One interesting aspect of attacking Spring Creek is having confidence in front end traction. The fast right-hand corners after the start head downhill and the front tire wants to push in the sand. This is a years old theme and having the confidence to stay in the throttle as the front end gets wonky is not easy. The same concept applies to the fast right hander after the sand whoops, leading up to the Chadapult. The front end wants to push and the only way to maintain traction is to lean forward and chase it with acceleration. These fast corners often come with long ruts, making the job even harder. They are often where passes get made, too, riders simply riding around their competitor when push comes to shove. One other section to watch is coming down the aforementioned Mt. Martin. That downhill is infinitely steeper than television cameras can portray. The fact that riders grab a handful of throttle and actually accelerate down a vertical slope is an underreported fact. Imagine facing the steepest downhill you’ve ridden down and not only letting off the brakes, which is scary enough, but instead, you upshift and turn the throttle to the stops. That’s the ask for the very best. Wild.

Who’s Hot

Jo Shimoda threw down a 1-1 when opportunity arose. He is still a gaggle of points down in the championship but winning is a solid way to offset any woes.

Michael Mosiman put in a feel-good podium performance at RedBud. He’s a different cat but it’s hard to not smile when he does well, regardless of who you root for.

Jalek Swoll has been remarkable in his early return from an Achilles injury. It felt like his long-term future at Triumph was becoming less certain, but the last few weeks have tossed that narrative out the window.

Levi Kitchen’s results were not what he hoped for, but the riding is superb. If the riding is this good, the results will come.

Jettson Lawrence did Jett things at RedBud. He is a bad, bad man.

Chase Sexton’s first moto was puzzling, but he arrived on the scene in moto two. The pace shown as he and Jett separated themselves was elite.

Hunter Lawrence might not be quite as good as Jett, but, honestly, who is? He’s doing a fantastic job this summer.

Justin Cooper will likely take over the SMX World Championship lead this Saturday and his riding has been reflective of that.

Who’s Not

Cooper Webb will miss time with a knee procedure, and we won’t see him again until the opening round of the SMX playoffs in North Carolina.

Eli Tomac has been missing that elite intensity he’s known for, and his results are showing it. The engine failure isn’t his fault but I’m more concerned with his ability to challenge at the very front.

Jason Anderson is having an awful time out there. It’s not much fun when things just can’t seem to go your way. Been there and can confirm.

Colt Nichols would call a timeout if this was a football game. He is struggling to show his potential and is likely scratching his head on a weekly basis.

Aaron Plessinger lost a ton of points with his illness and is now a longshot for the SMX points lead as the series winds down. The second seed is still very much in play, though.