The racing doesn't get much better than what the fans were treated to at the second round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross in San Diego! Hard racing, multiple lead changes, and an enthusiastic crowd made for an outstanding night. And, as usual, the action left us with plenty of questions, which we fired off to former pro and NBC on-track analyst, Jason Thomas.
The sun was out all day and temperatures approached 80 degrees at the warmest point. How’d this dynamic affect the racing surface?
I don’t think it played much of a role. The track conditions were perfect all weekend. Eli Tomac talked about how much traction there was and how much it differed from the challenging conditions at A1 a week prior. Kudos to the SMX Track Crew, they hit a home run with this track.
There was a line in the whoops in which guys were able to jump out of the whoops and land on top of the ensuing tabletop. That option was executed very infrequently, however. Is that because it wasn’t actually as fast, or was the risk/reward not favorable enough?
In the final qualifying session, the whoops got to a condition where it became more repeatable. The whoops need to deteriorate to a point where blitzing becomes less effective and also jumping becomes a bit easier. That metamorphosis takes time to evolve. In the main event, the whoops didn’t break down as much so that line didn’t become as effective. It was a great option in the final laps of qualifying, though. Prado’s blitz-to-jump last lap execution was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in 2026. Jason Anderson was doing a similar thing at A1 but the level of difficulty was lower. This Prado move was crazy technical.
There were several ways guys were attacking the section of small jumps after the tabletop that followed the whoops. Most were skimming them like whoops, and others, like Max Vohland were wheel tapping through. A few other riders were consistently just jumping the whole section. Which way do you think worked best?
They were very similar. I think the wheel tap out was a bit faster but I can understand riders not wanting to worry about a highly technical move lap after lap. The main events are often a, “what can I do every single lap,” scenario. This is what riders refer to as the “race line” versus a fast lap/hero line. The time saving was minimal and if it requires more risk and effort, many riders just opt out.
In the long rhythm one of the most popular combos was to go three-three-three-two-two, but some guys were opting to go three-three-three-three-one. What were the advantages and disadvantages of either line?
It really comes down to the level of comfort with doubling into the corner. Landing into the corner required immediate front end traction to catch the rut and double out of the left hander. It was tricky to get exactly right. By going three-one into the corner, riders could approach the corner and double out with less speed and more control. I do believe the two-two was a little quicker if gotten exactly right but that was a tall task to do 15-20 times in a row without mistake. Also, going two-two opened up the possibility of someone forcing a three-one and hard pass to the inside. As with all corner passes, the trailing rider only needs to get to where the lead rider is headed to make the pass. If the trailing rider could go three-one and jump to the apex of the corner where the lead rider would pivot to double out, they could make a difficult pass. It would slow both of them down and be a net negative to the their lap times, but if the pass is the only goal, it was possible. Just another wrinkle to consider when deciding which route to take.
What’d you think of Haiden Deegan’s move on Max Anstie in the 250SX main event? There were a lot of laps left when he put Anstie on the ground.
I know he downplayed it on the podium and said he didn’t mean to but anyone who knows what they’re watching could clearly see he made sure to get his rear tire into Anstie. It was intentional. Max knows it, Haiden knows it, and so do I. I’m not the judge of what’s over the line and what’s not, but if intent is the question, the unequivocable answer is yes.
After the race the crowd booed Deegan so loudly you could barely hear him talking in his postrace interview. Is that the worst you’ve heard a rider get booed, and did you detect any reaction from him when it was happening?
There have definitely been more boo’s but it was notable. Haiden heard it and it’s not the first time. Actually, it’s not the loudest boo’s I have heard even towards Haiden. Denver 2025 was multiples louder than this. That was up there with the loudest. The Ferrandis/Craig incident was up there also.
Cameron McAdoo was fantastic in bouncing back from last place last week to second in San Diego. What was he doing well out there, and did you think he’d be this good this quickly after being away from racing for so long?
Cam is still not on the same level as a year or two ago. He is lacking a bit of raw speed and intensity. Still, he’s overcoming that and putting himself into positive situations. Last week was not his fault so let’s chalk that up to bad luck with Deegs’ accidental cross jump. This week, he got the start, put in solid laps, avoided drama, and remained opportunistic. Anytime you put those actions into your repertoire, it’s very likely going to end in a good result. If you have relatively good pace and can avoid all of the bad things that can befall a main event, good things await. This was a master class on how to manufacture a podium result without necessarily lighting up the timing sheets.
Levi Kitchen was once again in the unenviable position of having to come back after a horrible start. He made it to fourth, which was great, but at what point does the silver lining of doing a great job at salvaging points give way to the reality that he’s getting in the hole in points?
This is a great question and one I was pondering mid main event. Salvaging is only important if there are great results to offset the tougher nights. He is losing points by the handful right now and without wins down the road, it’s all for not. The fact is that he is sixth in points. Sure, a couple of good races could quickly change the narrative here, but sixth in points is not acceptable for someone with the talent and capability of Kitchen. I think he would agree.
Cooper Webb was helped to the ground by Chase Sexton in the 450SX main event. Was this a case of Sexton being aggressive in his charge after hitting the gate, or should Webb have made more of an attempt to yield to Sexton, who had the inside?
It’s a little of both. Sexton had the inside but Coop isn’t going to give quarter when they both need to move forward. This wasn’t a blatant takeout, but when both riders are frustrated and they run out of real estate, something has to give. I do believe that if they were running second and third and had a good A1, there would be more patience exerted. They both have a sense of urgency that can lead to situations like this.
Ken Roczen’s opening lap intensity was mind blowing. After seeing how insanely good he was riding in those opening laps, were you surprised he didn’t pull the trigger faster on Hunter Lawrence?
This is Roczen’s M.O. and always has been. The guy can unleash so much intensity on the opening laps. It’s difficult for anyone to withstand that assault. Hunter did a fantastic job of matching Ken’s attempts. He wasn’t as fast on those early laps but by understanding where Kenny would try to make the move and thwarting it, he was able to negate that onslaught until Kenny came back down to mortal levels. If Kenny gets out front a lap or two earlier, he likely builds a bigger lead and maybe the race goes differently. Anyone who races Kenny regularly knows that the key is to wait him out and keep him close during the fury. If that’s managed, the second half of the race can become an asset.
After the race Eli Tomac mentioned he didn’t know Lawrence was that close behind him. How is a rider of Tomac’s caliber unaware that someone is behind him? Is that a lapse in Tomac’s race craft, or do things like that regularly occur?
It was surprising but it can happen. The main reason is that he didn’t realize that Hunter had passed Kenny and so he was focused on Kenny. Hunter got into the window where Tomac couldn’t see him in his peripheral vision. Had he known Hunter was close, he would have relied more on hearing him instead of seeing him. Riders use all of their senses in these moments, even “feeling” the other rider nearby is a thing. I could never explain scientifically how this occurs but it’s a thing. This almost was a costly error on Eli’s part and I saw the convo between Eli and his mechanic Jade and it was total surprise by both parties. Jade was likely giving signals at some point but Eli may have missed them or not understood the urgency. This was very similar to Phoenix 1999 between David Vuillemin and Jeremy McGrath. DV passed MC very late in the main event and MC was extremely angry with his mechanic Randy Lawrence for not letting MC know that DV was so close.
In the postrace press conference Lawrence mentioned he wished he’d attempted a pass on Tomac in a different place on the last lap. Where do you think a better place would have been for that move?
Ideally, any corner that is more open than that one. To execute a block pass, the following rider needs to draw an aggressive line to the apex, preferably making the move while the lead rider is under braking. That corner was very tight and would require hard contact while Tomac was mid acceleration. Tagging someone mid acceleration almost always results in a crash. The corner where Deegan made his move is the most likely opening because it’s very open and riders entered it on the outside, opening up an aggressive inside arc for Hunter to meet Tomac. The pass Hunter went for was doable but as mentioned, Tomac very likely would have crashed in the process.
