Jason Anderson made a flawless return to action Saturday night, claiming his fourth Monster Energy Supercross win of 2014 as the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship resumed in Houston, Texas.
The Rockstar Energy KTM rider jumped out to an early lead, picked his way through lapped riders and held off a hard-charging Dean Wilson to pick up the victory in front of 49,759 fans inside NRG Stadium.
“It feels great to come back strong after such a long break. I’m super stoked to get the win,” said Anderson. “We did a lot of work over the break and it paid off. We killed it off the start and were able to run our own race. That’s going to be the key to winning this championship over the last few rounds, put myself up front and move into a position so we can do what we need to do.”
Wilson overcame a dislocated shoulder suffered in a heat-race crash to finish second and claim his third podium in four races.
“I’m actually in a lot of pain,” said Wilson. “That race was really difficult for me. My crash through the whoops (in the heat race), it’s like I almost had it saved, but it just slammed me into the ground. When I got going again something felt funny in my shoulder so I went to Asterisk (Medical Center).
“It was pretty painful. Just a little bit of a shoulder separation, but I’ll be OK. It was pretty disappointing because I really wanted that win.”
Malcolm Stewart was third ahead of title contender Cole Seely and Zach Osborne.
Seely now trails Anderson by nine points as the series heads to Seattle, Wash. for round eight of the Western Regional 250SX Class Championship. Wilson’s second-place result moved him into third in the championship fight, albeit 36 points behind Anderson.
Western Regional 250SX Class Results: Houston
1. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM
2. Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki
3. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda
4. Cole Seely, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda
5. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
6. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha
7. Shane McElrath, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
8. Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda
9. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki
10. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda
Western Regional 250SX Class Season Standings
1. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., KTM, 156
2. Cole Seely, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 145
3. Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki, 120
4. Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Kawasaki, 119
5. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Honda, 109
6. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha, 107
7. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 87
8. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 85
9. Shane McElrath, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda, 85
10. Dean Ferris, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 63
