Learning Curve
A 10-6 for seventh overall isn’t a bad finish, but if you’re nine-time world champ like Antonio Cairoli is, it’s also not quite what you’re used to. He also went down in the first moto, which probably didn’t make his day any more fun. But it’s his first race here and he’s adapting to a new series and a completely different race day program, and he’s racing on tracks that are completely new to him. Now that he’s got a weekend under his belt let’s see if things come a little easier at Hangtown. –Hansel
Dieselin’
A 5-5 for fifth overall after not racing a national since 2016 is such a Ryan Dungey thing to do that it’s not even surprising. But it should be! To come back to the races after being gone for five years, and immediately perform almost as good as when he was in the thick of title hunts is absolutely crazy, even for a guy like Dungey. What’s even crazier is that he probably wasn’t satisfied with that! Now that he’s back in the deep water you know he’s only going to get better too. Who thinks Dungey challenges for a podium this weekend? –Hansel
The Setup
When Eli Tomac started fading a little in that first moto it sure seemed like he might be having trouble with the knee he injured during supercross. After all, fading just isn’t something Tomac does! His team was quick to take the blame afterward, however, saying they’d pushed a certain setup that ended up not working well at Fox Raceway. It was also Tomac’s very first national aboard the Yamaha, so perhaps a little patience is in order. The good news for Tomac is, Hangtown is up next, and that’s a place where he’s always performed extremely well. If he has an off day there, it’ll be something to pay attention to heading into Thunder Valley the following week. –Hansel
Still Chasing It
We’ve talked at length about Jason Anderson still working on getting his first overall win, so we won’t dive too far into it here, other than to say that following Fox Raceway, he still doesn’t have a 450 National win to his name. But that’s not to say he wasn’t fast! He just had a horrible start in the first moto and went down at the beginning of the second moto, leaving him to scramble for position in both motos. The end result was a 4-8 for sixth, but if he hadn’t found himself on the ground there’s no question it would have been much better. If Anderson can avoid taking dirt samples, especially right off the start, he could finally end his winless streak this Saturday. –Hansel
Honda Nation
Things could not have gone any better for Honda HRC at the opener last week. Their two 450 riders, Chase Sexton and Ken Roczen, were one and two overall (and in the motos), while their two 250 riders, Jett and Hunter Lawrence, did the exact same thing in their class. The team was even fastest (Sexton) and second-fastest (Roczen) in 450 qualifying! The bar is now set extremely high for the rest of the season, but you know they’re up for the challenge each weekend. Will they maintain their domination at Hangtown? –Hansel
Podium Star
The only thing surprising about Christian Craig’s third overall last week was that it was his first 450MX overall podium ever. After all, Craig’s put in some outstanding rides on a 450 in motocross, especially last summer. Nevertheless, it was indeed his first one, and it had to feel good doing it too. It also had to feel good being the highest-placing Star rider at the season opener, something few would have predicted just one week prior. We’ll see if Craig can snag another one at Hangtown. –Hansel
International Man of Mystery
Okay, that might be laying it on a little thick, but seriously, Josh Gilbert wasn’t exactly a household name in motocross homes here in America. That made it that much more surprising when the British rider came out of seemingly nowhere and ran great at Fox Raceway, going 12-14 for 13th overall. On Instagram he even mentioned he had bad stomach cramps in the second moto! Was his performance a fluke? Can he do it again? Will he better his results? Nobody knows, but there will certainly be a lot more eyes on him this weekend at Hangtown than there were at the opener. –Hansel
Fork in the Road
Yesterday, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki announced that Austin Forkner would be sidelined for the foreseeable future as the 23-year-old would undergo a reparative procedure in his shoulder. Forkner, who finished sixth overall at the opener, is said to have injured his shoulder in preparation for the season and will now meet with medical professionals to decide on the proper procedure to move forward. Either way, we won’t see Forkner this weekend or for a while which is a huge bummer for Forkner, Kawasaki, and the series as he certainly looked like he was getting back to his old self towards the end of Monster Energy AMA Supercross. – Kellen Brauer
Off the Gate
Several riders in the 250 class at Fox Raceway had some unbelievable speed that were coupled with bad starts. RJ Hampshire and Jo Shimoda came from outside of the top 10 in the first moto to get third and fourth, respectively. Michael Mosiman had an awful start in the first moto and was just barely able to sneak into the top 10 but would follow it up with a fourth in the second moto. Levi Kitchen also came from very far back in both motos as well and eventually ended up eighth overall. All these guys had top five speed at Fox Raceway and arguably could have battled for the win with better circumstance. Let’s see if one of them could snag a holeshot at Hangtown and perhaps sneak away at the front. –Brauer
One Step at a Time
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper returned to racing last weekend after breaking his foot in December. Cooper hasn’t had much time on the bike, but one thing was still fresh for him and that was his starts as he ripped the holeshot in his first moto back. He was able to lead for four laps before eventually fading down the order a bit. It’s going to take some time for Cooper to get his feet quite literally beneath him again, but that first moto showed us exactly what he’s still capable of. Look for marked improvement each week for the Yamaha man. –Brauer
