The 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship is done and dusted. Three champions have been crowned as the season came to a conclusion at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Former pro Jason Thomas was on hand at for the finale, so we fired some questions his way to get his thoughts on different aspects of the race day.
We’ve seen all kinds of conditions in Salt Lake City over the years. Hot weather, heavy rain, even snow! This year we had semi-dry, then wet, dirt. Does that make it tough to prepare for a race, or get setup handled correctly, when you have no idea what the conditions will be like on race day?
Somewhat but we have also seen all kinds of weather recently with the whirlwind of Atlanta, East Rutherford, Nashville, and Denver leading up to the finale. I would guess the teams and riders were ready for anything.
The elevation is usually more of a concern than anything but that could also be less of an issue after Denver, too. Adjusting the ECU mapping and finding the right gearing are two big focal points when a drastic change of elevation occurs. Many of the 250 riders are forced to start in first gear, for example. That would never happen in any other situation. That, in turn, effects the starting ECU map which is based on RPM. The optimal RPM for a first gear start versus second would likely be different, requiring a different setting on the map. Little details that significantly affect the result.
Aaron Plessinger was second in Salt Lake City. The field was depleted, yes, but he was well on his way to winning in Detroit when the field was still deep. What’d you think of this ride, and what were his strengths on Saturday night?
I think it was an opportunity that he took advantage of. Do I think he would have gotten second with Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, Ken Roczen, Jason Anderson, Justin Barcia, and co. all healthy? No, I do not. That’s not something he can control, though. When the door is open, like it was on Saturday, you have to walk through it. He did just that.
![Aaron Plessinger]()
Aaron Plessinger Align Media ![Justin Hill]()
Justin Hill Align Media ![Plessinger and Hill]()
Plessinger and Hill Align Media
Similar question as above, but with Justin Hill. Yes, the field was depleted, but he’s been riding very good lately. What’d you think of his performance in Salt Lake City?
It was similar, but he had been building up to this type of result. He had been visually improving each week. East Rutherford seemed like a great chance to break out but the weather changed the dynamic a bit. Both he and AP7 made the most of what was offered, Hill’s ride was just a little bit more of a culmination of improvement.
Cooper Webb and Ken Roczen ended the year tied in points for third place, with Webb getting the nod on account of his higher win tally. How bad does that sting for a guy like Roczen, especially after DNFing the main? Is it something guys of his level get upset about, or is it a minor detail?
Deep down, I think he understands that Webb was on his way to beating him in the points chase. I don’t think he was even thinking about this possibility on Saturday morning in Nashville. Having a remote shot at it was all upside. Having said that, he surely thought it was a no brainer on Saturday morning in Salt Lake City, too. This sport can be an emotional roller coaster like that. Anytime we begin to assume, we are usually shown why that’s a bad idea. It would be interesting to know the financial ramifications involved but unless he feels transparent, we likely won’t.
A thin 450SX field is an opportunity for privateers to really shine. Name a few riders who stood out to you in Utah, in terms of seizing the opportunity.
It’s such a great chance for many of these guys to get career best finishes. Devin Simonson really stood out with his ninth-place finish. He had been on the bubble for many of the 250 races he entered. To jump from that precarious situation to a ninth in a 450 main is nothing short of awesome. I don’t care who was there or wasn’t there, he will get to remember that result forever. I also wanted to tip my cap to Tristan Lane and Hunter Schlosser who not only made the main event, they put in solid laps and landed 13th and 15th, respectively. Often times, you’ll see riders like that qualify and then do nothing with it. These guys didn’t waste their moment.
![Tristan Lane]()
Tristan Lane Align Media ![Hunter Schlosser]()
Hunter Schlosser Align Media
Jett Lawrence put an aggressive move on RJ Hampshire to take over the lead in the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Showdown. With the championship already clinched, and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship just around the corner, were you surprised at all to see Lawrence still going for it like that?
I was! Jett is usually very calculated with his passes and avoids contact. I’m not sure if it was a byproduct of the track being extremely one-lined or payback for the East Rutherford pass attempt but either way, he made his move and then simply checked out. It was a statement win for a rider that many have pegged as a future 450 champ. After so much 250 dominance, it was a fitting send off.
Related: Jett Lawrence on 2023 Salt Lake City SX, Win in Final 250SX Race
Take us through Max Anstie’s night. He’s usually very, very good in wet conditions, yet he ended up seventh in Salt Lake City and ended up third in the points, a single point behind Haiden Deegan in second. Did he look like he was struggling to you? If so, what seemed to be the issue?
I think the seventh sounds a little worse than it was. He was attempting to pass for fifth on the last lap and ended up costing himself not only a chance there but also allowed Hunter Lawrence to make a move, too. He went from potentially moving forward for an upbeat fifth to a frustrated seventh. To make matters worse, that cost him second place in the championship, too. Remember the emotional roller coaster I mentioned a few questions ago? Perfect example of the wicked swings this sport can induce.
How excited is Tom Vialle, especially after a tough race in Utah (14th), to close the book on supercross for the year and make his mark in motocross?
It’s been a wild ride. Leaving Houston, I thought he had a chance to be a top five mainstay. He looked the part, able to battle with the top guys. He wasn’t able to maintain that level week in and week out, though, and I believe the whoops can be pointed to as to why. If the whoops were easy, he seemed to be a factor (think Daytona before his crash). When they were brutally tough, he just couldn’t overcome the time lost there. Whoops are one of the most critical aspects to success at the elite level and anytime they are a clear liability, the end result will suffer. He didn’t even begin SX practice in full until October so I think it would be foolish to expect him to be on the level of Hunter Lawrence or Nate Thrasher when they have years of this under their belt. My sole hope for Vialle was that he would stay healthy during SX so that he could have a fair shot at Pro Motocross. I don’t have any preconceived notions of how he will fare, I just wanted him to enter the season at 100 percent.
