1. What’s impressed you most about Joey Savatgy this year?
Aaron Hansel: His attitude. Not that he’s had a bad attitude in the past, but a no bullshit outlook has seemed to emerge pretty strong this year. There’s zero crying and whining, at least not publicly, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard him avoid taking responsibility when things haven’t gone his way. Even when something’s happened beyond his control his most frequent response is, “That’s what happens when you don’t put yourself in a position to win.” Seriously, Google that phrase along with “Joey Savatgy” and you’ll find multiple interviews with various media from multiple races containing some variance of that sentence. It seems like he’s really tapped into the whole “strength comes from within” mindset. It probably affects his entire approach to racing, from the work he does during the week to how fast he’s been going on Saturday. Pretty impressive stuff, especially from someone who’s only twenty-two.
Jason Weigandt: His ability to ride under pressure. My broadcast partner Grant Langston pointed this out at Hangtown, and it keeps happening. Joey is fast enough to win these things but he can't just dominate and pull massive leads. In all three of his overall wins, a hard-charging Alex Martin was all over him down the stretch, and in each of those races it looked like Alex was going faster and would get him. Each time Joey responded to hold him off! He didn't do it by just getting defensive, either, he actually upped his pace and switched lines to open a small gap back up before the white flag. Doing that in the last ten minutes of a moto is said to be one of the toughest challenges in this sport, but Joey has become a master. Those three moto wins alone represent nine extra points—nearly half of his series lead. Remember way back at the San Diego II Supercross, when Cooper Webb was all over him and Joey just kept hitting his lines until Webb crashed? Joey just didn't crack. That's really helping him maximize his result each weekend.
Chase Stallo: I also agree with my cohorts about his ability to ride under pressure and his attitude. Seeing as they already explained it in-depth, I’ll venture down another path. Two things have impressed me this year that I think tend to get overshadowed: his fitness and his mental fortitude. Much is made about how strong the Martins are late in the motos—and they are; this isn’t to take away from them—but as Weege mentioned above, Savatgy has withstood a firestorm of pressure late in the races and never withered. Lest we forget, the same woman that molded Ricky Carmichael trains him. And he has shown an ability to withstand pressure, up the pace, and never show signs of being tired. That will be important as the heat and humidity become more of a factor.
My next point falls in line with what Hansel said, but a tad different. I think we’ve seen a number of times this year Savatgy respond really well following a loss or an unforeseen circumstance. Following the Christian Craig incident at Dallas Supercross, which may have cost him the title, he responded well and went 3-1 over the next two rounds. Then, after a disastrous Glen Helen where he coughed up a fifteen-point lead, he’s gone 2-1-4-1. It’s easy for young riders to let those types of results weigh heavily on them. Joey appears to have the ability to shrug it off and bounce back rather quickly. Impressive stuff!
2. Are the Martin Brothers in Trouble?
Hansel: Can I just say, “nope,” and move on to the next question? Sure, trailing by twenty-four (Jeremy) and thirty (Alex) points isn’t where you want to be as a competitor, but we’ve still got sixteen motos left, and as good as Savatgy’s been, you can’t say anyone has been overly dominant in the 250 class. And look what happened after Savatgy was perfect at Hangtown. He didn’t put himself in a position to win at Glen Helen, went 9-7, and just like that his 15-point lead, one of the biggest ever after the first round, was gone in just a single day.
If the Martins had ended up with these unenviable points deficits on account of poor riding, then yes, they should be worried, but the mechanical problems suffered at High Point were beyond their control. Alex’s riding so far indicates he’s going to be fighting up front all season, and Jeremy has been there for the last two years. The only thing Jeremy needs to be worried about is the nagging illness that seems to be holding him back just a tad out there. It’s not uncommon for a guy to be sick for a weekend or two, but he’s reportedly been dealing with this since Hangtown. Seems like longer than normal for just being “a little under the weather.” The good news is he’s still hanging in there, and as long as he can rid himself of whatever’s ailing him, there’s plenty of time to catch back up to Savatgy.
Weege: I think they are a little bit. Alex has been great but thirty points down is a lot. It just is. I don't care how many races are left. Everyone is helped by the depth of this 250 field, where even Savatgy could go 5-5 at any time and hand over potentially eighteen points if someone else went 1-1. But series usually get less deep as they go. They usually just boil down to two or three riders, so it's easier to make up bunches of points early than late. As for JMart, normally I wouldn't be worried but this isn't the same JMart we saw in 2014 and 2015. If he gets his health and his bike is right, he can make up ground in a hurry and this isn't an issue. But that's a big if.
Stallo: As in out of the championship trouble? Ummm, no. As mentioned above, we’ve seen huge point swings come and go already in this class. It’s just too deep of a class, with a legit five to seven riders having the ability to rip off moto wins. One bad start could see a huge swing in points. You don’t have to take my word for it; listen to Savatgy after High Point: “I don’t think any points lead is safe, especially with the class that we have and the amount of people that are there.” Another factor to consider. Upcoming tracks like RedBud and Millville should provide spots for the Martins to pick up points. Long story short: we have a ways to go to determine this title.
3. Roczen is out front, Tomac is trying to catch him. Behind them comes a huge battle with some pretty closely-matched 450 guys. Pick a favorite out of that group.
Hansel: I like Jason Anderson. Thanks to altitude sickness at Thunder Valley he took a huge hit in the points, but he’s still fifth in the standings, and aside from missing Round 3, his worst finish so far has been sixth, and he’s been in the top-three four times. That’s more than any of his active competitors not named Roczen or Tomac can say. And with him training at Baker’s Factory (we couldn’t just call it The Bakery?) in Florida, you know he’s not going to be suffering in the fitness department either. Barring injury, he’ll end up third in points when this thing’s all over.
Weege: Trey Canard was my pick before the season and he was looking good but now he's out. Justin Barcia should be the answer here but this funk he's in is just totally bizarre. Cole Seely has shown some real flashes but can't quite put it together every moto. I like Aaron's pick of Anderson, but I'm going to take a chance on Marvin Musquin. Anderson has been better so far, but I think Marv is just about to heat up, and the rest of the tracks on the schedule suit him better than the first three. So there. Marv FTT (for the third).
Stallo: Anderson has certainly been the most consistent. (Quick side note: Imagine writing those words a few years ago for Anderson in regards to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross? He’s really turned the corner, which I’m sure has a little something to do with from training with the most consistent rider ever in Ryan Dungey. But I digress.) Barcia could certainly catch fire, a la 2015, and start ripping off podiums; Musquin is progressing nicely in his first 450 season; and Seely has been a pleasant surprise outdoors. Yet, Anderson is still the most consistent rider in the group thus far and the dude has blinding speed, so it’s not like Barcia and company are just going to start blowing his doors off. If you’re holding me to it, I’m taking Anderson for third by seasons end.
