The Gateway to the West, St. Louis, Missouri, played host to the final round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Regional series and round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. In what was easily the most anticipated round of the season thus far, the racers once again did not disappoint, providing the nearly 49,000 midwest Supercross fans some of the most exciting racing of the season

It was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Branden Jesseman who decided that second place wasn’t good enough anymore, as he absolutely dominated the sprint to the first turn in what set the perfect stage for a championship showdown. All four riders who were expected to play a role in the Eastern Lites title were in the top four positions, with Jesseman followed by Canard, then Grant and finally Villopoto. The excitement and anticipation was intense both in the stands and on the track, as these four set a torrid pace out front that quickly outdistanced everyone else on the track—both in pace and in the interest of the crowd. In fact, at this point maybe it would have been better to pull the other 16 guys off the track so these four could go at it? Regardless, the battle raged throughout the pack, while up front it was Canard and Jesseman who first took to their duel, and Canard threw the first blow getting around him as the two actually gapped Villopoto a bit and even more so on Grant who seemed to already be a non-factor. Then on lap four, Jesseman made a bobble just before one of the tricky rhythm sections. At that point, Jesseman immediately fell off the pace just enough to allow Villopoto to get by and set off on a chase for what would decide the championship.