Another wet Supercross but it also provided dry/slick spots so Foxborough was hard for the riders to figure out. I walked the Foxborough track after the 450 main event a couple years ago and it was the most hammered track I have witnessed. It looked like Saturday night was also on another level so let’s dissect the racing a bit shall we?
Cooper Webb: Ehhhhhhh boy… All tied up now and the dog has a little taste of that sweet championship in his mouth. I normally would say this is not good for any other rider, but with Jett in the 450 class now it will be hard to crack him. However, if a fifth place on the night is cracking THE JETT, then Cooper is doing this. From the time qualifying started you could just see a different Webb. Charging, laying laps down and not messing around. This is something I haven’t seen this year and I have been watching a lot of practices with intent. He mentioned that he has been working on intensity/speed which means his fitness is up to par, but he needed to get that older locomotive engine running hot in a quicker manner. Looks like they found how to do that. I also like that they haven’t messed with his bike set up since December. P.O.G. Power. Of. Gilly. That is all. Oh and sometimes you have to”jacket off”. Thank you sweet baby Jesus for a sense of humor in our series.
Chase Sexton: Chase was the fastest guy of the night but sometimes the fastest guy doesn’t win the race. If there was maybe two laps left I think he could of got Cooper but we only did 23 laps, not 25. Chase seems happier with this bike, but I am not convinced that he is completely on board with his setting. I don’t think outdoors is going to be much different.
Jason Anderson: Did anyone else think JA was going to roll over for Jett? Riiiiiiight! I thought Jett got him that final corner before the finish but Anderson let that KX450 eat around the bowl and snuck it in! Anderson is coming back around as I think that week off did him a lot of good. The series is a grind and it can catch up with you fairly quick. I am out at these tracks weekly in Southern California and JA is doing motos either on the SX track or riding outdoors. At some point these dudes have to be tired.
Justin Cooper: I heard that Justin is not on the same engine set up as Tomac and Webb. In fact, I heard that his engine is pretty much stock besides an ECU, muffler, fuel. I find it hard to believe but if that is true it makes sense that his bike just sounds different than the other two when on track. I also think a stock engine, with ECU, muffler and fuel could get out of the gate better than some of the other factory engines there are out there. Sometimes a “slower” YZ450F isn’t a bad thing. More rear wheel traction and less wheel spin coming off the gate. Either way, Justin has been sneaky good this year and it should be commended. I also think he is going to surprise people outdoors this year. Podiums for Cooper. Watch.
Justin Hill: Where the hell did this ride come from? I mean it’s not a podium but a ninth place is pretty damn good in 2024. Justin is now on the newer style (or non FE style) KTM frame as he was on the older version last season. Maybe it has taken him sometime to get comfortable with set up as well. It seems like the window of the KTM’s set up is narrow so sometimes it’s tough to make the rider feel comfortable but it looks like the boys over at Enzo have been going to work with Justin and it showed in Boston.
Jerry Robin: A softer setting for Jerry looked like it did wonders for the privateer Yamaha rider. Watching him ride this week, I noticed a little less deflection in his bike so I assumed it was softer and after speaking with Jerry, he confirmed that his set up changed for more compliance. A slightly softer fork that helped with traction/less deflection and some lighter torque values on his chassis made a big difference for him. Shout out to the boys over at Enzo for making these non factory riders feel much better on the track. A top level pro is only as good as his suspension tuner so having Ross and Yoshi in their corners pays dividends.
Deegs: A more smooth Deegs and not as wild on the bike is what I saw at Foxborough. The podium speech was much more mellow and maybe he’s finding his feet a little out there. I do think the competition is closer to Deegs than I think he would want but nonetheless he may not win the East title this year, but I think he wins the most races.
Max Anstie: Max mentioned a throttle issue during the main event which scared him off a little. Max was the fastest qualifier as well as won his heat race but he jus can’t pull it together in the main event. The team has had some struggles with their machines this year and those woes seem to keep popping up. If they can get through one race without issue (on or off the track) I think Max wins one of these things before the year is out.
Chance Hymas: A heat race win and then a 12th in the main. Bueller? Bueller? I don’t think it’s fitness but I did hear he has been having arm pump problems this season. How can this be? Sometimes arm pump is just caused by overthinking the track, hanging on too tight or nervousness. I doubt it’s either of those as I was thinking that once he won his heat race that he would turn a ew leaf in the main event with some of that pressure off. Sometimes arm pump can rear its ugly head and times when you think you have it beat. All of these trainers saying they know how to cure it! STOP IT! Sometimes surgery helps, but it comes back. Some riders never get it, some riders get it all the time. It’s your body make up, I believe. Or maybe I know nothing and it’s not arm pump that is bothering the likable kid from Idaho. I just want to believe it’s something and not just a fade back to 12th. He will figure it out and you’ll see more of him on the podium soon. If Lars believes in Chance, I believe in Chance.
