Lots to unpack from the Anaheim 2 Supercross. Eli Tomac scored the win, inching away from Jason Anderson and Chase Sexton, which is a reverse from last weekend’s San Diego race, where Sexton pulled away and Anderson passed Tomac. At least through the first four races, these three riders have proven themselves the cream of the 2022 crop in Monster Energy AMA Supercross.
So that’s one topic: what was different for Sexton and Anderson compared to San Diego? They talked about that in the post-race press conference. Also, Anderson had to address his brutal knockdown of Ken Roczen early in the main event. Here’s what they had to say:
Jason Anderson
The track seemed to get a little more treacherous, especially in the main event. What adjustments did you have to make mid main event when the track started to go away a little bit there?
Jason Anderson: To be honest, all day I kind of felt like I wasn’t on it. But to be honest, in the main for a few laps there I was riding really good. The whoops section, I feel like it wasn’t necessarily a full-blown whoops section. It was kind of like a little rhythm, because we’d blitz and then hop out at the end. I would try and catch onto lines and stuff like that, but the track had a couple edges that could catch you off-guard. In the rhythms there were some smooth lines and some ruts, and if you landed in them sometimes your bike could go either way. In the heat race that happened to me. I jumped off the track and I went from third to seventh in the heat race. So, the track was just a little sneaky, I guess you could say.
Can you take us through that pass on Kenny?
I went on the inside of him in the sand and I just kind of went for it. It ended up not so well. I don’t want to be that guy, but I’m that guy tonight. I’ve got to maybe not look at the Instagram too much because we’re going to be getting some heat.
On the podium you said that you’ve been reading things wrong all day. We saw the issues in the heat race where it looked like a few mistakes in some corners. Was that something to do with just you mentally or bike, or all of the above?
It’s just a normal thing. I’m just human. I was a little off today. Like, last weekend in San Diego, I was just firing. Obviously, the result didn’t come or whatever, but it is what it is. Then this weekend, honestly, it was me even qualifying, heat race, I was trying my hardest and it just wasn’t coming around. It had nothing to do with the bike or anything. Brain was fried! [Laughs]
Did you guys expect it to be this tight, or did you guys expect anything different? Just tell me about these first four rounds.
I would say as far as the first rounds go and everything, the class is very deep. I feel like throughout my career you realize some guys kind of rise to the top as we get three, five, and even once you get to Daytona you see it separate more. It’s tough. I feel like it could be anyone’s year sometimes and right now it’s deep. So, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s this close.
Jason, after Eli passed you when you made a small mistake, it seemed that you were right behind Eli but then he got a little gap to you guys. What were you thinking at the time? Were you thinking play it safe and take the second place, or did you try to charge?
Anderson: When he was behind me, honestly, I thought his bike was louder so I thought he was catching me and doing that triple-triple on before the whoops. Did you do it?
Eli Tomac: No.
Anderson: [Laughs] No, so I just went for it. So, I thought that’s what I needed to do. First time I hit it, I over-jumped it and he got by. After, I was following him and the pace wasn’t too tough for me, but I just was off and anytime I would try and push it and stuff like that, I would have a mistake that I feel like could honestly have cost me. So, I just pushed it enough to be in second. It’s frustrating that I did feel off today because I feel like I still have the speed to go out there and put in a good battle. It would be cool for us to take it to the last lap and be able to hopefully put on a show, but tonight I was not able to be that strong.
That three-three. You kind of explained it because you thought Eli was doing it. Then why did you stick with it after he passed you, and maybe you could see ahead and why he wasn’t doing it after that?
To be honest, whenever I was out there, I just felt off. Not very on it. The three-three was honestly kind of a breather because I could just seat it and I didn’t have to jump one more time. So, I would just hit it. A little bit more time to chill in the air and recover, I guess.
Triple Crown next week, hometown race for you in Arizona. Expectations going into that one?
To be honest, I don’t really like the Triple Crowns. I think they’re really dangerous because there’s so many of us doing three starts. But, for some reason I do pretty good in them. I like Phoenix. I think the track is long. Long rhythm lanes. Dry dirt. It’s kind of a hometown one for me. It’s the supercross I would always go to when I was little. It will be fun. It will cool to be home and have all the local fans. I’ll be ready for it.
Chase Sexton
Chase, at Anaheim 1 you guys did pretty well with the bike but you guys have been searching for some things since then. You rode press day today but the track was completely different than what the dry hard pack yesterday was. How much has the bike changed, and how much have you felt it come around in these very different Anaheim riding conditions?
Chase Sexton: We’ve changed quite a bit. Triple clamps, frame patches, shocks, forks. We’ve kind of been searching. I felt really good last weekend in the whoops, and then this weekend, like Jason said, I feel like they were really unpredictable. They had a lot of edges. It was kind of playing with my front end a little bit. I felt a little bit sketchy in those, but I feel like we managed it well. I didn’t have any huge moments in them, so that was good. Just didn’t want to make any mistakes. It’s an ongoing process with the bike. Obviously I don't want to be super picky because no bike is perfect. Just got to get better. Eli and Jason were riding really good. I put a good effort in. I stalled it, but I only lost probably a second or so. Those guys were riding really well. I’ve just got to get better for next weekend.
I want to ask you about your incident over the wall midway through. That looked like it was a pretty scary moment for you. You managed to pull it off. Just run us through the thought process when that front end was diving off that wall.
I’ve gotten asked that question probably 25 times since the main event. I leaned into the rut and the wall had a little bit of a knuckle on it on the outside and I just caught it. I honestly just scrubbed it really hard on accident. Luckily, I didn’t catch a foot peg or anything, but at one point, I kind of felt like I had it saved the whole time but it got a little hairy there, for sure. I think my feet came off. I ended up actually getting the rest of the rhythm section after that, which I was very surprised. It was definitely a scary moment. It took me a lap or so to get back moving after that.
For you, Chase, you didn’t really have a chance last year, so did you expect yourself to be in that mix this early on?
Yeah. That’s what I expect out of myself. I feel like last year I learned a lot, and that’s why I kind of just tried to learn towards this year and try to not make those mistakes that I had last year. So, I just want to be up here every weekend and racing with these guys. They know what to do. Just trying to learn from them.
The track this morning especially appeared to be really, really tacky and good, but then it got pretty slick. Was there any difficulty during the main – because it looked tacky even during the main – to mentally know, I’ve got to be a little careful, throttle control, and not just totally go for it?
Yeah, definitely. I think all day, it was a little bit dry obviously, but I feel like it had a little bit more traction. The main event felt a little bit more marbly. We had to steer with the rear a little bit more. But the track was so good. I had fun all day. I think it was a pretty technical track, especially with a good set of whoops and a long rhythm section that was pretty tough. I think the tracks have been really good. It was nice to have a long lap time and not so many laps in the main event. Again, it was gnarly. It definitely got drier and more marbly as the night went on.
Watch the full post-race 450SX press conference below: