The Championship Lead
No matter what happens, it sure seems like no single rider has been able to make a break for it in the points. The same held true in Detroit, where Chase Sexton won, but was penalized seven points for jumping in a red cross section. Cooper Webb beat Eli Tomac, but only by a single spot, meaning he was only able to put two points on him. Now, heading into Seattle, Webb’s championship advantage is just three points over Tomac. A win for Tomac puts the red plate back on his bike no matter what, but if the points go the other way, we just might see the beginning of a run for Webb. -Aaron Hansel
Run it Back
What a heartbreak Detroit turned out to be for Aaron Plessinger. After coming on like a locomotive and leading 20 of 23 laps, the Red Bull KTM rider made a mistake on the second-to-last lap that sent him flying through the air, halfway disconnected from his machine. Just like that, he was out of the very race in which he should have taken his first 450SX win. It’s not all bad, however! Plessinger has been hot lately, and if he was able to check out like that in Detroit, he can do it again. Will it happen in Seattle? -Hansel
Booster Shot
We all know the talking points with Sexton—he’s routinely faster than anyone but makes mistakes. Well, that didn’t happen in Detroit. Sexton rode an impeccable race, didn’t push too hard in his attempt to catch Plessinger, and was rewarded with a win for his speed and discipline when he was able to take advantage of Plessinger’s misfortune. Yes, he lost valuable points when he was penalized for jumping on a red cross, but that aside, his riding was amazing and he stayed off the dirt. That’s a great sign for Sexton moving forward. -Hansel
Season High
Hey you know who’s been improving steadily lately? Christian Craig, that’s who! The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider was hovering just outside the top ten early in the season, but lately he’s been in the seven-eight range. He improved on that in Detroit too, logging a season high of sixth place. Could it be that Craig is starting to put the pieces together with his new team? -Hansel
Season High Redux
Craig wasn’t the only rider to notch a season high in Detroit—both the Hill brothers did too! Josh and Justin have both been improving steadily over the course of the season, with their efforts culminating in Detroit with Joshing notching tenth, and Justin seventh. The timing couldn’t be better, either, as the series heads into Seattle this weekend, which is the hometown race for the Hill Bros. Will their upward trajectory continue in the Pacific Northwest? -Hansel
Season High Redux, Redux
There must have been something in the air in Detroit (we’re not talking about a severe chill either), because Benny Bloss also scored his best finish of the year, an eleventh. It comes one week after a crash-filled night in Indianapolis, where Bloss didn’t even end up competing in the 450SX main event, so the great ride in Detroit was likely a nice bit of redemption for Bloss. If he keeps it up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the top ten in Seattle. -Hansel
250SX West Refresher
Different coast, different Lawrence. That’s right, when the 250SX West Region left off after Oakland it was Jett Lawrence in the lead by 20 points over RJ Hampshire, who holds second by a single point over Cameron McAdoo. As far as the win tally goes, Lawrence owned three of the four races, with Levi Kitchen breaking through for his first win at Anaheim 2. With a healthy championship lead, Lawrence is in the driver’s seat, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily going to take it easy. Remember when he jumped that big quad in Oakland for no reason in his heat race? No matter what happens though it’s going to be fun to see the boys out west back in the saddle. -Hansel
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 223 |
2 | R.J. Hampshire | Hudson, FL | 186 |
3 | Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 156 |
4 | Enzo Lopes | Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | 149 |
5 | Mitchell Oldenburg | Alvord, TX | 131 |
250 or 450
With the exception of last week’s 250 heat race between Haiden Deegan and Jordon Smith, the last couple 250SX East rounds have been slightly lack luster in the excitement department, with Hunter Lawrence running away. Luckily the 450SX class has more than made up for it with some of the best racing we have ever seen. Just think back to the days of Jeremy McGrath or Ricky Carmichael and how boring it was to watch them win week in and week out. Will the 250SX West Coast be more exciting to watch this weekend or will the 450SX class steal the show once again? - Sarah Whitmore
Surprise
The weather in Seattle this weekend is supposed to be, you guessed it, cold and rainy! Rain is forecasted for Thursday and Friday, and while I am sure the DirtWurx crew will do their best to cover the track they can only do so much to battle Mother Nature. I'm not sure why a city known for rain would have an open stadium in the first place, but a good mudder is always fun to watch. -Whitmore
Momentum
The last time we saw RJ Hampshire line up he won a 450 heat race in Daytona. Smooth and calculated he made none of the typical blunders we have often seen from him. Did he learn something from his time on the 450 that he can carry back over to the 250? Do we see him mistake free and battling for the win in Seattle? -Whitmore