Dungey is so consistent. Are Tomac and Canard (both 23 points back) in too big of a hole?
Denny Stephenson: Honestly? Yes, both are screwed. It’s not that I’m not a Dungey fan, but he bores me simply because he's a machine. Same interview. Same result—which, let's be honest, is pretty great. I remember briefly talking to him in the tunnel after he chased down RV in the Vegas Shootout years ago. I'm like, “Man you never gave up and congrats for winning.” He just chuckled, said thanks and celebrated at Denny's after. I'd prefer if he went to the Spearmint Rhino after the race, 1990s style. By the way, where's the #94? He's killed me in fantasy SX the last two weeks.
Jason Weigandt: Nope. It’s a misconception that someone has to have a huge crash to hand over a bunch of points. Just as an example, if Tomac won the next three races and Dungey finished third in each, he’d make up 15 points, and be down just 8 with the entire second half of the season remaining. When Davi Millsaps lost his points lead to Ryan Villopoto two years ago, it’s because RV won and won often, not because Millsaps had some huge crashes and DNFs. Dungey won’t screw up, but both Eli and Trey are in this—although it’s on them to mount a huge charge.
Steve Matthes: No, I don’t think so. Dungey is remarkably consistent for sure, but I don’t think 23 points is considered too much at this point. Lots of races left, bro. Ask me in three races and I could have a different opinion, because at that point there will be nine races left, and if either one of the red riders still is down that much and has to jump Roczen and Dungey to win this thing, it might be too much to overcome. We saw Kenny make a very uncharacteristic mistake in Oakland, but Dungey, well, he doesn’t really make the big mistakes, and I can’t see Kenny pulling an “Oakland” again. It’s time for Tomac and Trey to turn it on.
Is Cooper Webb the next big star of the sport—not one of, but the next big thing?
Stephenson: I used to sponsor l’il Coop while I was with Smith Optics. He was just a little kid, but he would crush it. He won all the time. Later his nemesis was AC, but I find it funny the media never pegged this kid as the next big thing. How did you guys miss this kid? And let's be honest, he's bitter about it. He's jaded and angry and isn’t afraid to knock someone down or talk shit on the podium after. It’s made him work harder for it, I believe. He's clearly the class of the West. Outdoors is going to come down to him or his teammate Jeremy Martin. I wouldn't want to be in that truck.
Weigandt: He’s been awesome, but I don’t think you can say that the sport is his for the taking, yet. For starters, we’ll have to see what his teammate Jeremy Martin brings to the 250SX East Region this year. Secondly, and Cooper Webb fans will want to throw up when they hear this, but until we know what fate has in store for Adam Cianciarulo, it’s hard to predict the future. I do know that Yamaha sure seems to be setting itself up well for some great days ahead.
Matthes: Whoa, whoa there, Mr. Ask the Big Questions. Back it down on this statement. Webb’s a great rider for sure, he’s probably going to win this 250SX West Region, and he won a national last year, so he’s on the way to being a “guy” in the sport, but you asked if he was going to be “the” next big thing. History is littered with 250SX champions that never made a successful transition to the big class, and I would think that when Webb moves up to JGR Yamaha (there’s no way Yamaha or Coy Gibbs lets him get away, do they? I mean, he’s from North Carolina and everything!), he’ll be “a” guy. He’s got the skills, he’s got that chip on his shoulder that many of the greats have, and he looks to be on the path to stardom. But it’s way too early to be calling him “the” next big thing.
Who has been the biggest surprise this year, good or bad?
Stephenson: Jessy Nelson and Jason Anderson. I honestly know nothing about Jessy other than he races with a prosthetic thumb and killed it at the Indiana National. I raced with a broken navicular for a year and could barely hold on, and this kid is winning races with no thumb at all! Love that he's winning and delivering for a passionate owner like Troy. And Anderson, I've expressed my fandom for his style last year. Now he thinks he's Kent Howerton and delivering for the new Husky brand. He's doing what I thought and hoped Dean Wilson was going to do. And speaking of surprises, let's be honest, did we ever see Roczen parting with Aldon Baker? I truly believe this could possibly be a huge mistake and prevent him from probable Mt. Rushmore MX status. You don't mess with success. Ask Tiger.
Weigandt: Honestly, Webb. I knew he’d be fast and a contender and win some races, but I didn’t think he’d be this good. This 250SX West field is legit, but he seems capable of doing whatever he wants. Second biggest surprise to me is Blake Baggett, who has looked much smoother and more comfortable on the 450 in SX than I expected. I know Davi Millsaps is a surprise in the wrong direction, but I’m wondering if something is wrong that we don’t yet know about, so I don’t think that’s fair to judge.
Matthes: Weege is drunk; Webb’s not a surprise. We knew he would be good, and once you add confidence to talent and a good bike, you can get a rider like Webb go on a roll. The 250SX Class, with the loss of many of the established guys, is in a bit of a transition right now, and the next wave of dudes is here. Anyway, biggest surprise for me in the 450 class is Jason Anderson. I know he’s had a couple of so-so races here lately, but he’s the real deal. He has a good bike, he’s in shape, and he’ll get some more podiums here shortly. I know he won the 250SX West Region last year, but I just didn’t think he’d be this good. In the disappointment category, I’ll go with what Weege said and put The Duke on my list. Davi Millsaps won the Monster Energy Cup in a great ride, and after a year off from racing due to injuries, he looked like he had WD-40 in his veins in place of blood. But now that the real season has kicked off, he’s not been on the pace of the top guys and I’m not sure why. I didn’t think he’d win races and all that, but podiums and be in the top five? Yeah, definitely. And he hasn’t been there yet. I think there’s something wrong in terms of his foot or something, but we haven’t heard from him yet. Davi will be better once he figures out whatever it is that is bugging him.