Lapped Traffic

We saw traffic get in the way quite a bit last week at Hangtown in the 450 class. The lead group was getting into lappers who were involved in battles of their own for points-paying positions inside the top 20. Those situations can make for some dicey encounters, for leaders and lappers alike, both of whom have plenty at stake in their respective positions. This is partly because of the reduced depth of the 450 Class, but plenty of riders said Hangtown was pretty one-lined, which could have also contributed, at least in part, to some of the issues in getting around lappers involved in their own battles. We’ll see if that situation is any different at Thunder Valley. -Hansel

Making Hay

Thin field or not, the bonuses still pay the same, and there are plenty of guys taking advantage of the accessibility of top 10 finishes right now. The first name that pops out from last Saturday has got to be Ty Masterpool, who went 7-7 for sixth overall at Hangtown. Sixth! In the 450 class! Regardless of who was or wasn’t there, the history books will forever reflect Masterpool’s excellent ride at Hangtown, a result most riders dream about. Well, now he’s got it. Will he do it again at Thunder Valley? -Hansel 

Well, That Escalated Quickly

With just three AMA Pro Motocross races under his belt before Hangtown, Haiden Deegan went out and won the first moto in grand, and dominant, fashion by holeshotting and leading every single lap of the way. He was great in supercross, and the possibility of him being really good in motocross wide open, but after going 34, 24, 16, and 10, in the first four pro motos of his life in 2022, the thought that he’d be winning wire-to-wire this quickly wasn’t exactly widespread. He was clearly having fun doing it too, throwing out whips all over the place on the first lap at Hangtown. We’ll see if the kid can do it again, and have fun doing it, at Thunder Valley. -Hansel

Third Round’s the Charm

Justin Cooper is good at Thunder Valley. In the five times he’s raced there, he’s only been off the box once, last year, and even then, he was fourth overall. He’s also won there twice. He’s on the right equipment too—the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing bikes are renowned for horsepower, something the teams are always scrambling for at Thunder Valley’s high, power-robbing elevation. Will the Colorado track mark the site of Cooper’s first victory in 2023? -Hansel

Breaking Out

There were a slew of 250 riders who looked amazing at different points of the day last week at Hangtown. Guillem Farres was impressive, especially when he held Hunter Lawrence for several laps in the first moto, Ryder DiFrancesco looked great, Chance Hymas put in an eye-opening ride in the second moto, and Jalek Swoll was good too, just one week after crashing hard and DNF’ing at Fox Raceway! Will this wave of 250 speed gain amplitude at Thunder Valley? -Hansel 

History Repeating

Last year Levi Kitchen got his first ever moto win at Thunder Valley. After a so-so start to the season with 9-8 finishes he could really use a breakout ride to set himself apart from that fifth to 12th pack. Will it happen for him again in Colorado? -Sarah Whitmore

Moving Up

With about 20 guys with factory rides in the 250 class and only eight in the 450 class, riders are starting to realize it might be easier to get points in the premier class. Ty Masterpool moved up last weekend at Hangtown and Garrett Marchbanks is going back to the 450 class this weekend in Thunder Valley. Will we see any more riders making the switch? -Whitmore

Rookies

As mentioned, the 250 class is loaded with talent, with many of them being young rookies. Haiden Deegan has by far been outshining his classmates as he sits in second place in points with the next closest newcomer being Ryder DiFrancesco sitting in tenth. Can guys like Chance Hymas, Jett Reynolds, Caden Braswell, and Talon Hawkins start breaking into the top ten? -Whitmore