The 2022 Indianapolis Supercross proved to be an eventful weekend for the Smartop | Bullfrog Spas | MotoConcepts | Honda team. Vince Friese and Mitchell Oldenburg continued their solid results at round eleven of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship. Friese finished ninth in the 450 Main Event and Mitchell Oldenburg fifth in the 250 Main Event, while a hard crash in practice put Justin Brayton on the sidelines.
The time in the Hoosier State started with a visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, a trip that included a tour of the museum’s collection of winning cars, laps around the iconic track, and moments on the brick finish line. Brayton and Friese were given glass milk bottles autographed by drivers of the Indianapolis 500 to remember the day.
Mitchell Oldenburg’s fifth-place finish is his third top-five result in the 250 East Region. A 45.181 lap in the afternoon practice sessions proved that the rider was on-pace with the fastest in the field and put him sixth overall in the Timed Qualifying results. Passes in the opening laps of 250 Heat Race One got him up to third, and although the progress was erased by a minor stumble in the whoops, he quickly remounted and finished the short sprint in fifth place. A much-needed start put Oldenburg in the top-five early in the 250 Main Event, a position he maintained thanks to consistent riding in the 21-lap feature race. “This was a gnarly track. I was talking to the team about it, and things could have gone bad really, really fast tonight,” Oldenburg said of the race. “I’m stoked that I got a fifth place on the night and had good starts because it had been a while for that. I was four seconds behind third place at the finish, so it’s not like I’m far off, and there were some good battles and passes. I had one little mistake in the Heat Race, which was a bummer, but I’m happy with it.” Oldenburg is now ranked seventh overall in the 250 East Region championship standings.
Vince Friese added another good number to the results column with a ninth-place finish in the 450 Main Event, his second consecutive top-ten result in the 450 Class. The day was solid all-around, as the rider improved through each practice, clicked off a 45.699 in session two, and was ranked tenth overall in the Timed Qualifying results, a personal best in 2022. Friese was an early front runner in 450 Heat Race One, and with a fifth-place finish in the short sprint, he advanced directly into the 450 Main Event. Friese carried the speed into the night’s last race, and thanks to another good start, he got in with the top-ten at the beginning and maintained a respectable position to the end of the 27-lap feature. “I have to be happy about getting a top-10, but my riding wasn’t great,” Friese expressed at the end of the weekend. “The track was insane, and I tip-toed through it a little bit. I’m looking forward to getting back on the 250 next week in Seattle because that’s my main goal for the year, but I got through it with a good result.” Friese is now ranked sixteenth overall in the 450 Class championship standings.
Justin Brayton suffered a hard crash in the whoops during the first Timed Qualifying and was tended to by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit staff. Although the rider did not suffer serious injuries, he decided to sit out for the remainder of the weekend. Brayton maintained eleventh overall in the 450 Class championship standings despite the DNF.
Vince Friese and Mitchell Oldenburg will trade roles at round twelve, as Friese will pilot the CRF250R as part of the 250 West Region while Oldenburg will be aboard a CRF450R in the 450 Class. Three top-five finishes and one podium result have put Friese fourth overall in the 250 West Region championship standings, while Oldenburg’s five Main Event appearances put him twenty-third overall in the 450 Class championship standings.
The Monster Energy Supercross Championship continues with the 2022 Seattle Supercross at LumenField on Saturday, March 26.