Round ten of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship played out over the weekend in Detroit, and the action was some of the wildest we’ve seen all year. That’s saying a lot too, since this season has already been pretty crazy! There was drama in the 250SX class before it was even time for the main event, Chase Sexton avoided crashes to get a win, only to be docked seven points for jumping in a red cross section, and Aaron Plessinger came about as close as you can get to winning his first 450SX race before experiencing heartbreak. To get an educated perspective on all the chaos, we turned to former pro, Jason Thomas.
It was cold at Ford Field over the weekend! Ricky Carmichael even mentioned how the frigid conditions can affect how motorcycles operate—fluids are much more viscous at lower temperatures. With it being so cold in The D, did you notice anybody struggling with setup, particularly with fork adjustments?
It seemed like most of the factory teams were doing a good job of keeping the bikes warm, whether inside the semi or a protected area outside it. The tunnel was brutally cold, though, so that could have definitely been a priority in the moments before each race.
I do think riders themselves had a hard time staying warm, too. As mentioned, the tunnel was easily the coldest location of the entire venue and that’s where riders were stranded for minutes before their time to perform. Each time I even wandered toward that area I started shivering and had to get out of the wind created by that open tunnel. Hunter Lawrence made mention of it several times during the day, about how hard it was to get warm enough to ride his best. If I had been riding, I would have tried to stay in the semi or a warm area until the very last minute and then go straight to the starting line. Sitting in that tunnel for any sort of extended period would certainly have negative effects on the first few laps of any race.
Jordan Smith and Haiden Deegan had a lively heat race, to say the least, with Smith going down and eventually pulling out of the heat. Take us through the on-track interchanges between the two, and whether or not you thought it was warranted. Were you surprised to it play out the way it did?
I was surprised, yes. This was only a qualifying heat race and that’s a very important thing to note. The goal here is to put yourself in the best possible position for the main event, promote your team and sponsors, and if available, win the race. Nowhere in that plan is a back-and-forth fracas with your teammate. Even worse, one that leaves a member of your own team on the ground.
The first move, exiting the whoops, was a bit aggressive for my taste but nothing to shout about. If that was the only move executed, I probably wonder if that was the best play but move on pretty quickly. The problem is when you enter the next turn, wait for your teammate, then try to pin him into the berm again. If that wasn’t enough, Haiden pulled the same move in the next turn, actually making hard contact this time. By my count, that’s three corners in a row where a teammate, at best, went for a block pass, and at worst, intended for contact on his teammate. That’s simply over the line in my book. I understand he, his family, and his legion of fans will disagree and that’s okay. I’m not out to talk poorly on him or anything like that. This is purely about analyzing the actions.
In the final encounter, Jordon got overly aggressive in his own right and tried to push Haiden out of the 90degree right hander. Jordon surely was seeing red by this point and should have taken the high road. He is a veteran and has to realize the situation doesn’t reward retaliation. He paid the price with his crash and all of the issues afterwar. He is not blameless here but I do not believe he was looking for any sort of altercation whatsoever, either. Sometimes disengaging is the smarter path, especially in a race that doesn’t pay championship points.
I also wanted to mention that I struggled with Haiden’s take on the incident when asked in the press conference. Saying, "I wasn’t paying attention," is not really a valid response, in my opinion. The comments about "He’s [Smith] fifth in points," also didn’t resonate well with me, as at that point of the night, he was ahead of Haiden in the points chase and things looked much different. He didn’t seem to have any regret or remorse over the entire ordeal and I think that’s a miss. Haiden is only 17 years old and every experience is a great opportunity to learn. The only way to learn is to have some level of humility when things don’t go perfectly, though. He’s certainly entitled to think and say whatever he feels is appropriate, but I just felt like it was a lost opportunity to reflect on it, understand that maybe it could have been executed differently, and vow to add it to his list of learning moments.
Again, it’s very important to note he is still very young and it’s not fair to expect him to handle every situation perfectly. I know I certainly didn’t at that age, or at 27, or 37. I do think he has a chance to be a superstar in this sport and figuring out the nuances earlier will do nothing but help him.
As mentioned above, Smith didn’t end up finishing his heat race and ended up with last gate pick in the LCQ. Should he have stayed in the heat to try to get a better gate pick for the LCQ?
Well, he crashed three times and was not going to gain much by staying out there. In this scenario, it’s often a better move to get some separation from the pack, go to that outside gate, and let your factory 250 engine help cure what ails you. The most important thing was to get a great jump so he could immediately begin moving left once able. Without a good jump, you end up on the outside allllll the way around the first corner and pinned against the Tuff Blocks. He had to be near panic on the first lap stuck behind the back markers.
He put in a heroic charge to the back of Jack Chambers but his choosing to go outside instead of inside in the final corner was just one more miss on a night full of them. In hindsight (granted, it’s easy for me to Monday-morning quarterback), he should have trailed Chambers into the corner until he goes to lean into the rut and then go for a hard block pass. One, or both of them, could very likely end up on the ground there but it’s the only real chance of a pass. It’s an opportunity I think Jordon would like back.
There was no FanFest in Detroit. Does this lead to a more relaxed environment in the paddock during the afternoon, or is it the opposite, with teams having to conduct business inside the haulers?
It’s a very different feel overall. I have been to literally hundreds and hundreds of SX events over the last 40 years. The FanFest (pits) area is a normal part of the weekend and gives fans a chance to interact, get autographs, pictures, etc. Not having that at Detroit every year is a bummer but there’s simply nowhere to do it! The downtown area leaves no available area for that large footprint needed. It leads to a lot of talking inside the venue, though, which isn’t always a bad thing. To your question, the environment is much more relaxed, yes.
Let’s put Aaron Plessinger’s crash aside until the next question—he was incredible before that! Plessinger’s been on the upswing lately but his ride in Detroit was something else. Where do these out-of-nowhere hero rides come from? Does something like this help or hurt his mindset moving forward
I. Have. No. Idea. Where. That. Ride. Came. From. He was absolutely gone! Sexton seemed to match his pace and even cut into the lead late, but for the first half of the race, no one was touching Plessinger. Sometimes everything just clicks and you get into this zone where you have intensity, your lines are working, and you can put in your best possible laps. I’ve felt it before so I know what AP was going through to an extent, but man, it was impressive.
About that crash. In his post-race interview with you, Plessinger mentioned he navigated that section standing up for the first time all race. Why would he change it up when he was about to win? Did it have something to do with the lappers? Is it possible a lack of focus crept in with the checkers looming?
Even he couldn’t explain it! That’s not a big no-no or anything, it just didn’t work in this scenario. However the geometry worked, his foot was in a different spot than when sitting and it caught the edge of the rut. That’s not something anyone can predict or prepare for. Several riders stood through that rut throughout the day. I do think it’s a good idea to just try to do exactly the same thing you have been doing when it gets that close to the checkered flag, though. Changing lines or any variation can up the risk factor, especially when nerves are peaking. I would guess there was a wide range of thoughts going through his mind at that point and could have contributed to the momentary lack of focus. Think about Sexton’s last lap crashes over the years and I would say something similar is to blame. It only takes an instant for a small mistake to turn very costly at that speed.
Which 450SX title contender won biggest in Detroit? Chase Sexton avoided crashing and won the race, but was docked seven points for jumping in a red cross section. Cooper Webb extended his points lead but got beat by Sexton. Tomac bounced back after a bad night in Indianapolis to finish third, put more points on Sexton thanks to Sexton’s penalty, but still lost two points to Webb.
I think Webb came out looking the best. He beat Tomac, which is the biggest concern for now, and passed him to do it. He extended his points lead over the race winner somehow, too. He didn’t seem very happy after the race but I think the night was a win when taking a big picture view.
