Are the championship contenders coming to the fore? Championship leader Eli Tomac took his first win on the Star Racing Yamaha to increase his championship lead with Anderson and Sexton also on the podium.
Ken Roczen took the holeshot but Jason Anderson was on the move and he quickly got to second with Tomac third. Anderson wasn’t wasting time and went for the move on Roczen in the sand with both riders coming together and Roczen going down again with Anderson just about staying up and taking the lead! Roczen finished thirteenth in a huge blow to his title hopes.
That left Anderson, Tomac and Sexton 1-2-3 but then Anderson made a mistake, ran high in the corner, and gifted Tomac the lead.
From there Tomac inched away from Anderson to get it over three seconds, Anderson found his groove again at the end of the main but couldn’t get back on terms with Tomac who is the guy now trying to take control of this championship.
Dylan Ferrandis worked his way into fourth but Cooper Webb was off the pace and only took eighth after a tip-over trying to hold off Justin Barcia for seventh. Webb has work to do.
Tomac said: “It’s a testament to what’s going on (with the team). I had so much fun tonight, was really technical, this feels so good.”
In the 250 class it was Christian Craig again with the win but this time he has to work for it by working his way past Shimoda, Friese and leader Mosiman.
Hunter Lawrence took third but only after Vince Friese had a big crash in the whoops with just over a lap to go.
Race report: Jonathan McCready