Jess Pettis keeps getting better with age.
The 21-year-old motocross rider from Prince George posted a new career best Saturday when he finished fifth in the 250SX main event at the AMA Monster Energy Supercross at Petco Park in San Diego.
After qualifying ninth, Pettis finished fourth in his heat race. Then, in the 22-rider feature race, Pettis started second, just missing the hole shot taken by Adam Cianciarulo of New Smyma Beach, Fla., who went on to win his third main event of the season.
Garrett Marchbanks of Coalville, Utah, and James Decosta of Peabody, Mass., finished second and third respectively.
Fellow KTM rider Shane Mcelrath of Canton, N.C., edged Pettis for fourth place.
His outstanding effort Saturday gave Pettis 18 points and moved him into 10th place in the season standings. Pettis, the only Canadian racing the AMA Supercross circuit, now has 66 points, five races into a 17-event calendar. Cianciarulo leads with 114 points.
In the 450SX class, Eli Tomac of Cortex, Colo., won his first race of the season Saturday. Marvin Musquin of Corona, Calif., was second and Ken Roczen of Clermont, Fla., placed third. Tomac, with 106 points, holds a four-point lead atop the standings over Musquin and Roczen, who each have 102.
The series resumes Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn., with races on each of the following weekends in Arlington, Texas; Detroit; Atlanta; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Indianapolis; Seattle; Houston; Nashville; Denver; East Rutherford, N.J.; and Las Vegas.
