What about in terms of raciness and passing opportunities?
These SMX tracks are difficult to pass on by nature. The combination of a tighter layout without many 180 degree turns for block passes, coupled with the lack of whoops, all equal more following than normal. Riders needed to be creative and opportunistic when looking to make moves. I did appreciate the option sections, as they created natural opportunities. Jett Lawrence’s pass on Eli Tomac was in one of these areas and that was likely not a coincidence. Engineering more passing zones would be a good area of focus for future years.

Some of the biggest news from the weekend is Chase Sexton DNF’ing after getting landed on by Justin Barcia on the opening lap of the first 450 moto. Walk us how this situation happened. Was anyone at fault or was it simply a racing incident?
Racing on the first lap is always a close quarters situation. There is no room to move around or get creative on line selection. Riders in every direction are all acting in good faith that everyone will do what they are expected to do. If someone veers off that expectation, there is often a price to pay. In this scenario, Sexton was trying to move to his right to protect that inside and shorten the track, knowing the field would be unable to double the upcoming big double. Expecting Sexton to hold his line, Barcia doubled right into the space that Sexton leaned into. It was a racing incident but in hindsight, I think the urgency of a bad start, the Hondas out front, and the winner-take-all scenario led to Sexton forcing a maneuver he ordinarily wouldn’t. It was a subtle move to protect his inside but when riders are that bunched together, any lateral move is going to be dicey.

With Sexton being out, did that affect strategy for Jett and Hunter Lawrence?
I’m not sure if the strategy changed as they both needed to win to ensure the championship, but I would guess the mindset shifted a bit. Knowing that the championship would likely stay in the family had to offer some reassurance but one of them would still be on the outside looking in. I view it more as, the pressure gauge was lowered but the goal remained the same.

Eli Tomac gapped Jett Lawrence in the first moto, but then made a mistake and missed the rhythm in the double-quad-quad section, which allowed Lawrence to get right back on him late in the race. Do you think Lawrence would have caught Tomac if he hadn’t made that mistake?
Jett found a few lines in the second half of moto one that really paid off. The benefit of following the lead rider is that you can analyze his strengths and weaknesses around the racetrack. As long as you can maintain the gap while trying alternative lines, there is a lot of upside in being the rider in second place. Jett was able to try things, build a gameplan, and then execute it when he got to Tomac’s rear wheel. I don’t singularly point to the Tomac mistake, as I think Jett would have pushed the intensity as the laps wound down anyway. Finding a way around in those other laps was much more critical. It could have very easily been a situation where Jett got to his wheel but couldn’t do anything with it. His ability to immediately strike once he got close was set up by watching Tomac’s lines for the better part of fifteen minutes.

Speaking of Tomac, he’s already looking as good, possibly even better, than he looked at any point during supercross earlier this year. How do you explain his sudden return to form?
I don’t think he was 100 percent for most of the SX season. Two months of prep after an injury as significant as an Achilles tear is not sufficient. He came in behind the curve and battled to catch up all season long. We really saw what he’s capable of at St. Louis, that was vintage Tomac. This thumb injury he suffered over the summer was much less debilitating than the Achilles injury. He would be able to cross train and maintain physical conditioning versus the full stoppage that an Achilles forces. That off-the-bike training makes a huge difference in how long it takes to get back to one’s best. The base he began from over the summer was leagues higher than where he would have began in October, 2023.

Justin Cooper had a small fracture in his collarbone and didn’t even ride practice on Friday. Yet, somehow he still went 5-7 for sixth overall. How is this possible?
The hairline fracture likely was a pain management issue on Saturday. The collarbone isn’t a joint so mobility would be painful but not structurally impacted. He likely skipped Friday just to reduce the ask on his collarbone and avoid soreness on Saturday morning. Riding through injuries typically puts a cap on how many laps are manageable. Pain and inflammation are the enemy, so doing the least amount possible helps mitigate those. He was simply saving every ounce of strength and grit he had for when it mattered. He could get a non-narcotic pain shot, such as Toradol, for the motos and then fight through the jarring pain to finish the season.

Pierce Brown looked amazing in both motos. He didn’t let Haiden Deegan check out in the first moto and ran away from him in the second to get his first win. Where did this sudden explosion of speed and mistake-free riding come from?
I was incredibly impressed by Brown. We have seen rides like this before at Vegas, but more often in May. When we had the “showdown” main event that was for prize money and bragging rights but not the championship, we saw unexpected results. Wins by riders like Ryan Sipes and Andrew Short long before their prime are good examples. The question will now be if Brown can make that level of performance the norm, versus the outlier.