Back in the Saddle

Due to a badly broken arm and wrist, which required surgery, we haven’t seen Seth Hammaker race at all in 2023. That’ll change at RedBud, however, when the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider lines up this weekend. We know Hammaker is good, he got a bunch of top 10’s last year and even won a supercross in 2021, but he’ll be racing against guys who’ve been in the groove all year. Don’t expect him to move mountains in his first race of the year. -Hansel

Tantalizingly Close

Haiden Deegan was oh-so-close to winning another moto at High Point before RJ Hampshire snuck by him on the final lap. He’s also had a very real shot at winning the overall at Hangtown. With rides like this, one has to think Deegan is likely to score his first overall win at some point this summer. Is it possible he breaks through and bests the likes of Lawrence, Hampshire, Cooper, Jo Shimoda, and more, at RedBud? -Hansel

Getting Closer

It’s got to be tough for a two-time world champ to compete in a bunch of races without winning, but that’s where Tom Vialle, the 2022 MX2 champ, finds himself right now. The good news is, he was awesome in the second moto at High Point and took second, his best result of 2023. Whether you’re coming from Europe to American, or vice versa, racing overseas is no joke, and it can take some time to get into the groove. But if his ride at High Point means anything, it seems as though Vialle is getting closer to where he wants to be. -Hansel

Best of the Rest

Jett Lawrence is the best rider in the 250 Class right now and he’s got the perfect record to prove it. But behind him? Well, nobody has really stepped up to claim the best-of-the-rest title. Dylan Ferrandis is second in points, Cooper Webb and Aaron Plessinger have both had flashes of brilliance, and Adam Cianciarulo was back on the podium at High Point. Yet nobody clearly stands out as the best in that group. Will this start to change at RedBud? -Hansel

Back on the Box

As mentioned above, Cianciarulo was back on the podium at High Point with a third overall. At one point he was even battling Ken Roczen for the lead! Afterward he jokingly quipped on Instagram that, “Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.” He’s still got a ways to go if he’s going to be consistently challenging for wins, but sometimes all it takes is one success to knock down the next domino. We’ll see if AC can back it up at RedBud. -Hansel

Anderson

After a suffering a non-displaced fracture in his neck at the Nashville supercross Jason Anderson is back on the bike and lining up at Red Bud. Anderson had his best outdoor season to date in 2022 when he won Hangtown and Budds Creek against Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton. It may take him a couple of rounds to get up to podium speed, but it will be nice to have another guy battling in the 450 class. -Sarah Whitmore

The Champ Is Back

This year’s supercross champion, Chase Sexton, is confirmed in for Red Bud. For all of the fans saying the 450 class has been a snoozefest, this should liven things up a bit. Even though the last time Sexton and Jett Lawrence faced off on this track back at the 2022 Motocross of Nations, Lawrence came out on top, one can bet that Sexton wants to put an end to Lawrences perfect season. Whether that happens this weekend at Red Bud we will see. -Whitmore

The Leap

Red Bud recently posted ariel views of the track and there seems to be some interesting changes with the layout. Mainly after the floater downhill triple the track does not turn left immediately towards the sand rollers but continues straight and then turns left straight up to LaRocco’s Leap. This opens up the corner significantly and riders should be able to carry much more speed through it. Will this mean more guys on 250’s will be able to jump it? This also puts the sand rollers as one of the last obstacles before the finish, excellent for last ditch effort passes. -Whitmore