The competition was fierce and the track technical this weekend, making for a demanding first Monster Energy Supercross Triple Crown of the 2019 season. Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis and Colt Nichols once again left the Angel Stadium of Anaheim with trophies, taking second and third overall respectively in the 250 class.
Nichols fired the first shot with a win in main event 1, followed by Ferrandis for a 1-2 finish on the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team’s 2019 Yamaha YZ250Fs. In the second main event, it was Ferrandis’ turn. At first it looked like another Nichols win. He got a great start to take the lead but the Oklahoma native made a few errors, one of which saw him on the ground. Ferrandis capitalized on teammate’s mistake to take his first win in a 250SX main event.
With the pair splitting wins, it all came down to the third and final race. With victory fresh on his mind, Ferrandis pushed hard for position to try and score the overall. The Frenchman found a fast line in the rhythm lane and was able to pass Nichols, but unfortunately a third-place result was short of what he needed to take the top step of the podium at Anaheim 2.
Nichols was unfortunately unable to continue the form that saw him take the first win of the evening, ending the night with a 3-4 finish. Still, championships are won by accumulating podiums and tonight was an important one for the 250SX West Championship points leader. Nichols heads to round four with a two-point lead in the standings, with teammate Ferrandis trailing by seven points in third.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team heads to Oakland, California, next Saturday, January 26, for round 4 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Wil Hahn
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team Manager
“Tonight’s Triple Crown was a challenging one for set up with minimal time between races. We started off amazingly with a 1-2 finish, but unfortunately came up slightly short of the overall. Lots of positives to take away from the night. Our bike was unreal off of the gate and we will watch the races this week and figure out our weakness and get ready for Oakland.”
Dylan Ferrandis
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“The short amount of time between each main event made it physically demanding, but I felt good and strong all night. All the rain from the week, made for a really technical rhythm section, but the bike was awesome. My teammate and I were able to put the bike up front at every start. I’m a bit disappointed to finished second again, but me and my team are going to analyze our race and work on what we need for the win.”
Colt Nichols
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“The track was very difficult. It got really rutty and soft during the third main event, so made it very hard to continue to jump the rhythm sections and keep everything consistent. The bike was incredible, got off to three really great starts. I’m a little bummed with the way I rode in the last main event after getting the holeshot, but overall it was a good night. Still came out with a podium, can’t be mad at that.
“It was also pretty tough to bounce back in between each race, with there being a short time in between each one of the main events. Made it physically demanding, but happy with the way I rode. Just have to get a little bit better.”