More dynamics at play at the Tampa Supercross, with great racing down to the final laps in both classes. As usual, we sent some questions to long time pro Jason Thomas, who was there, to get his take.
Chase Sexton looked devastated after the loss, but a few minutes later he collected himself and said the right things on the podium and in the press. Is this a matter of him just needing a few minutes to collect himself, or is he hiding his real emotions?
I think he’s battling emotion but he also understands that these challenges will make him stronger in the future. He’s going up against battle tested, multi-time champs in Webb and Tomac. They have been through these scenarios before and already know the pitfalls that Sexton is working through. The key here is to maintain composure, continue to put yourself at the front, and eventually things will begin to sort themselves out. No one ever said it would be easy.
Hey, every rider hated that sand turn. But, it actually did produce two lines. Sexton and Webb used both late into the 450 main. The 250 class had two riders diving into two different lines on the final lap. So, is it a fail or a pass?
That all depends on your perspective. As a fan and someone purely there for entertainment, I’m all for it! It added some drama and texture to the racing. As for the riders, I think they all echoed Aaron Plessinger’s method of communication. There’s simply not a lot of upside for the riders. Their risk of crashing goes way up, they have to deal with sand in their goggles, and if the leaders are forced to follow a group of lappers, they can lose multiple seconds in one corner.
Is there any possible way for Thrasher or Weltin to defend that last turn better?After watching that same dynamic play out several times, I think the only way to successfully execute it was to stick to the very right side coming down the start straight while also minding where the following rider was angling. Then, brake as to go to the very inside line. If the following rider whips out of the line and decides to try to rail the berm, you have two choices. Either trail him to the outside and block, or hope you can roll-tabletop-over-single fast enough to beat him to the line. You could also drift into his line while doing this, disallowing him to get a line past you.
The one thing you simply couldn’t do was swing wide on entry. The distance between the inside Tuff Blocks and the berm was very wide, giving a ton of room to cut across for a block pass. If you missed the line, all the following rider had to do was hook a sharp right once clear of the inside and meet the lead rider at the exit. That’s exactly what Hunter did to Nate Thrasher in the final corner.
We know Hunter Lawrence is good, but wow, was he impressive in Tampa! Is that the best supercross race you’ve ever seen him ride? What parts of his riding stood out to you?
I think he’s the best overall racer in this class. He was able to stay calm and methodically work his way forward. There will be main events when he gets out front and makes it look easy. Tampa proved he can do it the hard way, too. He’s been second best in this class for a while to a few different riders and now is his time.
Speaking of Lawrence, was his pass on Michael Mosiman necessary? Mosiman was already off balance and Lawrence had the pass made, did he need to get into his front wheel? What’s your ruling on this matter?
I don’t think there is much love lost there. I saw them exchanging pleasantries in qualifying practice, too. It’s always difficult to say when things are over the line but I do think it’s wiser to avoid conflict when you’re in the cat bird seat title wise. Mosiman could make life very difficult if he chooses to. Champions don’t have any need for a rival with a vendetta.
What do you like and dislike about Jordon Smith’s season thus far? He’s crashed in both mains, but his riding has been really good. The track was slick in Tampa, so are his errors forgiven, or does it look like more of the same?
This is still the Jordon Smith I know. Super fast, capable of winning, but mistakes cost him far too often. He is such a talented rider. He looks like he could win every single race he enters. I wonder if he’s too comfortable with the edge of control, though. Champions at this level are able to sustain that pace without being mistake prone. There are simply too many laps to be executed to be anything other than robotic about it.
Where does Cooper Webb pull his speed from? Before Tampa he didn’t have what the leaders had, but then, seemingly out of nowhere in Tampa, “Paul” Webb was back. And on a track with an extremely long whoop section, no less! Was there something you saw in Webb on Saturday night that played to his strength, or is he just the kind of rider who can explode when necessary?
I think Webb shines when the track is a bit compromised. He’s really good at making the best out of tough conditions. When the track is perfect and everyone is putting in their best lap time after time, that’s not ideal for him. He needs things to be a bit messier, a bit more inconsistent. That’s when he does his best work. He wears people down, they get bored, do something stupid, then he’s got you. (Top Gun Iceman reference).
We know Chase Sexton has, in the past, been prone to mistakes that cost him big in races, so when he went down in the whoops in Tampa his reputation quickly resurfaced. But is it fair to point to Sexton’s past each and every time he goes down? Crashes happen, and those whoops looked nasty. Also, do you think Sexton crashes there if Webb hadn’t been applying some heat?
I think it has to be referenced. He has put this scenario in motion too many times and it’s just a thing that has to be mentioned. I think there are many things to be positive about and I love the path he’s on but to ignore these mistakes would be an oversight. He’s going to figure it out but these are mental errors, not physical.
What’s up with Jason Anderson? He was super fast in qualifying, just 0.044 off Sexton’s fastest time, and he won his heat. Things were looking good for him going into the main, but he ended up on the ground at one point after getting into Justin Barcia and was only able to muster a sixth. Where did the night go wrong for him on Saturday?
I think you nailed it. He simply can’t or won’t find a way to avoid these mid-race conflicts. Go back over the last few seasons and think about all of the incidents he’s had with other riders like Barcia, Malcolm Stewart, etc. He’s so capable of being a weekly podium guy but these run-in’s aren’t sustainable. They are too costly when you have other riders that simply don’t engage in that nonsense.
What do you make of Eli Tomac’s fifth place? Is it odd that, after winning three rounds, the best he can do in Tampa is fifth? Or is this ride simply an indicator that he’s playing the long game?
It was very odd. He wasn’t really even close to the leaders. That was a track that I would expect him to be in the mix, too. Maybe he just had a bad day but it was surprising nonetheless. I haven’t really seen him get flat out gapped like that in a long, long time. If I’m him, I come out swinging in Oakland to shut down any momentum that Webb may be trying to claim.