Nitrocross Las Vegas McConnell Wins On Friday

March 2, 2024Joe Moore
NitroCross

The first day of Nitrocross Las Vegas has come to an end. Fraser McConnell took home his third win of the season. 

Heats

Group One

Timmy Hansen took home the win in the first heat group. As Hansen posted a time 5.750 seconds faster than Andreas Bakkerud. Oliver Bennett finished third fastest, 6.344 seconds slower than Bakkerud.

Group Two

Fraser McConnell won the second heat group. Setting a time 5.3 seconds faster than Travis Pastrana to take home the heat win. Patrick O’Donovan failed to finish the race. 

Group Three

Oliver Eriksson topped the third heat group. As Eriksson finished 1.027 seconds faster than Guillaume De Ridder to top the heat. Kevin Eriksson rounded out the top three, posting a time 1.493 seconds slower than De Ridder. 

Group Four

Championship leader Robin Larsson topped the fourth and final heat group. Having posted a time 1.847 seconds faster than Conner Martell. Viktor Vranckx finished third fastest, 0.350 seconds slower than Martell. 

Qualifying 

Group One

Kevin Eriksson topped the first qualifying group. As Eriksson set a time 2.177 seconds faster than Guillaume De Ridder. Oliver Bennett finished third fastest, 6.136 seconds slower than De Ridder. Andreas Bakkerud rounded out the top four, posting a time 3.677 seconds slower than Bennett. 

Group Two

Conner Martell posted the fastest time in the second qualifying group. As Martell posted a time 2.184 seconds faster than Travis Pastrana. Viktor Vranckx finished third fastest, 3.466 seconds slower than Pastrana. Patrick O’Donovan rounded out the top four, 0.387 seconds slower than Vranckx. 

Top Qualifier 

Oliver Eriksson claimed the top qualifier honors. As Eriksson set a time 1.510 seconds faster than Robin Larsson. Timmy Hansen finished third fastest, 0.485 seconds slower than Larsson. Fraser McConnell rounded out the top four, posting a time 1.996 seconds slower than Hansen. 

Semifinals

Group One

Fraser McConnell topped the first semifinal group to advance to the top row of the finals. McConnell set a time 0.433 seconds faster than Robin Larsson. Kevin Eriksson finished third fastest, 1.547 seconds slower than Larsson. Travis Pastrana set the fourth fastest time, 1.293 seconds slower than Eriksson. Patrick O’Donovan rounded out the top five, 4.037 seconds slower than Pastrana. 

Group Two

Oliver Eriksson took the win in the second semifinal group. As Eriksson set a time 0.020 seconds faster than Timmy Hansen. Guillaume De Ridder finished third fastest, 2.427 seconds slower than Hansen. Viktor Vranckx posted the fourth fastest time, 0.993 seconds slower than De Ridder. Conner Martell rounded out the top five, finishing 0.254 seconds slower than Vranckx. 

Last Chance Qualifier 

Group One 

Kevin Eriksson topped the first LCQ group to punch his ticket to the finals. Eriksson posted a time 1.233 seconds faster than Andreas Bakkerud. Patrick O’Donovan finished third, 3.294 seconds slower than Bakkerud. However, O’Donovan was awarded a one-position penalty. Moving Viktor Vranckx to third. Vranckx failed to finish the race. 

Group Two

Guillaume De Ridder took the win in the second LCQ group to advance to the finals in his Nitrocross debut. De Ridder set a time 1.630 seconds faster than Travis Pastrana. Conner Martell rounded out the top three, finishing 0.777 seconds slower than Pastrana. 

Finals

Fraser McConnell topped the finals to take home the win in the first round of Nitrocross Las Vegas. McConnell posted a time 3.760 seconds faster than Robin Larsson. Timmy Hansen finished third, 0.170 seconds slower than Larsson. Guillaume De Ridder set the fourth fastest time, 2.106 seconds slower than Hansen. Travis Pastrana rounded out the top five, finishing 4.740 seconds slower than De Ridder. 

Championship Rundown After Nitrocross Las Vegas Friday

Robin Larsson retained the championship lead. Larsson now holds a 48-point lead over Fraser McConnell. Kevin Eriksson drops back to third in the championship, now sitting 4 points behind McConnell. Andreas Bakkerud sits fourth in the championship heading into the final round, 85 points behind Eriksson. Oliver Eriksson rounds out the championship top five after the penultimate round. Eriksson sits just 9 points behind Bakkerud. 

Down To The Wire In Vegas

The Ken Block Championship will once again be rewarded at the season’s final round. Robin Larsson just has to hold off Fraser McConnell tomorrow to claim back-to-back championship wins. Fraser McConnell will make one final push for the championship. Kevin Eriksson will look to do the same. Outside of those three nobody has a real chance of claiming the championship. McConnell and Eriksson even have a slim chance of winning the championship at this point. However, anything is possible in Nitrocross. Especially when this is the most stacked entry list in Nitrocross history.