More mud. Not shocking since we are in Seattle but anyone else over the mud races? I mean this week was a great 450 main event but it would be nice to have some dry events back to back. St. Louis should be dry right? That was a joke by the way.
Cooper Webb: When you mention any kind of “After Dark” reference in your podium speech and I am in. Duh! Coop thanked the Lord and mentioned his arms were harder than morning wood. I appreciate all of this. He’s hitting all the different kinds/types of fans out there in the world. The god fearing fans as well as those lighthearted people that know about morning wood. It’s really a nice marketing move if you ask me. Coop speaks his mind, good or bad and I am here for it. But back to what’s more important, THE RACE! RC was right, Cooper is a DOG. He hunts and he is a little pesky SOB, that usually doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He is a controlled rider that will mentally outlast you in a long main event, like the one we had in Seattle. He wasn’t the fastest, but he mentally drained everyone out there. Sure, Chase had a Giselle moment but I still think Coop was coming and that still might have forced Chase into a mistake. Either way, when you have these kind of conditions and a st of whoops to jump, this dude is going to be a pain in the ass for these riders. Webb is starting to smell some championship dinner so Jett better make sure he moves that dinner farther away come St. Louis.
Jett Lawrence: Do you see what happens when we get just one fall from Jett. We get a race that is exciting. I am not looking for anything major here. Just a tip over and maybe his bike doesn’t fire right away. We need at least a 10 second head start to make these main events fun to watch. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Jett’s talent, but it is nice to watch a main event battle for the win. We just don’t get that when Jett gets a start and doesn’t screw up at least once. I mean, if I am being honest, I still thought he was going to come back and win even though he crashed. He was 10 seconds down and then he cut it to five seconds but Breece screwed him over on the wall. You Webb fans need to thank Breece a little.
Hunter Lawrence: It was good to see Hunter get a heat race win and show everyone that he has something for the 450 class as well. He is still dealing with an injury but I truly believe that Hunter will be a podium regular when he gets a year under his belt. I don’t think many people are like his brother and Hunter is going down that normal rookie path of some flashes with some mistakes. This is common. This is normal, people. Don’t let the Jett thing fool you. ROOKIES AREN”T MEAN TO WIN QUICKLY…
Aaron Plessinger: AP was great late in the race as I was checking the lap times. He looks frisky when the track is soft and jacked up. You would think the longer legs and bigger feet would be a no go in these deep ruts but he makes it work. Catching up to Jett was also a nice touch but I don’t know how much Jett backed it down. Regardless, AP is awesome in 2024.Â
Levi Kitchen: Anyone else think Levi fits the Kawasaki better? The tall lanky rider seems to ride the KX much better than the YZ-F. He doesn’t look as tall on the bike and looks to be able to put the bike in spots that he couldn’t on his Yamaha. I also agree that a little less front side/bottom end can help riders get off the gate better because the bike will NOT wheelie coming off the grate. Levi’s starts are better in 2024, no denying this! Mitch and the PC boys got this bike working great! Too bad Kawasaki is changing the KX250 next year!
Jordan Smith: Poor Jordan. One of the most talented riders in this class and one who has the most raw speed, but Jordan seems to find the ground a lot. J Smith hit his head on the bars when cased that rhythm but when he did that, I think that could have made him a little koo koo. As a racer, you’re wired to get back on the bike so when that is auto programmed inside of you sometimes you don’t know you’re a little effed up until you start making more mistakes. To me it looked like Jordan didn’t have track awareness after the crash and it was fortunate that the race was near the end. Let’s hope he’s good to go for St. Louis because he can be a factor in these Triple Crowns.
Garrett Marchbanks: Another tall rider shining in the deep ruts of the PNW. Charging forward and passing riders with a ride “better” than what he currently has is showing how well Garrett is riding as well as what the team can do. This is not a knock on the team but let’s face it, they don’t have the resources like some of the other “BIG 250” teams do. The Club MX Yamaha engine package is also better in 24’ so look for Garrett to be up in the mix in St. Louis, but this dude needs a start. Hey Phil, give him some pointers, eh?
Carson Mumford: Mumfy came through the pack as well and shows some of the doubters that he is actually in shape. Some of the people in the paddock may think he’s not in the best shape but I know he does the work and results like this on a track that gets your body more tired than your typical “dome type” track is really impressive. I know he’s been doing longer motos to try and tap into that last 7-10 minutes of a main event. Sometimes it’s not about doing the work, but about diet, rest as well as the work that makes up a racer getting to be in shape for the last 10 minutes of a race. I wish it was as easy as just doing the work. Mumfy has been figuring it out and to me, he’s doing a much better job of this in 2024.
