Yeah! Indy SX was a tough one for the riders. Lots of rainfall in the area the week before bringing the dirt in created some massively rutted conditions. I know I feel, like a lot of other old-timers, that the Dirt Wurx guys have figured out how to get the old school ruts gone, whether it’s storage or a bit of lime or whatever, but this weekend, we were back to old-school Indy!
I can remember many tracks just like this back in the day and seeing Jeremy McGrath double-single triples late in the main event was a sight to see for sure, but it happened. This week’s track was back to those brutal conditions, and it took a ton of skill and endurance to go fast on. I was talking to this guy named Carmichael on press day (he used to be a pretty good racer people tell me?) and he was saying the same thing about how it was back in the day before the dirt storage/composition was figured out. He also made a note that the throttle goes backward, and it’s on the rider to find his limit and not push it because tracks like Indy this past weekend, they will bite you.
Let’s check out the results, shall we?
250SX RESULTS
1 | 96 | Hunter Lawrence
Hunter put on a real show the last two weeks and is the class of this field for sure. Also, his bike looks great. He’s got this SX stuff down now after a series of stops and starts and should win this title barring disaster. Can we start the Jett versus Hunter showdown hype now, or is it too soon? Hunter’s team around him was pretty irritated with Feld Motor Sports promoting the hard pass Hunter did on Nate Thrasher last week, which left Thrasher on the ground. It wasn’t dirty but it was certainly aggressive and earned both Honda HRC and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing a talking-to from the AMA. That’s all whatever but the PR [Public Relations] at Feld asked the media to not ask Hunter about the pass last week in the press conference. I mean, I wouldn’t have asked because he talked about it last week and to me, it’s all settled except for Thrasher, if he gets a chance, to issue some payback. What else can Hunter say about it? But I think Lawrence’s camp getting upset about it is a bit much. Feld is a promoter and that pass was a story of the race-they’re going to promote it right?
2 | 29 | Nate Thrasher
Nate was really good in Indy and almost had a huge crash if you check out IG in the, I think, main event. Like Jordon Smith behind him, I think Nate could’ve won this race if he had gotten the start but yeah, starts are part of the race and Hunter nailed that. Thrasher’s been much better this year and hey, anything can happen to Lawrence at any time, right?
3 | 58 | Jordon Smith
I’ve always believed that Smith should get away from riding at MTF so much because after a while, when things aren’t going great, you should just switch things up for change’s sake. Not anything bad on MTF but we’ve seen racers benefit from a new beginning. Well, Smith’s been pretty good so far on the Star team that rides mostly at the Goat Farm (with a dash of MTF in there). I think if you reverse the start and Smith gets the lead, he goes on to win, you know? There wasn’t a lot separating the top three. Also, in more hard-hitting journalism from me, Smith shaved his beard because he had some sort of rash from sand in there. It was not due to my jokes about having a full beard and still being a 250SX rider.
4 | 6 | Jeremy Martin
This was by his own admittance the best 250SX race for J-Mart and to me and my buddy Phil [Nicoletti], who was watching the race with me, he was dog crap in the whoops to start the day but as they got worse, he got better. By the main event I felt like he had it figured out pretty good. Had to feel good for Jer’ to catch and pass Haiden Deegan right?
5 | 63 | Max Anstie
Not a great start for Mad Max but he made it work for a solid top five on the night and he still sits second in the points but that sound you hear is Thrasher coming for that runner-up spot.
6 | 57 |Chris Blose
Zombie had “Zombie” on the back of his pants, which is awesome. Thanks Fox! He also had his best race since being recruited by the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki guys in terms of timed qualifying, and his start was solid as he sat second for a while before getting shuffled backward. He was probably pretty pissed at this point but then Tom Vialle and Deegan crashed and hey, look at that! A sixth! Season best!
7 | 238 | Haiden Deegan
Well, there it is. Deegan experienced some of the things all SX rookies do in that he crashed back. Before that he definitely wasn’t gelling with the beat-up track, but he was still on track to get a top five before the whoop crash. Ehhh, it happens. He’ll live and learn.
8 | 128 | Tom Vialle
Vialle strangely didn’t get the start and from there was on it. He was predictably good in the whoops where he was like, hopping around there picking guys off quickly. But then he went down and that was all she wrote. I asked him afterward what he has enjoyed from his time in the USA and he said ‘Florida and the weather,’ which, if you know how MXGP guys have to ride in the snow in Lommel at times, you get this.
9 | 67 |Cullin Park
Good job for Park out there and he’s the first non-factory guy in the results which is cool to see. All three of the Phoenix Honda guys were dicing with each other out there, it looked like a poster shoot or something.
10 | 285 | Coty Schock
So far, in the battle of the Phoenix Honda guys, it’s Schock with 57 points to Park and Jace Owen’s 51 points. Love the gold rims on the team’s bikes, BTW.
11 | 62 | Jace Owen
Owen looked to me anyway, like about halfway he was a bit winded but seemed to regroup and bring it home in the latter half of the race.
12 | 66 | Henry Miller
So, after the Team Phoenix Honda trio came the TiLube Honda duo of Miller and Michael Hicks. I really want to thank Miller for riding straight into the main event after missing Daytona and then riding well. Really got to stick it to Paul Perebijnos in PulpMX Fantasy. Thanks Henry!
13 | 460 | Michael Hicks
Hicks was again very good and his last two mains have been great. He’s been crushing it in AX and now seems to be putting it together in SX as well. He seemed to be one of those guys who didn’t have the whole 15 minutes in him before but the last couple of weeks, he’s been much improved.
14| 50 | Marshal Weltin
Marsh had a rough weekend in Indy as he crashed almost every time he went out there so this 14th was pretty good, all things considered. You might think with the Enduroross/motocross stuff out there Weltin would feel more comfortable.
15 | 339 | Talon Hawkins
I don’t get it. Why can’t Hawkins or his teammate, Jalek Swoll, ride whoops to at least the level of an average factory dude? Hawkins is going to have nightmares of the whoops this weekend—he wasn’t good in them at all. Like, a lot of guys weren’t because of how bad they got beat up but even when they were decent, he struggled. What’s going on down there at Baker’s Factory? Do we need just two whoop pads and have them do 20-minute motos on them every day?
16 | 91 | Jeremy Hand
Hand has gone from a, “Hey look, he’s in the main event,” to a, “He’s in the main all the time, stamp it,” kind of rider. Last year on the gong show that was the SGB team he was flashy but made some mistakes. This year he seems to be calmer.
17 | 243 | Caden Braswell
After looking a little rough to start his pro SX career, Braswell has been better lately. He’s a different dude also, very nice to talk to, and I had to laugh when they just cut him off in his LCQ interview like they do at the Oscars. Good stuff!
18 | 300 | Lane Allison
I don’t know who Lane Allison is and I couldn’t tell you a thing about him other than he rides a Kawasaki. But this is his first main event, and this is a good job for him.
19 | 330 |A J Catanzaro
The Cat rode very well. I don’t know why he was in unseeded practice? I know they go by results, but they also go by lap times sometimes and The Cat, even when he doesn’t make the main, can lay down a fast lap. Anyway, he was 8th overall out of the unseeded practice and then seemed to be riding pretty hard all main event which is sometimes an issue for him. Good job to The Cat.
20 | 247 |Brock Papi
Did you know that Papi has made every main but one this year? I didn’t but I looked it up. That’s not too bad, and much improved.
21 | 125| Luke Neese
I thought Neese was done after Dallas when he was taken out and I heard, couldn’t walk from an ankle injury from a collision with David Hand. Or a takeout depending on what side of the fence you’re on. But he’s back!
22| 99 | Hardy Munoz
Hardy couldn’t start the main because of a bike issue but on another note, I think Feld should have a camera on Hardy at all times and then charge people to watch. Seriously, he’s an “exciting” rider out there, and in the spirit of Marty Davalos, is very “loose.” Hardy TV would be a must see.
450SX RESULTS
1 | 94 | Ken Roczen
Wow! That was awesome for sure. I went from saying of course Kenny is gonna win a race to well, Kenny can win a Triple Crown race to, I’m not sure he can win, the top three guys are hauling ass and raising the bar. And here we are, Roczen got the start and rode an almost-flawless race to get his first win since A1 of last year. First win for Suzuki since 2016, first win for HEP Suzuki in, well, ever. Roczen had a few different lines out there compared to the guys chasing him, but they worked and as he said on the PulpMX Show Monday, they allowed him to relax and flow a bit. Never, ever doubt Roczen’s ability I suppose is the lesson we’ve learned here. Now, can he get more into the mix going forward? Well, the team seems to think they’ve found a good chassis setting (fork and shock as Roczen explained) and who knows from here? Imagine if the #94 started ripping off some wins?
2 | 51 | Justin Barcia
The #51 has been sneaky good lately and this weekend he showed it to everyone in almost getting the win. Who else thought he was going to fly off that single before the whoops and slam into Kenny? Okay everyone, hands down. Barcia usually rides with a ton of energy and body English, sometimes to his detriment, but in this case maybe the gnarly track made him consciously try to just chill back a bit? And this resulted in the increased speed? I don’t know but this was a great ride for him and the team. No Wil Hahn there either. Is that a coincidence or…? You decide.
3 | 2 | Cooper Webb
We all thought Webb was for sure going to get by the #51 and the #94 late in the race and take the win, right? Yes, we did. This is what Webb does! But alas, he was too slow in the whoops and made a mistake late to take him out of it. But his third gave him the points lead so this is a win for sure. To me, it’s fascinating to see what he does next year. There’s no way KTM thought he would be this good and just gave him that one year deal. “We” all think Sexton is going to KTM in 2023 so does Webb stay there and not be the guy there? What if he wins the title? How can KTM let him go? Does he go back to Yamaha and Star Racing? Honda’s going to need a guy alongside Jett as well. What about World SX, which we know Coop wanted to do this year and last? Once Tomac figures out what he wants to do in 2024, Webb will be next. The way he’s riding, he’s got lots of options.
4 | 7 | Aaron Plessinger
Imagine how confused the casual fan is that they kept hyping this up as AP’s home race. “Wait, the dude in the cowboy hat with the mullet and the “Do it for Dale,” shirt is NOT from down south somewhere? I’m so confused.” But anyway, Plessinger was again pretty good, and he’s been stringing some great races together and is having a much improved second season on KTM. Will it be enough to keep him there for 2024?
5 | 21 | Jason Anderson
Anderson was just okay in Indy. He wasn’t a factor for the podium but at the same time, he also could’ve pushed too hard on a track he clearly wasn’t comfy on and went down. So here we are, a fifth.
6 | 9 | Adam Cianciarulo
AC was back! And he logged a season-best finish at that. This race followed his other ones almost in that he got a good start, he fought like hell, and then he dropped back a bit. Only on this gnarly track he didn’t drop nearly as far as before. Good job to him. Also, I was a bit perturbed by him because on press day he definitely undersold how ready he was to be back from that wrist injury and how little he rode even during the weeks. So, I swerved him on PulpMX Fantasy. Then he does this. Some people, I tell ya…
7 | 28 | Christian Craig
Craig was better. He’s been this type of “better” for a couple of weeks, but he can’t seem to get into that top five mix just yet. He was right on Tomac all race and then used Eli’s mistake to nab seventh at the end of the race. So, we had a sort-of-bad Craig for a few weeks, then we had an improving-Craig for a few weeks, and now he’s sort of stuck-there-Craig the last few weeks.
8 | 1 | Eli Tomac
Well, here it is, the weirdo Eli Tomac ride! He’s been great at Indy, and he’s been great at this type of track but this week he didn’t look comfortable at all. The whoops were not good for him, and I wouldn’t bet we’ll see ET line up for an Endurocross anytime soon either. Weird ride and this week in Detroit, like it was in Oakland, is going to be huge for him to show this was a one-off. I’m betting it was.
9 | 46 | Justin Hill
Justin Hill has to be a bit frustrated. He’s had a good comeback to the sport, as I talked about couple of weeks ago, but he can’t get into that next group of guys. Like Craig, he’s been sort of stuck. A ninth is legit, obviously, but he just needs a bit more for that next group.
10 | 23 | Chase Sexton
Sexton was going fast when he, wait for it, crashed. When he got up you could see him look up in frustration like “WTF did I just do again?” He tweaked an ankle a bit and had a bent-up bike to deal with, so he brought it home in tenth. Seriously, he’s so fast. It’s going to come together here soon, I really believe that. And if you’re Honda or in his camp, that’s all you can say at this point. “We’ll get ’em next week!” is the slogan over there I would bet.
11 | 751 | Josh Hill
Hill’s had a weird season in that he started strong, then was nowhere near the main event for a few weeks, and then got some suspension stuff dialed in and now he’s nowhere near to NOT making the main event. In fact, he’s passed guys like Dean Wilson and Shane McElrath lately even.
12 | 15 | Dean Wilson
Dean was on the PulpMX Show Monday and admitted Indy wasn’t great for him. He also dove into some anxieties he gets sitting on the line for a race because of past injuries. Like, it got kind of deep, and you have to feel for him. Wilson’s a great interview. He was very honest and transparent about what he’s going through in terms of the highs and lows in his life right now.
13 | 12 | Shane McElrath
Shane’s riding better for sure, and they found some stuff to make the Suzuki more comfortable for him. Now a cynic would say he’s doing better because Colt Nichols and Dylan Ferrandis are out the last few races, but an optimist would say, “Yeah but the eye test shows he’s riding better,” and both can be right, you know?
14 | 11 | Kyle Chisholm
We had Chiz at the live podcast show on Friday night and he’s dealing with knee and concussion stuff, so he undersold himself to us. Seriously, he told me he wasn’t even sure he was going to race. So of course, he goes out there and logs a season-best finish. Like Cianciarulo, you just can’t trust these Florida riders, man.
15 | 47 | Fredrik Noren
I had Freddie in PulpMX Fantasy and let me tell you, that’s quite a ride. It’s honestly pretty amazing that Freddie has missed as many mains as he has because there are a lot of guys in the mains he’s better than. Anyway, this week he crashed all by himself in the heat while in qualifying position and then in the LCQ, he had a few big moments also. But yeah, once he’s in the main he can outride a lot of other privateers.
16 | 80 | Kevin Moranz
Moranz made it through the heat! For him, that’s a rare feat and he probably didn’t know what to do with all that time on his hands. One thing for sure, 2023 450SX has been good to bunch of privateers.
17 | 60 | Justin Starling
Starling was not a fan of the track and said so on Twitter, then reiterated that he was just going to stay the course and do the laps. And yes, he did the laps.
18 | 78 | Grant Harlan
Harlan’s getting to the point where he’s not just fortunate to be in the main but he’s expecting to be and is riding himself into the mains. And yes, there is a difference folks.
19 | 519 | Joshua Cartwright
Josh was in the main through the heat, which as a guy who worked for some privateers in my day, is such a huge advantage to chill out and rest a bit. LCQ life is hectic, and you never really stop and get a chance to figure things out.
20 | 68 | Cade Clason
Cade is where Harlan is, where he rides himself into the main but he makes too many mistakes in the main to get up into that mix where Chiz and those guys are, you know? Cade’s only had one main where he’s been 20th or better, while Harlan’s had four out five mains in which he’s better than 20th.
21 | 848 | Joan Cros
Cros broke away from his team couple weeks ago and is doing it on his own again. Good for him to make the main, and I can’t help but look at the color of his rims and wonder what’s going on there. I asked him about it after the race and he said he likes them, so there’s that. Breaking news, as I was about to turn this in, Cros has been picked up by his old team for rest of the season, so he’ll be on the MadParts Kawi team.
22 | 74 | Logan Karnow
Karnow’s got a good point about being a tad upset that he’s made three mains in a row, finished all three, and just has three points on the year. Like, there’s almost always a dude who crashes out in a main and you get that spot. And yet for him, everyone has finished! Also, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Logan also bailed out on coming with us to a Gentleman’s Club after the race. No one tell Only Fans about this shocking development, please.
Thanks for reading Observations! Email me at matthes@racerxonline.com if you want to chat about this or anything else. We’re onto Detroit!
