Breakdown Indianapolis

The ninth round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross took place on Saturday in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the action did not disappoint! Ken Roczen broke through for a win on his Suzuki, the points lead changed, and the champ had a puzzling night. To get a more detailed look, we tapped our own Jason Thomas to get an inside look at the night’s action.

There’s no other way to say it—Eli Tomac wasn’t great in Indianapolis. What’d you think of his day, and night, on Saturday? Was this just an outlier for him, or was there something about that track that acted as Tomac’s kryptonite?

He just didn’t look comfortable with the conditions. Similar to Tampa, the track was challenging and different than a typical weekend. I had been wondering how the 2023 Yamaha would differ as the chassis was changed significantly. Anytime a bike undergoes changes like that, it’s strengths and weaknesses will likely also change. The 2023 model supposedly turns better and feels “smaller.” That change often decreases stability, though. Cornering prowess and stability are usually at differing ends of the pendulum. That dynamic makes me wonder if he is struggling with confidence in handling when conditions are at their worst. His performance at A1 contradicts this theory but Tampa and Indy both would make sense. As with many of his outlier races over the years, we may never really know what was going on other than he just wasn’t feeling it.

Adam Cianciarulo had his best result of the night, which was a bit of a surprise considering he missed the last two races with a wrist injury. How does something like this even happen?

Keep in mind, he only missed 10 days of riding or so. He injured it at press day in Arlington and was riding again before Indy. He didn’t lose any base fitness or speed in such a short span. He got a good start and I think a “slower” track maybe helped him with his prior issues of sustaining a torrid pace. When the track gets as tough as Indy was, the pace slows and things calm down. You can’t go flat out or you’ll end up on the ground. Maybe that helped him find a rhythm and hold it.

You’d think a track that was as gnarly as Indy was wouldn’t suit Justin Barcia’s wild, animated style, but on Saturday he was maybe the best he’s been all year and came oh-so-close to taking the win away from Ken Roczen. Is there something about these tracks that can actually reward a riding style like Barcia’s, or is he just riding really strong everywhere right now?

He’s always been good in these rutty, sticky conditions. He grew up in New Jersey and rode in adverse conditions all the time in his formative years. I think he feels more comfortable when the track is deteriorating than most. Also, the softer dirt allows him to utilize his high-revving, aggressive style in the corners. If he tries to really push the limits of aggression at a hard, slippery track, he is going to end up suffering from wheel spin and lose time. Indy is pure, positive traction and that allows him to get after it.

We can talk about Roczen and how great he was at Indy, but that’s already been talked about a lot and will be talked about all week. What was your take on what happened after he crossed the finish line? The crowd loved it, Kenny was emotional, and a long line of his competitors even came over to congratulate him. No shortage of feel-good on Saturday night! Does this rank up there with the time Chad Reed won at Anaheim in 2014, when Mike LaRocco won in Indianapolis in 2004, or even the time Damon Bradshaw won at High Point in 1997?

It was cool! I don’t really have it on that list because he’s still in his prime and most would consider him a likely winner in any season. It was an emotional win and everyone likes Kenny so they were happy with him but I don’t think it was that much of a shock to see him win a race. He’s considered one of the best riders in the sport for a reason.

Cooper Webb took the points lead in Indianapolis. Do you think this affects his outlook, or plan of attack, for the remainder of the series at all? If so, how?

I don’t think it changes a lot. He’s been here before. He knows it’s likely going to come down to the wire. Tomac is going to have his good races and bounce back. I’m sure Webb was very happy to take the points lead but I didn’t see it as any sort of watershed moment. To win this title, the champ is going to have to be the best rider from here. No two ways about it.

The track in Indy was insane. If it had its own theme song, it’d be Metallica’s Creeping Death, or maybe even Bloodstains, by Agent Orange. Is it always like that in Lucas Oil Stadium, or was there something about the dirt or build that made it extra harrowing this year? How does it compare to some of the nasty tracks you had to ride?

It seems to depend on the weather just before the event. As they expose the dirt to the elements for load-in, that is a very vulnerable time. If there is snow and rain during that transition, there’s not much the track builders can do to protect it. It sounds like that was the culprit this weekend as wet weather soaked the dirt before they could get it inside Lucas Oil Stadium. After the troubles had at San Diego 2019, I am not sure what their options are for drying the dirt once inside, either. I’m all for this dynamic, though. Some races should be hard and a bit more slippery, some should be soft and rutty. The best riders adapt and perform. 

Last week you talked a little bit about Hunter Lawrence’s willingness to get aggressive with his competition, and how it’s possible it could haunt him later in the season. But Lawrence has been so fast nobody who owes him has been able to get close enough to deal any payback. Case in point, Nate Thrasher was nowhere near Lawrence all night, and couldn’t have roughed him up even if he wanted to. Do you think this, maybe even to a minor degree, plays a factor in Lawrence not being hesitant to be aggressive in certain situations?

I don’t think that’s his reasoning. Hunter has shown a willingness to be aggressive in the past, too. His move on Justin Cooper at MXoN, for example. I don’t believe he’s entering a race going “I can take people out, they can’t catch me to do anything about it.” If that’s his thinking, he better holeshot every race for the rest of his career. There is eventually going to be an opportunity for payback. There always is. If you’re living your racing life in a way that ignores that, fate will likely have a surprise waiting.

Tom Vialle has shown flashes of speed, no surprise there from the MX2 World Champ, but he’s also struggled a little bit in his first season of supercross. Has there been anything positive from him that’s caught your eye lately, and more specifically, did you see any glimmers from him in the way he handled the rough track on Saturday?

He’s been solid and honestly, around where I expected. He doesn’t have experience with these evolving conditions and is going through a learning experience every weekend. He has a clear disadvantage in the whoops and without years of practicing them, it’s obvious as to why. He really struggled in them this weekend as they demanded the most out of everyone. I do think there will be more top 5’s and a potential podium in his future, he will just need to be very opportunistic to snag it. He will need a good start and the track to be favorable (mostly a smaller, conducive whoops section).