Controlled Environment
It’s been an absolutely wild season so far, with a huge factor being weather, which created wet tracks that have rapidly deteriorated. Not surprisingly, the desire for a roof has been mentioned in plenty of post-race interviews lately. Well, we’ll have one in St. Louis, a venue that’s also known for great dirt. How will things play out when the gate drops in Missouri? -Aaron Hansel
Red Streak
Getting a win is no doubt the primary objective for Jo Shimoda and HRC Honda at this point, but Shimoda has got to feel good about his ride in Seattle. Yes, he had a mediocre start and crashed early, but despite those setbacks, he still came back and took third. If he got on the box after all that, imagine what he can do with a good start in St. Louis! -Hansel
Rebound Ride
Jordon Smith’s night in Seattle was disastrous. He was holding down second place for quite a while but crashed in a rhythm section that’d been taking riders down all night. He had troubles getting going again too and ended up in 14th. In the standings he went from being four points out of the lead to 21 points back of Levin Kitchen. Ouch! The title seems unlikely at this point, but he can still get wins. Can he ease the sting by taking the checkers in St. Louis? -Hansel
Level Up
Before Seattle, the only main event wins Kitchen had to his credit came at Triple Crown races. Well, he put a resounding end to that in Seattle by controlling the entire race and winning by a huge margin in a regular main event format. He extended his lead to eight points over RJ Hampshire too, and with another Triple Crown happening this weekend, things are looking pretty good for Kitchen. -Hansel
Counterattack
As good as Kitchen is this season, Hampshire is still very much in this title fight. He looks to be on his heels just a bit after Seattle, however, where he never really had an answer to Kitchen’s speed and domination. If he wants to stay in this thing he needs to throw a counter punch, in the form of a race win, and yank some of those points back from Kitchen. -Hansel
Back on the Horse
After not racing since hurting his shoulder at Hangtown, Michael Mosiman made a return to racing in Seattle with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing squad. And despite a hurt ankle, he still did really well. He qualified fastest, thanks to being in the B group and having a perfect track at his disposal, and finished in sixth in the main event, which was the top 250SX result for Star Yamaha. Expect Mosiman to improve as he continues to knock the rust off each weekend. -Hansel
On the Upswing
Filled with ups and downs, racing is nothing short of a roller coaster. Just ask Aaron Plessinger, who got a win and held the red plate this season but wasn’t able to even crack the top five in the three races before Seattle. Well, it would appear that Plessinger is on the beginning of another upswing—he was fantastic in Seattle and even snuck up on Jett Lawrence in third at the end of the main. Can the Cowboy get back on the box in St. Louis? -Hansel
Back to the Future
Supercross Futures is back in St. Louis. The first two rounds have been nothing short of amazing with Cole Davies battling Gavin Towers for the win in Anaheim 2, and then again Davies battled with Drew Adams right to the finish in Daytona, coming up just short. Will this weekend’s race go down to the wire again? -Sarah Whitmore
Number | Rider | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12 | Parker Ross | Herald, CA | Honda CRF250R | |
15 | Gavin Towers | Venetia, PA | Yamaha YZ250F | |
17 | Cole Davies | Waitoki | GasGas MC 250F | |
20 | Tyler Mollet | Stuart, FL | Husqvarna FC 250 | |
22 | Logan Riggins | Easley, SC | KTM 250 SX-F |
Triple the Fun
Even if they aren’t the riders favorite (three starts means two more times they need to make it through the first turn clean), Triple Crowns always mean excitement for the fans. Being the most winningest Triple Crown winner ever, is this one of the last chances for Eli Tomac to get a win this season? -Whitmore
Back on Top
After getting third in Seattle, ending his three-race win streak, Jett Lawrence will be eager to get back to the top step of the podium this weekend. He has already proven in Indy that he can win with a Triple Crown format. Will he pull off another one this weekend? -Whitmore