Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb headed into the twelfth round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross at Glendale tied in points, but a mediocre night for Webb helped Tomac leave with the points lead. The racing action was close all night, albeit maybe not as intense as most Triple Crown races. Still there were plenty of talking points on the night, as such we sent some questions over to longtime pro-turned-pit-reporter, Jason Thomas, to give us his take from Glendale.
What is it with Levi Kitchen and the Triple Crown Format? He won one earlier this year, and he was great again in Glendale, going 3-2-2 for third overall. Both times Kitchen has been on the box have been Triple Crown races. Is this coincidental or is there something about the format that seems to suit him?Much like Jett’s troubles in these events, I think it’s merely coincidence. Levi has shown an ability to run up front both indoors and out, so I don’t think it’s an aberration. He is going to be one of the title favorites in 2024 as he continues to learn SX. Remember, he has been hurt during most of his SX tenure, so he doesn’t have as much experience as even guys much younger than him.
Why didn’t more riders go to a jump line in the whoops? It looked like most guys opted to keep blitzing, despite the whoops badly deteriorating. There were also plenty of big crashes, and near-crashes, in that section.
I walked out onto the racetrack after the main event, and I could see why they weren’t jumping. The whoops were super steep and jagged, meaning they would have jumped high and slow versus a quick hop-skip-jump option that sometimes comes to fruition. When riders are forced to slow down to jump, that method really loses its effectiveness. Blitzing was clearly faster but incredibly treacherous, too. I stood there for a solid five minutes just trying to work out the physics of how blitzing can even happen in whoops that blown out. They were like weirdly angled parking curbs.
Speaking of near crashes in the whoops, how about RJ Hampshire’s save in them? How is that even possible? In those situations, is he actively making moves to save it, or is he just hanging on and hoping it turns out okay?
That’s just showbiz baby! Seriously, though, RJ has made a living out of saving near crashes. He lives life on the edge! I could never have raced this way but for RJ, it’s just another day at the office. From my perspective, he’s just hanging on, but I think his limit for near crashing is much higher than most mortals.
Cooper Webb got into Jason Anderson in a corner in Glendale, and Anderson retaliated immediately in the next turn. Do the two moves cancel each other out, or does the incident remain in the memory banks?
I don’t think there will be any residual beef there. Had Webb tried another move on the outside that night, though, Anderson would have blasted him to Tucson. Webb got a little aggressive (more contact than he wanted, too) and knew he better give Anderson the line or he would pick a fight with a rider who is a true artist at aggressive riding. Webb’s urgency to get to the front was apparent, though. The points are getting oh-so-important as we inch closer to SLC.
After coming into the weekend tied with Webb, Eli Tomac stacked seven points on him in Glendale. What did you see as being Webb’s weakness in Glendale, and how much of a mental blow, if any, does the point swing deal to Webb?
He just has a tough time at Glendale overall. The hard-packed dirt doesn’t allow him to utilize the inside lines that he loves. The brutal whoops don’t allow him to utilize his jumping skill set as they deteriorate. With six rounds of data to support the thesis, it’s hard to argue any other way than it’s just one of the more difficult rounds of the series for him.
How do you rate Chase Sexton’s night in Glendale? He didn’t get the win he needed to breathe some life into his championship fight, but he did ride extremely well and stayed off the ground. Win, lose, or draw?
I think the championship is becoming something of a prayer now so I would be looking for individual weekends of success. He rode very well and minus the stall, executed three races relatively mistake free. I know he’s there to win and only win but I consider Glendale a success for the 23.
Take us through Kevin Moranz turning himself into a missile off the start in the third 450SX race. He came in extremely hot. What’s the probability of him making that work without roughing anyone up?
Most of the start by Moranz was fine. He got a great jump and was able to get to the first corner with the elite crew of Tomac, Nichols, and Sexton. The trouble comes when he is supposed to be braking and stick to the inside. He does brake but for some reason, he lets off the brakes and coasts for about 10 feet right as he’s approaching the apex. That coasting pushes him into Tomac as he should be braking hard and turning. He then high sides over Tomac’s rear wheel as he’s going far too fast by then.
He could have been second or third here pretty easily had he stayed hard on the brakes and tucked inside of Tomac. I’m not sure if the contact with Sexton forced him to unleash the brakes or if he simply chose violence when the gate dropped. Either way, he paid the biggest price, but he did cause Sexton to lose about 6-7 spots in the process.
As to the question of probabilities, if you’re going to let off the brakes entering the most critical juncture of the first turn, you’re likely to have an unpleasant encounter with someone, the Glendale soil, or both.
