Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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ROUND 1 / JANUARY 6, 2024 ANGEL STADIUM OF ANAHEIM / ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA SUPERCROSS I MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES / SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P70 pressively running away with the first heat race. Unfortunately for him, he got caught up in a first- lap, multi-rider crash that also collected Malcolm Stewart and Justin Cooper and was dead last after the first lap. He rode well, though, storming through the field to pass more than half the pack before taking the checkers. The biggest surprise of round one was Honda HRC's Hunter Lawrence, who was on some people's shortlist for a podium or even win the opener, not even qualifying for the main event. Lawrence went down hard, along with Sexton, in the first turn of his heat race. Al - though he got up and finished the race, he was relegated to the last-chance qualifier. A bad jump off the gate and a near-fall in the first turn rel- egated the Aussie to the back of the pack. He made progress through the field, but slowly. On the last lap, he needed to pass one more rider, Cade Clason, to qualify. But after contacting Clason in the final turn, Law - rence came up three 10ths of a feeling alright. I'm just a little beat up, but nothing crazy, and I still salvaged some decent points. Overall, I'm happy with my riding. I felt like I was one of the best guys tonight." Barcia, who has a history of riding well at A1, had a disap - pointing night. Although it started well with a top-five start in the main event, he slipped back to seventh at the finish, but it was his first race since breaking his collarbone and a couple of ribs at the SMX final in September. Former Supercross Champion Eli Tomac finished ninth in what was his first race back since the Denver Supercross back in May when he injured his Achilles tendon. Despite the long layoff, Monster Energy Star Racing Ya- maha rider was expecting more. "It was great to be back on the gate," he said, "but I underper- formed, to say the least." Rounding out the top 10 was Ken Roczen on the Progressive Insurance/Ecstar Suzuki. He went into the final as one of the favorites to win it all after im- waist helps secure the suit, and to answer a common question, a flap in the crotch area allows him to use the restroom before the race. This concept is commonplace in cycling where aerodynamics and rider com- fort are everything. Craig calls the Speed Suit "next-level comfortable." Fox mentioned that at this time they do not plan on producing this suit for consumers. BETA MAKES SUPERCROSS DEBUT 2024 is the year that several manu- facturers plan to make their debuts in the elite motocross ranks, includ- ing Triumph and Ducati. But only one brand had a brand-new factory appearance in the pits at Angel Sta- dium: Beta Motorcycles. The Italian firm planned to make their foray into the AMA Pro Motocross ranks at Anaheim 1 with rider Colt Nichols, but an unfortunate last-minute injury left their star rider sidelined for the opening round. Benny Bloss and fill-in rider John Short represented the Liqui Moly Beta team with Bloss qualifying 20th to make the night show, but did not qualify for the main event. See Wind for more. SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE Forty-year-old Billy Laninovich came out of retirement to compete in the 250SX West class at A1. The long-time Honda rider from Ramona, California, retired in 2012 after turning pro in 2002. He won the 125cc class in San Francisco in 2005 to go along with his 28 top-10 finishes. He qualified for the eve- ning program at A1 on a Team Faith Yamaha YZ250F but missed the show after getting a bad start in the LCQ, where he finished ninth. Briefly... 2024 Anaheim 1 Supercross Highlights