Round 15 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross wasn’t a full mudder like last week’s New Jersey race, but the conditions were tricky. To get a better understanding of how it played out, we sent questions to former pro Jason Thomas.
So many riders went down in Nashville, and many said it was because of the conditions. Can you explain the soft dirt/hard dirt condition?
The base dirt was incredibly hard but the rain on Thursday softened the top layer. That softer layer never penetrated that base, though, leaving two very different dirt compositions to contend with. As riders worked through the muddy layer, they would be braking in rock hard areas and accelerating through hardened ruts. The transition from soft, sticky mud to ice-like hard pack was immediate and treacherous. Braking hard was applicable in the sticky section but if you didn’t adjust your approach when crossing from that muck to the exposed hardened areas, you would very likely push the front tire. I walked the track at 9:45am, in between qualifying sessions, and the contrast was severe. If you weren’t very attentive to the changing conditions, you were destined to have sketchy moments at best.
The rain on Thursday was the root cause of this. With rain in the forecast, Dirt Wurx would have been very hesitant to add any water at all while building the track. That left the base hardened like cement. When the rains did come, it puddled up on top of the hard pack, creating the those two layers. They never did really mix. Riders had to be extremely mindful because the track was wired to catch you out.
The dragon's back got a lot of attention. What do you think of this obstacle? Is it enough of a separator/passing area to be worth the risk of adding it to a track design?
The top step of the dragon’s back was the issue here. It was significantly higher and sharper than the previous steps. If riders allowed their front end to drop low into that last step, bad things happened.
There were two ways to approach this section:
- Blitz through each step, keeping the front end light, and stepping off even keeled.
- Double or triple up to a step that you could jump off of, clearing the next single
The one thing you absolutely couldn’t do was get lazy when blitzing. That sharp last step would punish even the elite, as Justin Barcia unfortunately experienced. Roczen mentioned that there were certain sections on the Nashville track that demanded respect and caution, this dragon’s back being the most critical.
![Justin Hill]()
Justin Hill Align Media ![Justin Barcia]()
Justin Barcia Align Media
This race started way early. Like, riders had to be on the track earlier here (7 a.m.) than at a Pro Motocross National. Does this schedule mess with a rider?
I will say yes, but with a caveat. For those that live in California, the time change is punishing. Asking your body to perform earlier than you would likely be awake (time change adjusted) is difficult. That 7 a.m. central call in Nashville is equal to going riding at 5 a.m. in California. That is one of the most difficult adjustments each Saturday morning for those that stay in California all summer (Monster Star previously and Pro Circuit Kawasaki currently). You can often see these riders yawning at riders’ meeting as they are simply trying to wake up.
The good news is that by the time racing rolls around, it should be all systems go. There is time to take a nap before opening ceremonies if needed so there’s not really much excuse for being tired by the afternoon. That is, unless you found yourself on Broadway far too late Friday night.
We talked about this on the race review podcast. Two wins in three rounds for Sexton now. Does this mean he's finally figured out the main events?
I have said it before and will say it again, unless Sexton beats himself, he will win more main events than he loses. He is the fastest rider in the class. That’s very hard to argue. Unfortunately, the amount of points he has lost while leading is astonishing. I go into every main event assuming he will win unless he crashes. I don’t think anything has changed on that front. The most likely rider to beat Chase Sexton is Chase Sexton. Nothing has changed on that front.
What caused Cooper Webb to crash in that corner?
Webb made an aggressive move to get past Tomac on the first lap but as they approached the bowl berm at the end of the whoops, Tomac got the optimal position back. Webb pressed, trying to hold the spot but pushed over the main line and lost his front end. It was a simple crash and most times has almost zero ramifications other than a poor gate pick for the main event. In this case, though, he rolled right into Cianciarulo’s line. These things happen in an instant and unfortunately, in a spot where AC was sling-shotting out of that berm. Coming down the berm at full tilt, there was no way AC would have been able to avoid Webb as he’s rolling into traffic. It was a terrible turn of events that, as bad as it was, could have been much worse.
RELATED: Cooper Webb Provides Update Following Nashville SX Heat Race Crash
Hunter Lawrence was getting hurt more than he was racing early in his U.S. development. We've seen that pattern before with riders coming over from the Grand Prix circuit. Did you expect this kind of development in supercross? How hard is it to make this happen?
I don’t know that it was purely supercross that was the culprit. Hunter was hurting himself in Pro Motocross, too. Whatever the issue was, he just couldn’t find any momentum at all. It was a nasty cycle of recurring injuries that just seemed to feed upon itself.
I am going to give credit to his team around him for the improvement. Honda has put a ton of effort into their 250 program and it seems to be paying off for he and brother Jett. They are going to both be SX champions (assuming Jett seals it this Saturday) this year with more titles likely on the horizon. Between the ramped efforts, working with trainer Johnny O’Mara, adding advisors like Michael Byrne, acquiring Chad Reed’s facility for consistent training, and riding daily with Jett, they have quite the process in place.
![Hunter Lawrence with his mechanic Cameron Camera]()
Hunter Lawrence with his mechanic Cameron Camera Align Media ![Hunter and Jett Lawrence]()
Hunter and Jett Lawrence Align Media
Please explain how you, as a privateer racer, would lay in wait for this time of year, when factory dudes were out and it was time to climb the results charts and make more money.
The key was just staying healthy and on your best form. It wasn’t so much about waiting as it was being ready when the time arrived. There is still a lot of pressure and expectation to perform early in the season. When you’re doing terribly at Anaheim or San Diego, no one wants to hear “just wait, I will do really well the last three rounds”. But, if you hurt yourself or can’t perform late in the season, you can miss a great opportunity, too. Look at the results from this weekend. Several riders put in season or even career best results. That’s a normal aspect of the season but it’s up to each individual rider to see the opportunity and rise to the occasion. Everyone is tired, dealing with nagging injuries, and eyeing some time off. Staying focused and understanding the opportunity is hard to do but very important.
Myself, I would be putting in heroic efforts at this point of the year, even though my body was screaming for relief. The final month of the year, many are thinking outdoors or simply don’t have their head in the game. I wanted to take advantage of their complacency and sneak in great results. It happens in both SX and MX but only for those willing to dig deeper when the door is cracked.
