton.

The first race saw Musquin holeshot and run away with it as Soubeyras just failed to hold off Brayton until two laps to go. Justin Bogle was fourth after holding off Febvre who had a bad start. Chad Reed took sixth but Cairoli, second fastest in Superpole, had a bad start then crashed on the first lap into the back of his pal Alex Lupino.

In race two Musquin holeshot again but Febvre gave chase until he fell hard. Soubeyras took second from Brayton who sneaked by Bogle in the last corner. Reed and Cairoli raced together with the Aussie coming out just ahead in fifth.

Race three saw Musquin holeshot again from Soubeyras, Thomas Ramette, Brayton and Cairoli. Brayton and Cairoli passed Ramette, then Honda man Brayton chased down Soubeyras. On the last lap Brayton and Soubeyras rode hard yet fair but it allowed Cairoli to close in and the 36-year-old barged his way past Brayton for third.

Kyle Peters won all three MX2 races as world champ Maxime Renaux had bad starts and made too many mistakes to be a real threat.

It’s the first time the event will be held in the middle of the GP season, so that’s probably why Romain Febvre and Maxime Renaux aren’t in the team as they are both fighting for the world championship.

Many top riders have said they wouldn’t ride the event in the middle of the GP season, such as world champ Tim Gajser.

Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin took the 450SX Class win, his first since 2019, at Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium with one round AMA Supercross remaining in 2021. Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb crossed the chequers right on Musquin’s rear wheel for a second-place finish and Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Malcolm Stewart earned his career-first 450SX Class podium with a third-place finish in front of the limited-capacity, pod-seated fans inside the open stadium.

The Eastern Regional 250SX Class racers returned to racing after a 10-week break and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda earned his first-ever win with a display of speed and composure under pressure to take the championship battle to the final round. He made history as the first Japanese rider to ever win a Supercross.

When the gate dropped for the 450SX Class Main Event it was Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen who grabbed the holeshot and immediately took control. Roczen sat second in the title points, down by 16 to Webb, and looked completely in command as Webb struggled to recover from a ninth place start. Musquin sat in second and lost time to Roczen in the early laps as defending champion Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac tried to fight forward from just inside the top ten after a bad start.

 
Webb moved quickly up to fourth with Malcolm Stewart putting heavy pressure on him, making several near-passes as the two tried to climb forward to reach third place being held by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson. Two and a half minutes into the race, Webb sat 5.7 seconds and seven championship points back from Roczen when Tomac had a tip over and dropped back more spots, remounting nearly outside of the top ten

 
At the race’s midpoint Musquin began to chip away at Roczen’s lead as Webb contended with the constant pressure from Stewart and inched closer to Anderson. With less than ten minutes left on the clock in the 20-minute plus one lap race Webb got around Anderson and into a podium spot. Then Roczen made a mistake exiting the corner before the whoops and went down, dropping him to fifth and handing the lead over to Musquin. Webb broke clear of other riders as he slowly reeled in KTM teammate, Musquin, who was navigating through the lappers. Musquin held his pace and his position and brought home the win, his first since 2019, with Webb following in second and Stewart completing the podium in third. The finish marks Stewart’s first career 450SX Class podium finish.

Musquin said: “I can’t believe it right now – I’m standing on the top of the podium. I have had some struggles this season but my goal is to come back and keep getting better. There are so many good riders, so the start is super important and I was just trying to be consistent, those whoops were really tough. I’m so proud, I gave it my all tonight.”

Webb said:“I didn’t get a great start tonight, which hindered me a little bit. Those whoops were super tricky, I finally found a good line and made a charge there at the end. I thought I was in a good position and Marvin picked it up a lot there at the end. Getting points is key but you want to win when you’re that close. We’ll come around next Saturday and see what we can do!”

Despite a bad gate pick, Gas Gas ace Justin Barcia got off to a pretty good start but he got pushed out and ended up going down hard at the beginning of the race. Starting off in a dead last, Barcia clawed his way up to 11th by the halfway mark and next up was a top-10 battle. However, he found himself back on the ground later in the race and he did what he could to salvage 14th for the day.

Barcia:“I felt really good in practice and in the heat but unfortunately, I ended up going down and tearing my radiator. Thankfully the team got it repaired quickly and got me ready for the LCQ. The Main Event was difficult to say the least. I got pushed out off the start, somehow cross-jumped into the bails and ended up going down and the bike hit me in the back. I charged up to 11th and was still moving forward and then I ended up endo’ing and bending my bike up pretty good. It’s definitely super disappointing on my end but I’m going to regroup and do the best I can do next week to finish the season out strong.”

 
The Eastern Regional 250SX Class delivered a history-making nail-biter. Jo Shimoda, a late add to the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team this year, grabbed the holeshot and held the top spot despite repeated attacks by two separate riders throughout the 15-minute plus one lap race. First it was Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / GASGAS Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman who tucked a wheel under Shimoda several times, and in fact pulled alongside through one rhythm section, but Shimoda would not be denied the front spot and bumped his way right back into the lead in the next bowl turn.

 
With under four minutes on the race clock Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence caught and passed Mosiman and set his sights on Shimoda. The Honda rider pressured the Kawasaki rider right down to the checkered flag, but Shimoda had ice water in his veins and never made more than the smallest mistakes as he weaved through lapped riders on the tight Utah track. Shimoda earned his first Monster Energy Supercross win, making him the fourth winner in the division this year and also making history as the first Japanese racer to step atop the podium. Sweeter still, his family was in Utah, visiting from Japan, and able to witness the race thanks to the efforts made to allow fans in the seats in 2021. The win adds Japan to the list now of nine countries to have won a Monster Energy Supercross race.

 
Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Colt Nichols, the red plate holder, needed to only gain two points on Shimoda going into the Main Event to wrap up the title one round early. Nichols crossed the holeshot stripe outside the top five and although the fastest rider on the track at several points, was slow to climb through the pack. Nichols managed a third-place finish, taking the title to the final race, the always unpredictable Dave Combs Sr. 250SX East/West Showdown.
 
Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Christian Craig, who sat eight points out of first at the start of the day, injured his left ankle in qualifying. He lined up for Heat Race two but after one rhythm section it was evident he would not be able to compete and rode off the track and back to the pits. Craig’s departure meant his teammate Colt Nichols would start the Main Event with a 28-point lead over Shimoda and the realistic chance to claim the title at the race.
 
A surprise announcement just prior to the event was Martin Davalos’ retirement. A crash on Friday during press day hastened the announcement after Davalos incurred a broken collarbone and concussion. The amiable racer moved to the United States at the age of 15 and competed at the highest level of the sport, professional Supercross, for 16-seasons and racked up five 250SX Class Main Event wins.
 

450SX Class Results

1. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
2. Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM
3. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
4. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha
5. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
6. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
7. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Husqvarna
8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
9. Dean Wilson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna
10. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki

 
450SX Class Championship Standings

1. Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM (362)
2. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (340)
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (312)
4. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (273)
5. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (249)
6. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Husqvarna (236)
7. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha (230)
8. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha (218)
9. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (208)
10. Joey Savatgy, Clermont, Fla., KTM (190)

Eastern Regional 250SX Class Results

1. Jo Shimoda, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
2. Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda
3. Colt Nichols, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
4. Michael Mosiman, Menifee, Calif., GASGAS
5. Thomas Do, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
6. Joshua Varize, Perris, Calif., KTM
7. Logan Karnow, Amherst, Ohio, Kawasaki
8. Geran Stapleton, Cape Schanck, VIC, Honda
9. Hunter Schlosser, El Paso, Tex., Yamaha
10. John Short, Pilot Point, Tex., Suzuki

 
Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings

1. Colt Nichols, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (187)
2. Jo Shimoda, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki (164)
3. Christian Craig, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (158)
4. Jett Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (151)
5. Michael Mosiman, Menifee, Calif., GASGAS (116)
6. Joshua Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., Honda (104)
7. Joshua Varize, Perris, Calif., KTM (98)
8. Thomas Do, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (92)
9. Mitchell Oldenburg, Aledo, Tex., Honda (91)
10. Logan Karnow, Amherst, Ohio, Kawasaki (77)

Musquin injured his knee when he cased a jump at KTM’s test track facility in Corona, California while preparing for the upcoming Supercross season. He returned to France this week and successfully underwent surgery to repair his left knee and will now concentrate on intense therapy to properly heal over the next few months.

Musquin: “It’s tough to share this disappointing news. I was really happy to be back on the bike riding after being injured at the end of the Motocross season and starting to train for Supercross. Unfortunately, I had an incident at the KTM test track and ultimately over-jumped a jump that had a very big impact on my legs when I landed, injuring my left knee. I had it evaluated by several doctors and it was determined that my knee required surgery. It’s devastating news to me as I was really looking forward to racing Supercross, but I will take the time needed to recover properly with my main focus being to return when I am strong enough to win races.”

Red Bull KTM Team Manager, Ian Harrison: “We want Marvin to take the time he needs to fully recover. He is a big part of our program and we have a good working relationship so we understand how disappointing this is for him and the whole team. We are here to support him and look forward to him making a return to racing when he is 100% ready.” 

Both Marvin and Ken are both capable of catching leader Tomac – its going to be tough but its not over yet. Or can Cooper Webb steal their thunder?

Who do think will take this years outdoor crown?

The remaining round are:

• Washougal July 27, 2019 Washougal MX Park – Washougal, WA Articles
• Unadilla August 10, 2019 Unadilla MX – New Berlin, NY Articles
• Budds Creek August 17, 2019 Budds Creek Motocross Park – Mechanicsville, MD Articles
• Ironman August 24, 2019 Ironman Raceway – Crawfordsville, IN

Marvin Musquin has spent the last 10 years of his professional career with the KTM brand and is continually a championship contender in the sport’s premier racing circuits. A true “READY TO RACE” athlete and KTM brand ambassador, Musquin’s performance in North America has gained recognition amongst fans as a fierce competitor.

Musquin: “I am pleased with the extension of my contract with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for the next two years. KTM and Red Bull have supported me immensely and I believe the product, team and the overall program will contribute to my future success.”

Team Manager, Ian Harrison: “I have had the privilege of working with Marvin for nine years and he is a first-class guy that always gives his best, both on and off the track. The 2019 SX Championship proved what a tough contender Marvin is and I’m sure we will get to witness more of his talent in the years to come. I am so happy he has made the decision to stay with Red Bull KTM for the ’20 and ‘21 race seasons. On behalf of all of us at KTM, thank you Marvin, for continuing your journey with us.”

Director of Motorsports, KTM GROUP, Roger De Coster: “Marvin came over to the U.S. from the MXGP circuit for the 2011 season, which was the same time Ian Harrison and I joined the team and it is hard to believe that this is our ninth year working with him. During this time, Marvin won a 250SX East title, but more importantly, he has not finished off the podium in either the 450 SX or MX Championships and he is still improving every season. I am truly happy Marvin chose to extend his relationship with Red Bull KTM for two more years.”

The 29-year-old French rider has been with the KTM brand since 2009, where the rising star at the time captured back-to-back MX2 World Championships in ’09 and ‘10. In 2011, Musquin signed with Roger De Coster and the U.S. based Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and by 2015 he captured the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship. Since moving to the premier 450cc division in 2016, Musquin has accumulated eight AMA 450SX victories and seven AMA 450MX victories, while consistently maintaining a top-three position in the overall championships.www.promotocross.com

Check out the main events form the East Rutherford Supercross, where the 450s and 250s continue their battle for the Monster Energy crown.