The first round of the motocross season has come and gone and has left the avid motocross fan with a smile from ear to ear. From a clinic on how to ride a rough track put on by Dylan Ferrandis in the 250 class, to the surprise rookie Chase Sexton performing above and beyond what we expected for his first race.
250 Recap
Let’s start the 250 recap with Jeremy Martin. After coming back from a serious back injury and deciding to skip the remainder of the SX season, he was looking on point on a tough demanding track. It was uncertain how he would perform after struggling this supercross season but it appears that the time off has treated him well. If Jeremy could nail his starts, we could see him become more of a challenge throughout the race, as he has to fight his way up to the front with his lackluster starts so far.
Moving on to R.J. Hampshire, what an exciting guy to watch ride a motocross track, is he ever off of attack mode? The way that R.J. has come around this whole season (SX and MX) has been impressive. The only thing he could possibly be doing wrong is overriding the bike due to his sheer will to win, and that could be what holds him back. But what do I know, I am just a couch surfing fan that could never hang with the likes of R.J. The thing we are looking forward to his R.J. having that breakthrough ride and finding that last bit of mojo he needs.
We cant have a recap without talking about Dylan Ferrandis. He put on an absolute clinic today at Loretta’s, and how to go around one of the roughest tracks we have seen in a long time. Out of both the premier class and 250 class, no one looked smoother than Dylan. He was oozing with a flow and could not be touched by anyone. If this is a precursor as to how this championship is going to unfold, the rest of the class better find another gear or two if they want to contend with Dylan.
Lastly, we have to throw a shout out to Jett Lawrence. He showed great pace today. He had a few mistakes that haunted him but always pushed through it and never gave up. I am looking to see how Jett grows this season, because just like in SX Jett will find his flow and start running up front. It’s just how it seems to go with this young man, he takes his knocks and then comes out of nowhere to surprise you with some blazing speed.
450 Recap
We cannot start the 450 recap without not talking about El Hombre, Jason Anderson. What a first moto that Jason put on! He sliced and diced his way through the front of the pack and never looked back. After leaving the Bakers Factory I’m sure this is the show he was wanting to put on. Jason truly left it all out on the table first moto, maybe a little too much. The second moto he started his form again slicing his way towards the front but started to fall short behind his teammate. I don’t think fitness is an issue with Jason but he has a bad vibe for some reason with the second moto, and with a guy that runs off of vibes something has got to sort itself out. Ultimately El Hombre fell short of that elusive MX overall, but don’t worry Jason you can get it done.
Next, we have Eli Tomac who at first left us scratching our head. The first moto was really lackluster for Eli, and he seemed to fade towards the end. I honestly started to think, new kid and stressors in life have probably changed something with his training routine and now we are seeing an end to the reign of Eli. But ultimately it was just a few clicks here and there and he was back to his old self, and I am sorry I ever doubted you, Eli, of course, you’re a force to be reckoned with. In the coming weeks, everyone else better hope that Eli has set up issues, or else they will be hurting.
A good breath of fresh air was Marvin Musquin. It’s good to see the number 25 back out and doing so well. I honestly think he could’ve had a podium finish today if his starts were a little bit better. But after being off of the grid from racing for over a year, he still showed he still is a championship contender. Not to mention he was riding with that buttery smooth style that I think we are all jealous of.
Now for the “Rookie Of The Day,” Chase Sexton. What a debut performance from the rider I am dubbing “The Kid,” because The Kid has some serious talent on a 450 that I think surpassed everyone’s expectations. Take out that little tip over he had in Moto 1, and he would be up on the podium today. In the past, we have seen rookies fade towards the end of the season, but with the season being shorter will it happen?
Lastly, we cannot forget the great performance that Justin Barcia put on. I feel that Justin is showing Yamaha why he deserves to be signed again. He is putting himself in great positions, and showing how strong his riding style and fitness is compared to his competitors. As we know starts are everything but with Justin, he doesn’t have that “crowd work” skill we see with Tomac, Roczen, and even sometimes Webb at the beginning of a race to work through the compact groups, and he gets held up.
Overall it was a great day of racing, but I think today was a wakeup call for some riders with their setups from the test track to an actual race environment. Now we have all of next week to look forward to Loretta’s 2!
Photo Credit:
promotocross.com
ama.hondaracingcorporation.com
www.yamahamotorsports.com
press.husqvarna-motorcycles.com
