It’s crunch time and the points leaders in both classes are feeling the pressure as the championships come down to the wire. With Philly being a new venue, there isn’t a lot of notes these teams can take down for spec reference so getting these bikes dialed in for the type of conditions they faced is tough. However, from what I was told by a couple team managers was that the track didn’t break down as bad as they thought it would. The 250 class was a fun one to watch while the 450 class wasn’t quite as good. Here are some notes from the city of brotherly love.
Chase Sexton: Looks like Chase’s guy (mechanic), Brandon Zimmerman is out over at Red Bull KTM and some say it’s because of last week’s throttle incident. The problem with that speculation is we (or at least I) couldn’t get the straight scoop on what’s up, but it seems odd that there was a throttle malfunction that was said to be caused by a rock. In my years of watching these races, I have never seen a throttle malfunction because of a rock. I am sure Zim will land on his feet somewhere, but for Chase I think this was one of his best “rides” of the year. He held the fastest lap of the main event and as gaining on Jett near the end of the race. Chase got another new set up this week and I am trying to find out what that set up is. I will say between Chase’s 450 and Tom’s 250, these KTMs look like some of the best bikes on the track. Only two factory guys that are on the new FE frame. After riding the FE for over a week back east, I personally think that the new frame is for the better. You may see some of the “other’ steel frame’d factory guys on the FE set up come outdoors.
Jason Anderson: This dude is rolling. Sometimes during the main event you can see flashes of 2023 as Eli, Chase and Jason are all on each others asses. Only difference is Jett is 3-5 seconds ahead of them. Crap! Jason has been staying at Club MX to train for the past few weeks and it looks like that is starting to pay off. I also hear he is staying in Georgia for the outdoors and will be training there come summer time. Jason got better as the main wore on and didn’t tighten up as much as Cooper and Eli. Look for Jason to try and steal a win at these hard pack races coming up.
Justin Barcia: I have heard Barcia has been working with Tim at TCD on some suspension and it looks like it is showing! Barcia is another steel framed rider who is having trouble with the machine. Some of the parts they ran last year are not available on the older frames so the bike isn’t quite the same as last year. Sometimes you have to go with what is familiar in order to be comfortable and if that is a suspension tuner then so be it. Barcia’s sixth place may not look like much but his quality of riding all day was much better.
Dean Wilson: An eleventh normally would NOT be great, but in this case, it was a great ride by Dean as he was in the top ten for most of the race. In this day and age of our 450 class a top ten is something really good! Dean is coming off a shoulder injury so getting an eleventh as well as battling with quality riders is a good step. If you have seen Dean ride, you know how good he is. It’s stupid fast! Now think of what Jett is like. CRAZY!
Max Anstie: The FirePower Honda team should be proud. Max should be proud. This is a big win and for an older guy winning the 250 class in 2024 is a huge accomplishment. You just don’t see many older dudes winning 250 races these days. Max had a lot of hype coming into the season but some bike problems as well as a couple crashes has held him back. Until now… It’s too bad we won’t see him run the whole outdoor season because he is a beast outdoors. He has won 450 MXGPs!
Tom Vialle: From going to not looking that great in 2024 SX, to being on the verge of a SX championship in 2024 is a sign that this guy is going to be just fine in America. I think people are also sleeping on him outdoors as well. Nothing flashy about his riding at all. I know Marvin is working with him, but Tom makes Marv look like Barcia when it comes to flash on the bike. I think Vialle’s got this thing come SLC, but watch out for Deegan scuds in the land of soaking.
Seth Hammaker/Jalek Swoll: Well… That escalated quickly. The heat race winners found themselves picking up their bikes in the sand after a collision that probably could have been avoided. But… Yes, there is a but… But, when you’re a racer and you have that helmet on, you see different compared to us armchair racers that are typing about this crap. Swoll thought he could get in there and “assumed” Seth would see him and back out. That word “assumed” is something racers really rely on when making moves. Seth assumed Jalek wasn’t that close. Jalek assumed that Seth would see him out of the corner of his eye. Neither happened and we got what we got. Whose fault? Jalek’s. Was it malicious? No. This was just the case of a couple riders wanting to podium for themselves, their teams and their pocketbooks. Both riders still can walk away happy as they both have something to build on.
