Monster Energy Yamaha Racing
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross season opener went underway on Saturday night and Monster Energy Yamaha Racing’s Christian Craig kickstarted the season with a magnificent victory. Craig dominated the track at Houston, Texas and claimed his second career win. Teammate Colt Nichols came out on top in the battle for third, granting the team a double podium.
The victory was an emotional one for Craig as this marked the end to a five-year win drought for the Californian. On top of that, the spectacular triumph made his debut season with the team a debut to remember. Craig was the fastest qualified and won his Heat. He remained consistent and cross the line five seconds ahead of the competition.
Nichols, on the other hand, started the day qualifying third and had to struggle his way back from a bad start in his Heat to finish fourth. In the main event, Nichols faired better and finished just outside the top five. He then moved into fourth before the halfway mark and ended his run with a podium finish at third place.
The action-packed race resumes at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, January 19, for Round 2 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250 SX East Championship.
“It can’t go much better than that. Christian was the fastest qualifier, won his Heat and the Main, and then Colt finished third for a double podium. I think we definitely can keep the ball rolling and that the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-race schedule will be nice for our momentum. It’s just exciting. You never really know where you’re at during the off-season. You have an idea, but it’s nice to get to the first race and know what you’re doing and see that the hard work pays off.”
“Tonight, was a dream come true. It’s something I’ve literally been daydreaming about during my drive to the track or on my way to the gym. This just shows that it pays off, I knew it would. I believed in the program that we have, in the bike that we have, and that if I put in the work and I believed in everything that this would come true. I always believed in myself but not to the extent that I do now. I’m just thankful for everything, all the ups and downs that I’ve been through. It does feel good to come out here and win and repay the team for just believing in me. It’s only round one. We’ve got a lot more rounds to go. Let’s keep this ball rolling.”
“I can’t really complain about a third place, I just have to get out of the gate a little better. I had really good speed but just struggled to pass some guys. The track was kind of one-lined and you were running into each other. So that made it difficult. It was literally a constant battle. At one point me and (Austin) Forkner were going at it really hard. Then he was able to get by RJ (Hampshire) pretty early and got a gap. I was kind of stuck battling RJ there for a little bit. Then Jett (Lawrence) caught up to me; it was just a freight train there for a minute. It made it pretty fun, honestly, but I would have loved to have just been out in front of that and get away from it.
“Overall, I’m happy being on the podium. Christian rode really well. He deserved it. He was the fastest guy all day. I’m hungry for a win. We’ll try again Tuesday to get off the gate a little better and hopefully win that one.