Sitting here days after the race, it’s easy to make rational decisions given time to ponder pros and cons. In the middle of a ten-lap sprint under the bright lights of supercross, however, Savatgy had to have so many things running through his mind. Was he really going to give up a win in his first weekend with his new team? How would that affect his overall result? (It moved him from second to third overall as we now know.) How could he allow Tomac to win the million without coming to a stop on the final lap? How much is Tomac going to pay to actually do this?

All of those questions were going through his mind I’m guessing. In the end, the decision was fairly straight forward. For Monster Energy Kawasaki, having Tomac win the million is a huge coup and great marketing tool. That headline will blast to mainstream media and get traction because of the million-dollar prize. If Tomac only won the 100K (100K is a lot by the way so I am not trying to downplay that), the news would be shoved to page nine and most would never see nor care. Savatgy had to understand that importance for his new team and for his new teammate. Intentionally preventing Tomac from winning a million dollars (even though it’s racing) would probably not bode well for his relationship with the #1 rider on his team, either. Joey may be in a position next year where he needs good will to keep his contract and people remember moves like that. That #2 spot at Monster Energy Kawasaki is a very coveted position and Savatgy is not oblivious to one year contract nuances. I guess we also need to consider the possibility of a pre-race discussion if this very scenario arose. I would assume that it was a very short convo that went something like “if Tomac is behind you for the win, don’t screw it up.” Having Tomac win that million was a huge deal for Tomac, the team, Feld Entertainment’s media reach, and with the subtle slide to the outside line, possibly Joey Savatgy’s longevity at that team.

As for “how” to execute this move, Savatgy made the right decision as to where and when. As they entered the outside-the-stadium section of the course, Savatgy still held a decent lead (see: too much to overcome without help). Savatgy also knew that the outside section is not in direct viewing for the spectators and tougher for televisions to capture as well. It was the perfect area to slide to the outside and give Tomac the line. He executed it perfectly and Tomac never hesitated. The only changes I would have suggested would to not make a hand gesture, just simply move over a la Musquin at East Rutherford 2017. The hand gesture is a sure sign of intent and removes any “I made a mistake” stories (even though that Musquin move was laughable). Also, if I really wanted to critique it, Savatgy could have slowed a bit more during the beginning of the lap to allow Tomac to be closer and then the move to the outside line looks less dramatic. It’s easy to pick it apart in hindsight and in the moment, things are happening very quickly. Overall, I think Savatgy nailed it.

The aftermath adds a few wrinkles, too. Tomac has been outspoken about the Red Bull KTM teamwork in the 2017 title chase. From my perspective and Tomac’s too, Musquin clearly helped Dungey in that last lap position change (East Rutherford 2017). Now with this move, does that change the narrative? I personally don’t think it does because Savatgy’s move changed nothing big picture. Sure, Tomac got more money and Savatgy lost an overall position but this race has no real impact on the season. The championship is a much different animal and Musquin’s move could have changed everything going into that 2017 Las Vegas finale. What’s done is done and Tomac’s opinion probably won’t change, but it was interesting to see the other side of the coin deal with that dynamic.