Glendale usually provides close racing for us fans and this year even though the main events were not barn burners the track itself was really good to watch riders techniques. Throttle control, long rhythms, deep transitions and slick whoops provided us with a fun race to watch. Although this isn’t a huge Daytime Program we thought there was some interesting points to mention during Saturday evening’s race.
Ken Roczen: A lot of us have been calling this for a couple rounds now and Kenny prevailed in Glendale. Unlike in past years, 2024 Kenny hasn’t changed much on his motorcycle and you can tell by the way he’s ridden the past few weeks. Even though the points may not reflect a huge upswing, he has ridden the best we’ve seen him ride in a long time. Think about this… If it wasn’t for Kenny, Suzuki would just be a manufacturer that is out there just trying to stay afloat as well as relevant. Kenny and HEP Suzuki has made Suzuki cool again. I don’t necessarily think factory riders sell that many motorcycles, but in Kenny’s case, I believe he moves the needle for Suzuki sales.
Jason Anderson: I figured Jason would be good on this track as it is hard pack and slippery. Jason is a New Mexican and he’s used to riding hard pack. JA is very good with rear steering the motorcycle as well as being gentle with his throttle hand. This dude is in it for the long haul and if he keeps getting good starts he’s going to be a hard dude to pass.
Christian Craig: Was anyone else worried about C2? Even though the results don’t show it, this weekend was a better weekend for Christian. His qualifying was better, he pushed a little harder and of course it was hard pack and CC is very good on hard pack tracks. I think he figures it out and gets into the top ten soon. Being top ten this year is really good, it’s just too bad more people don’t recognize it. We live in a world that if you don’t win, you’re old news. Sad.
Hunter Lawrence: Another example of WTF is going on is Hunter. He’s good people so calm down! This stacked field is tough! A top five is a great ride by Hunter and being only 18 seconds off the leader at the checkers is really good! Getting a start these days is priceless. Cometo think of it, I bet if you could sell a top five start, it would be worth a lot to some of these guys. I think you could sell for 30% of their bonus money!
RJ Hampshire: Hard pack, RJ’s loose style wasn’t exactly what you wanted to make yourself feel calm if you are an RJ fan. However, Rick did make it happen with some help but regardless he didn’t make that HUGE mistake and took his second win of the series. He is not exactly in the driver seat in the series points but look for Rick to make a push in the second half of the year.
Jordan Smith: I think if Jordan doesn’t fall, he wins. He had the speed all day and looked the most aggressive but sometimes when you’re the aggressor in these conditions, things don’t always work out. He’s lucky he didn’t land on Levi and kill him or himself. Have you ever noticed when these guys eat crap that they never looked panicked on the bike? Oh hey, I am going to land on you, so I will just casually jump off the track. It’s amazing to watch these guys have HUGE OH SHIT moments but look relatively calm.
Jo Shimoda: Jo is not good of the gate. It’s not the bike. the bike is plenty capable to get the holeshot. I think once you start getting bad starts it’s tough to reverse that mentally. Jo is strong in the later stages of each main event, he just needs to get into the top three to make it happen. I don’t think he has the raw speed of RJ or Jordan, but his finesse could get him into a win this season. I think Jo will be a really good 450 rider. His technique invites a bigger bike.
Hunter Yoder: So far this dude is the most improved 250 rider in my eyes. Good qualifying times, great speed in the mains, decent starts. Hunter seems to be gelling with the Kawasaki and it shows. Did I mention that he looks in shape as well during these main events? Looks like moving back east and getting out of California has helped Yoder with his results. Nice work!
