ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING’S CHRISTIAN CRAIG MAKES THE BEST OF A TOUGH NIGHT.
TALON HAWKINS IS CALLED UP TO MAKE HIS PRO SUPERCROSS DEBUT IN THE 250 EAST.
It has been a rough couple of weeks for The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, with a season-ending knee injury to Malcolm Stewart; and another injury that put Jalek Swoll on the sidelines before the start of the AMA Supercross 250 East series. While Christian Craig soldiers on as the lone 450 rider, Talon Hawkins got the call earlier in the week to make his professional debut in Swoll’s place aboard an FC 250 at Houston.
250SX East
While Talon Hawkins had raced the Supercross Futures the week in Anaheim the week before, he found the action in Houston a bit frenzied. He didn’t get the start he was looking for in the main event, but kept pushing, moving up to 11th at the finish.
“There’s not much downtime, so it’s very different from anything I’ve ever done before,” Talon said. “At all the amateur races you have so much time in between each race. So it was definitely a change of pace to be out there. It’s crazy, the intensity is just so high, right off the gate. So now I know what to work on, I’m ready to get back out there next weekend.”
450SX
Christian Craig continued his forward progress during qualifying, clocking in with the seventh-fastest time aboard his FC 450 Rockstar Edition. Unfortunately, a crash early in the main event dropped him to the back of the pack, but after remounting he put his head down and worked his way back to 11th position.
„I was spunky in practice and I felt super-confident in my bike from the changes we made during the week,” said Craig. “In my heat race I just rode super-cautious early and kind of rode around. In the main event I crashed in the second turn and it got red-flagged so we had a staggered restart. I did what I could from last place and just put my head down. It wasn’t a good result but we’re healthy and just need to figure this out.“
Next Event (Round 6): February 11, 2023 – Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
Round 5 Results: Houston
250SX East – Main Event
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda)
2. Max Anstie (Honda)
3. Jordon Smith (Yamaha)
…
11. Talon Hawkins – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
16. Hardy Munoz (Husqvarna)
450SX – Main Event
1. Eli Tomac (Yamaha)
2. Chase Sexton (Honda)
3. Jason Anderson (Kawasaki)
…
11. Christian Craig– Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
250SX East Rider Point Standings
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) – 26 points
2. Max Anstie (Honda) – 23 points
3. Jordon Smith (Yamaha) – 21 points
…
11. Talon Hawkins – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 12 points
16. Hardy Munoz (Husqvarna) – 7 points
450SX Rider Point Standings
1. Eli Tomac – 95 points
2. Chase Sexton – 88 points
3. Cooper Webb – 83 points
…
12. Christian Craig – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 46 points
18. Malcolm Stewart – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 15 points
Text/Bild: Husqvarna