By Aaron Hansel and Chase Stallo
Declaration of Destruction
If you picked Jessy Nelson to win the main at A1 then you were on the short list. That’s not an insult to Nelson as much as it is a compliment to guys like Cooper Webb, Justin Hill, Malcolm Stewart, and Zach Osborne. All those guys have done well in the past and seemed poised to make statements at the opener. Instead it was Nelson who announced his intention to take control of the West Region, and he did it by leading all fifteen laps of the main. Let’s see if he inflicts the same level of damage in Phoenix. –Aaron Hansel
Do-Over
Pro Circuit and DNQ aren’t typically used in the same sentence, but they were last Saturday night when Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rookie Chris Alldredge failed to qualify for his first pro supercross, thanks largely to crashes in the LCQ. But don’t leave him out of your fantasy picks just yet—these things happen. Jeremy Martin failed to qualify on opening night two years in a row! Expect Alldredge to perform much better in Phoenix. –Hansel
Smash and Grab
If you watched the 250SX heat races then you saw Tyler Bowers bring his arenacross game to supercross when he punted Zach Osborne off the track as the two battled for the lead. They’d exchanged several block passes before the incident, but Osborne obviously ended up with the short end of the stick—with a fractured thumb. Bowers has a bit of a reputation for aggressive riding—that kind of thing is commonplace in arenacross—but what remains to be seen is if he’ll make it the norm all season. If he does, will the other riders retaliate or steer clear? Round two should give us a better idea how things will unfold out west. –Hansel
Rally Time
Not a good start for Eli Tomac at A1. After setting the fastest lap in qualifying, the GEICO Honda rider crashed twice in the main and finished in twentieth place, dealing damage to his title chances and fantasy league standings alike. He’s in a big hole now, one that’s going to take more than a few good races to climb out of, but a bounce-back-win in Phoenix would be a good start. -Hansel
Odd Year Wins
Sixth-place finishes don’t win championships, but it’s hardly a result to be concerned about at the season opener, and Justin Barcia wasn’t. If anything he seemed more upbeat about coming through the pack after a lousy start and setting his fastest time on lap nineteen. To him, these were indicators that he’s got his major bases covered and that it’s only a matter of time before the win comes. He holeshot and led every lap in Phoenix back in 2013; will the desert venue hand him another win in 2015? -Hansel
Staying Calm
GEICO Honda’s Malcolm Stewart conceded after Anaheim 1 that he was perhaps too excited for the first round. "I was loving every moment of it, but honestly I got too excited,” he said in a team statement. “I wasn't necessarily focusing on the outcome of the race like I should have been. I was trying to throw down the fastest laps and push it harder. That's what I'm supposed to do in practice, not the race.” You never want to say someone is out of championship contention after the first round, but the shortened series (just nine rounds) provides a tough road ahead for Malcolm. Can Stewart get back in the title chase this weekend? – Chase Stallo
Keeping Focused
Ken Roczen knows all too well that you can’t get too “hyped” following a win at the opener. Just a season ago as a rookie, Roczen finished sixth after winning Anaheim 1. It’s why from day one this year he’s preached about it being a long series, and taking it one round at a time. “We just want to stay consistent and not get hyped up too early. We all need to just focus on doing our job,” he said in a team statement. Roczen appears to be following the lead of his boss, Ricky Carmichael, who’s famous for saying the series doesn’t start until the series heads east. How will Roczen respond in Phoenix? – Stallo
Husky Pride
Husqvarna’s emphatic return to Monster Energy Supercross casts a spotlight on the notorious Swedish brand. Kent Howerton in 1976 marked the last podium in the premier class for the brand (thirty-nine years ago!) until last Saturday, when Jason Anderson dazzled in his first 450SX Monster Energy Supercross race. Not to be outdone, Zach Osborne became the first Husqvarna rider since Travis Preston in 2001 to podium in the 250/125 class. The brand kicked the new year off with a bang. Will it continue this weekend? – Stallo
Meanwhile, in Cincinnati
The 2015 Amsoil Arenacross Championship kicks off this weekend, with as much intrigue and speculation on #whosnext as last weekend’s Anaheim opener. (We previewed the title contenders earlier this week.) One name that’s drawing a lot of attention is GEICO Honda’s Jordon Smith. Smith is expected to contest the 250SX East Region for the team, but he first must complete Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross. (For more on the Road to Supercross, click here.) "My path to supercross is my ultimate goal," Smith said in a team statement. "That's what I've been focusing on with all my training, but I think that running in the arenacross races will help with my experience. Hopefully, I can learn something there that I can carry over to supercross." How will Smith stack up in his arenacross debut? – Stallo
Hi’ll Rebound
Before the opener, many tabbed Red Bull KTM’s Justin Hill as the favorite to win Anaheim 1. And why not? He was impressive at Red Bull Straight Rhythm and the Monster Energy Cup, and was one of only four previous race winners in the class. But, as Hill told us after the race, it just wasn’t his night. “Ultimately it was just not my night; it was one of those days. It sucks because you don’t want that to happen on a race day; you want that to happen on a Tuesday or something.” The good news for Hill is that he finished fourth and didn’t destroy any title chances. Can Hill pick up his first win in 2015 at round two? - Stallo
