The fifth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Coast Championship will live long in the memory for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Gannon Audette as the twenty-two year old not only holeshotted the Main Event inside the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis last weekend but also claimed his first ever podium finish with third overall.More than 60,000 spectators flocked to the stadium in arguably one of the USA’s principal homes of motorsport and while they were entertained with a close duel between 450SX champion-elect Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen – the former taking his seventh success of the campaign as the championship now heads into the fourteenth fixture of seventeen in St Louis next week – there was also crashes and drama in the 250 division. Aaron Plessinger became the fifth different winner in five events and Audette was able to keep consistent and then prosper as former title candidates Jeremy Martin and Martin Davalos both hit the floor ahead of him.
“I was on the outside of the gate, more than I wanted to be, and I just pinned it into the first corner,” said Audette, elated in an immediate first appearance with the fabled Pro Circuit crew and as a substitute for the injured (dislocated shoulder) Arnaud Tonus. “I came out with the holeshot and just tried to put my laps together and took the podium that just feels awesome.”
Malcolm Stewart controls the unpredictable East Coast region with another two meetings to go and then the tense East-West showdown at Las Vegas for the season-closer. Back into the 450SX premier category and Yamaha’s Chad Reed took another top ten finish with sixth place and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac classified ninth after having fallen out of third position and allowing Jason Anderson to occupy the last step of the box.
Indianapolis will be remembered in the 2016 championship story as providing one of the best duels of the season but was another showcase for Dungey’s exceptional focus and determination this term. The defending champ together with Roczen (less than two seconds apart at the flag) gapped the rest of the field by almost half a minute across one of the ruttiest and technically challenging layouts in ’16 thus far. Dungey is now just one trophy away from thirty consecutive podiums and hold a 45 point advantage (almost two events) with St Louis, Foxborough, Newark/New York and Vegas left on the slate.