Proof of Concept
Two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle was good in his supercross debut last week in Houston. Like, really good. Yeah, he crashed and saw his race unravel somewhat and eventually finished seventh, but he led the very first two laps of his very first supercross and stayed in podium position despite heavy pressure until close to the end of the race! He’s a world champion, so you know he knows how to deal with adversity. Will he avoid the mistakes from Houston now that he has a race under his belt? -Aaron Hansel
Mr. Smith
Nobody really knew what to think of Jordon Smith coming into 2023. Yeah, he’s fast and on an awesome bike, but it’s been quite a while since he’s raced. He’s also known for falling victim to costly mistakes. Well, he did make a mistake in the sand section in Houston, but to be fair, plenty of guys went down there. More importantly, he kept his composure and didn’t go nuts trying to make the time back up. And when the checkers flew, he’d worked back up into third, which is pretty impressive. “I’ll be honest, end of 2017, 2018, 2019, I wouldn’t have been happy with a third or nervous about being in third, but tonight the last couple of laps, I’m not going to lie, I was nervous,” said Smith. “To be back on the podium is huge, and now that we’ve got that, we can focus on getting that win.” How much stronger is he going to be now that he’s got his sea legs back underneath him? -Hansel
To the Max [Anstie]
Max Anstie wasn’t exactly getting sprayed with hype before last Saturday, and after Houston he gets to point the finger of shame at those who didn’t notice him on the radar ahead of time [Guilty -Hansel]. Anstie was awesome in Houston! He withstood pressure, applied pressure, and eventually rode his way into second place on the night. That’s a great way for him to kick off the season, and if he can ride like that consistently, he’ll not only be in the hunt for podiums and wins, he’ll be a title contender. -Hansel
Par for the Course
The downside to being a title favorite is, nobody is really all that surprised when you win. Case in point, Hunter Lawrence in Houston. The elder Lawrence brother was just about as flawless as you can get last week, and absolutely crushed everyone to notch the first win out east. Were you surprised? We weren’t either. In fact, at this point, only a finish off the podium would be strange for Hunter. Think there will be any Lawrence-related surprises in Tampa? -Hansel
Rain Watch
Monster Energy Supercross avoided the rain early in 2023, as Anaheim 1 was a little soft, but not a full mudder. Then Oakland was straight-up postponed due to rain! Well, Tampa’s race is taking place as scheduled, and in an open stadium, and there’s a large chance of rain in Saturday’s forecast. Will this impact the qualifying schedule, the track, or even the race results in the main? – Jason Weigandt
The Beach
You can’t go to Florida and not expect to see some sun and sand. Much like in 2020, this weekend’s track map for Tampa Supercross shows an entire lane of sand rollers. Considering the sand turn in Houston played a huge role in the outcome of the race, a section this large could make or break a rider’s night. – Sarah Whitmore
Late To The Line
Supercross finally headed to the East Coast last weekend in Houston and Justin Cooper lined up for the first time in 2023… in the 450SX class! He’s no longer eligible to race the 250 class in supercross, but still on the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing roster to ride the 250 outdoors. So what about supercross? Star hinted at him riding a 450 on social media and sure enough, he showed up for his 450 debut four rounds into the season. He put in an impressive ride placing seventh in the main event. That is only one spot worse than fellow 450SX rookie Colt Nichols at the opening round. Though Nichols has yet to replicate a top ten finish since, let’s see if either rookie can break into the top 10 again in Tampa. -Whitmore
Déjà Vu
Last summer’s outdoor nationals saw Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton break away from the rest of the field, winning a majority of the races. So far, this supercross season has only seen two different overall winners; Tomac and Sexton. Will the Tampa track allow for someone else to see the top step of the box or will these two continue to dominate? -Whitmore
The Other Rookie
Houston was an impressive night as far as 250 rookies were concerned, with four of them finishing in the top 11. Fan favorite Haiden Deegan stole the show when he bested the others with a fourth-place finish. However, there was another rookie in Houston whose night did not go as well as he might have hoped. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Caden Braswell was just off the mark all day finishing 24th in timed qualifying, 14th in his heat and ultimately not qualifying through the LCQ. You know the 2022 Nicky Hayden Horizon Award winner will be looking to redeem himself in Tampa and add his name to the list of impressive rookies. -Whitmore
AP
Aaron Plessinger was on fire in Houston, even pressuring Eli Tomac for the lead before the race was red flagged due to a downed rider. After the restart he seemed to have lost his flow and ended the night just off of the podium in fourth. AP is looking much more comfortable on the KTM this season and being from the Midwest he traditionally does better when the series moves east. Do we see him on the box this weekend in Tampa, his first time since Oakland 2022? -Whitmore
