for a super aggressive pass? That pass was over the line. - Yeah, that's racing. Sometimes things like
that happen, you know? - When I'm on the bike,
I try to focus on myself. The heart rate is high,
the breathing is high.
Sometimes you battle with somebody else and there is tensions,
and the adrenaline of it is something unique. - [Announcer] Monster
Energy Supercross ready to drop the gate on the 450 championship. They battled all year from coast to coast They're set to settle it here in Vegas. (Intense music) - [Narrator] This is Supercross.
The motorcycle racing series that fills stadiums across America. At the final round of the
2018 season in Las Vegas, it all comes down to the main event where one racer will ride
off with a championship bonus worth more than one million dollars. This year the field is
narrowed to two men. Current points leader
Jason Anderson simply needs to finish in the top ten
and the championship is his.
That is, unless one other
racer finishes first. For the controversial French
Supercross star Marvin Musquin, it's all or nothing. But Musquin better watch his back because Eli Tomac aims to spoil
his run at the championship. Even if Tomac wins the race,
he won't have enough points for the championship, or the big money.
But revenge? Some would say that's priceless. The sport of off-road
motorcycle racing, or motocross, debuted in England in the 1920's. By the late '40's, it had invaded the U.S. And in the early '70's the
sport moved into stadiums where it became known as Supercross.
- [Announcer] For all the
champagne, glory, and gold, we are underway! - [Narrator] By the '80's,
it was a national obsession. It inspired movies, video games, and garnered lucrative sponsorship deals for the sport's biggest stars. For today's Supercross athletes, the goal is pretty much the same. Win races, and collect
checks from sponsors.
- [Announcer] Welcome to Sam
Boyd Stadium, here in Las Vegas for our 2018 Championship Weekend. I'd like to begin today by
bringing out our athletes who are gonna fill out our stage. First up, the rider number 25 the Red Bull KTM Marvin Musquin. - [Narrator] One of the
sport's biggest stars is 28-year-old Marvin Musquin from France.
On his last trip to
Vegas, he hit the jackpot. - [Announcer] Marvin
Musquin wins all three! - [Narrator] Eight months earlier, he won the Monster Energy Cup and a check for a million
bucks after winning all three main events. - [Interviewer] What's
your mindset coming into tomorrow night's race? (Clock ticks) - [Announcer] One of the
most controversial finishes this season, half a lap to go, Musquin sees his opening, smashes into the side
of Tomac, takes him out, the crowd not happy,
they were booing Musquin. - [Narrator] Musquin's move
at Foxborough got him the win and pushed him into contention
for the championship.
But it pushed Eli Tomac even further out. - [Interviewer] Eli, just take us through what happened out there. - [Eli] A lap and a half to go, coming around, off the
finish line, down the strait, and I just got blasted from
the inside on that second turn. It was out of nowhere
and it was a cheap shot.
- [Marvin] Yeah, I'm
sorry about what happened with the crash. I mean, it could have been bad for me too. So, you know, for a 450 win
main, sometimes you gotta try your hardest and - But, where do you draw the line? Like, for a super aggressive pass. That pass was over the line.
- Yeah, that's racing, you know? Sometimes, we could talk
about stuff like that a long time, so, things
like that happen, you know? The mindset is the same as last weekend. I wanna do my best and see what happens. I'm born on the motocross track. My dad used to race,
and my brother as well.
Every single weekend I
grew up going to the races and to the practice track and from that I knew I wanted
to be a motocross racer. - [Narrator] Along with
racing, Marvin has always had another constant in his life. His wife Mathilde, who
travels with Marvin on the grueling Supercross tour. - We've been together since we were 15.
Back then I was working for a
French magazine for motocross with kids, and I just
happened to interview Marvin and that's how it all started. We became friends for a while,
and then started dating, and that's it! - [Narrator] Thanks to
her consistent presence on Marvin's social media, she's become a star in her own right. - She motivates me, she
keeps me on track definitely. She takes care of me every
single day, and she's always supportive, good days and bad days.
- [Narrator] Before the championship event the racers get a chance
to inspect the track and get in a few practice laps. - [Aldon Baker] I think
people don't understand what the athlete actually goes
through on a motocross bike. The cardio part of it is pretty intense and the heart rates are around 180, between 170 and 180 beats per minute. So we've got to condition
the athlete for that.
- [Marvin] You want to be as
fast as you can for 20 minutes, so definitely if the
breathing gets too high or you can't relax, then it's not good, so because of the heart rate being so high you have to have really good endurance. - Marvin, Marvin, Marvin! Marvelous Marvin, we love you! (Crowd cheers and yells) - [Marvin] Definitely what
happened in Foxborough is following me right now. The crowd was a little tough on me. A lot of booing, but I had really great
feedback from my fans.
Like I said, I really
try to focus on myself, and that actually gets me more power. (Intense music) - [Announcer] Let's hear
it for Marvin Musquin! (Crowd cheers) - [Announcer] When he was
introduced to the crowd here in Las Vegas tonight,
a chorus of boos rained down on top of the French rider. - [Narrator] Before the main event, the riders in the 450 class
compete in preliminary heats to determine their position
at the starting line. Eli Tomec will go first.
- [Announcer] Heat one. Let's drop the gate! Tomec falls way back! - [Narrator] Tomec
stumbled out of the gate trailing big behind the Australian former champion, Chad Reed. (Techno music) - [Announcer] Here comes Tomec,
closing in on the outside but can't get past him just yet. - [Narrator] But Tomec
soon gained ground on Reed.
- [Announcer] And just like that Eli Tomec gets past Reed! - [Narrator] Tomec came
from behind to win his heat. But would he have
anything left in the tank for the big race? Then it was Musquin's turn. - [Announcer] Here we go. 450 Heat number 2.
- [Narrator] Even with overall
points leader, Jason Anderson on his tail, Marvin
Musquin never looked back and won the race with ease. - [Announcer] Alright! We've got one more championship to go. - [Narrator] The main event
is comprised of 20 minutes plus one lap. First to cross the finish line wins.
All Anderson needs to do
is finish in the top ten. But if Musquin wins, he takes the trophy. - [Announcer] Jason Anderson,
Marvin Musquin, and Eli Tomac looking to be a spoiler on that number 3! (Tense music) Tomac takes it! Musquin is right behind him! Anderson back in eighth! - [Narrator] With Anderson
holding steady in the top ten, it would be a game of cat and mouse between Tomac and Musquin. - [Announcer] Musquin coming after Tomac! He's gotta win here tonight.
Musquin getting even closer to Eli Tomac! - [Narrator] Musquin
stayed on top of Tomac. - [Announcer] He's getting closer! - [Narrator] Til he ran into some trouble. - [Announcer] Now look at this. As they went through some lapped riders Musquin gets held up a little bit.
Can Musquin make this time back up? Does he have it in him to
try to win this final main? Eli Tomac opening up right here. Marvin Musquin trying to keep that gap. - [Narrator] But the gap never closed. Thanks to the speed of Tomac there was just too much separation.
- [Announcer] Eli Tomac
takes the win in Las Vegas, the final one of 2018 as he makes his way
around on the final lap, the 2018 Monster Energy
AMA Supercross and FIM. World champion is Jason Anderson! - [Mathilde] When there is a bad moment or a race that doesn't go well, I know right away what's
going into his mind. I hate for him to have that
feeling, you know, I hate it. So I just want to console him
as much as I can and tell him it's going to be okay.
There is more races, and
it's okay to have a bad one. - [Marvin] I knew it was going
to be a tough main event. My goal was just to keep
charging, and to keep pushing. Racing, it's crazy, anything can happen.
The last few rounds we were
able to fight for the win, so that's really important, and I'm looking forward to the future. (Audience claps) - [Announcer] Jason, would you
mind holding that trophy up one more time for all
the people in the crowd on the big screen? Here we go! Up in the air! Let's hear it for your champion! (Somber music) (intense music).
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