Jason Anderson had already revitalized his career this year with a switch to Monster Energy Kawasaki, and now he's revitalized his revitalization by logging a late two-race win streak in the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. A mid-season lull allowed Eli Tomac to pull out a big points lead, but Anderson's win in Foxborough at least staved off the championship celebration for one more week.
Anderson spoke about the day in the post-race press conference.
Jason, that start of the 450 main was perfect. You and Eli were both up there together. You’ve got Cooper Webb, the defending champ too. What was going through your mind on that opening lap, knowing that the guy you needed to beat was right there?
Jason Anderson: Those opening laps were crazy. I felt like I had the start for a little bit, and then I got pushed out. It’s two of the past champions. It was crazy. Obviously, Eli is in front of me and he’s kind of the guy that I’ve got to beat. For me, realistically I just want to win races. That’s all I can do. That’s all I can do to extend this thing longer, stop it from happening. At the end of the day, it’s going to be tough to have anything happen and win this thing. For me, just winning races was awesome. The battle was cool in the beginning, but man, that track was pretty gnarly.
Early in the race, Eli looked aggressive on Cooper, like he was trying to make the move, but didn’t get it. Then you made a pretty aggressive move. No contact, but he stalls. What was that like for you? Was that an opportunity that you saw and you wanted it then?
Those first few laps are a little bit crazy. I think it’s just chaotic and you’re trying to pass each other. Especially when you have Cooper up front. He’s a good rider. He’s kind of a tough one to pass. He’s also really fast. Luckily, he was giving some Eli some fits and I was able to sneak in there and zap Eli. I honestly didn’t know he stalled it. It was tough because when you’re in the beginning and Eli is trying to square up some of the corners and stuff like that, some of the guys come from behind and they kind of catch you by surprise. I think I kind of caught Eli by surprise. I was able to get by him and get out front pretty quick.
In that rhythm lane you pulled out the two, three, three, three, four. Did you just do it in the main? Did you have it in your back pocket? Did you eye that up at all during the day and be like, I’m going to save it?
I think most of us in practice hit it a few times, but just the way that the track wore down and stuff like that made it really tough to have it be ideal to hit every lap. In the main event I hit it maybe two times or so. I was just trying to figure out if it was faster, but I don't think it was very ideal to hit it every lap. It’s tough the way this track broke down because underneath some of those little dust pockets, you didn’t know how bad the kickers were or anything like that. So, you were trying to avoid that. That’s what I was trying to do those first couple laps, see if I could do a rhythm that was off of what everyone else was doing, and then I could stay maybe somewhat in the smoother part of the track. But it just wasn’t ideal for the whole time.
Two wins, two weeks in a row. The big difference between this week to last week is just the size of the track. How did that translate for you this week to go from something as big as Atlanta last week to something as tight as the stadium was today?
It’s two completely different tracks. Honestly, this one, I really like Atlanta and I feel very, very comfortable riding a style track like that. Coming into this weekend, obviously we’ve been racing traditional stadiums and stuff like that, but I’m not as comfortable sometimes in these tracks that break down and stuff like that. I feel like I’m more of a west coast guy when it gets really dry, slick, kind of like Anaheim or something like that. Luckily all our work that we’ve been doing, the bike feels really good. I’ve been feeling as comfortable as can be. I don't think anyone was fully comfortable out there. I feel better than I ever have on these style of tracks. When they break down, I feel more in control than I have been in past years.
You now officially have more wins than you did even in your championship season. I know you’re disappointed that you’re not tighter in the championship hunt coming down, but lots of positives this year to take away.
Yeah. It’s the most wins I’ve had in a season. I feel like it’s the most laps I’ve ever led in a season. Even when I won my championship, I didn’t really lead a lot of laps. I won some races. To be honest, winning these races and getting these podiums is surreal for me. After the little dry spell I’ve had the last few years, it’s refreshing. It’s giving me that second wind. I’m thankful for it, but at the same time I’ve got to stay on my toes because these guys are really good that I’m racing against. They’re not going to make it easy on me, obviously.
Can you compare this year to the previous years?
I’m enjoying it. I’m working hard. I made some switches up in my program. I live back home in New Mexico now. That’s different. I don’t do the whole Florida thing anymore. I’m just kind of doing it the way I want to do it. Honestly, it’s kind of nerve-racking because Kawasaki signed me and I’m switching up so much that I don't know if it’s going to be a success. For me, it’s cool to be able to do what I want, work hard, have the trust from the team. As for my life, I’m really enjoying it. I’m happy right now. I think that’s all a recipe for success. That’s what I think. I’m enjoying myself and I’m going to try and ride this wave for as long as I can.
Going to New Mexico, Kawasaki has been pretty cool about it?
I go there and I’ve won two races, so I don't think they’re too bummed on it right now! [Laughs] I’m sure if I didn’t win these races they’d be like, get back to California. So, I don't know! It’s working right now. At the end of the day, they invest a lot of money into me, so it’s kind of a risk for them to let me go there. But I’ve been enjoying it. It’s a little bit more mellow.
Next couple of rounds we’ve got a bit of altitude. We’ve seen in the past that you tend to struggle with that. Salt Lake City, Lakewood, anything like that. What are the preparations you’ve got coming into this? Is there anything different this year to try and deal with it?
Where I live at in New Mexico my home is at 8,000 feet. That’s where I live right now, so it’s not too much different compared to what I train on every day. That’s kind of a big reason why I wanted to do that, and I think it benefits me in the long run. So, that’s kind of a big reason for the move I made.
With you taking your training to New Mexico, the dirt seemed dry tonight – do you feel like you prevail when the track seems to have more conditions that are dry compared to wet conditions?
The dirt was dry tonight, but it still had these soft little pockets to where it broke down more than say a west coast track would. West coast, say you go to Phoenix or something like that, the form of the track doesn’t really change much. It’s more you’re riding on top of it. Here there were like these little, soft pockets to where it broke down. So, it was quite a bit different. I feel like I am really good on dry and hard-pack tracks. Trying to switch it up and be good on all of it.
You’ve had a few dry years since your supercross championship. Boom, this year, five wins. What has made the biggest difference? Is it a combination of things? Is it the new team, new trainer, married life?
All of the above. I feel like my life is good. I needed a change. I feel refreshed. It’s tough whenever you go through those years. It’s not like I didn’t like racing or anything, I just wasn’t having the most fun with the whole program and stuff like that. So, for me, I needed a change. To be honest, going into this year, personally I didn’t know if I was damaged goods or not. So, even though people don’t like to say it and you like to say you believe in yourself, you also have those doubts. But I knew if I put in the hard work and I worked really hard, and I knew what that looked like because I’ve had success in years past, I knew what that looked like. So, I put my head down and I just looked at each day as a new day and just tried my hardest and I knew that trying my hardest would hopefully get me here. It’s been pretty dang cool. I like it. I want to keep it going. I’m enjoying the team. I'm enjoying my home life. It’s all been really good for me. It’s good.
Watch the full 450SX post-race press conference below:
