The penultimate round in Denver was honestly kind of a snore fest. Not a lot going on, the track was absolutely one of the worst I have seen this year with hardly no room to pass. With the ground being so hard pack in corners it made it hard for anyone to try and make a move without spinning out. The saving grace of this whole weekend was the Pulp MX/Yamaha Privateer Challenge so let’s dive into the mile high Daytime Program!
Jett/Hunter: This is pretty cool! Hunter rode great and for the first few laps, it looked like he could pull away from his brother. BUT… Of course there is a but, because Jett sits there like a hungry cheetah that runs down his prey when he sees a slight weakness. Jett noticed that his brother wasn’t as good in the rhythm before the mechanic area then took that area to make up a chunk of time and pounce. Some people thought that Jett would just “give” Hunter the win because he hasn’t won one of these things but that is so far out there that I was laughing when I heard it. You really think Jett is going to lay up for his brother and do you really think that his brother would want him to give him his first win like that? COME ON! STOP! Hunter is going to win one on his own and it could be sooner than later. Fun to watch these guys ride their dirt bikes!
Mookie: Mookie’s finish was overshadowed by Chase’s come through the pack ride, but Mookie was making moves right behind Chase and no one said anything. Mookie fever was present in the main event but a stupid first corner crash got him hung up which sucks because I think we could of seen a podium from him on Saturday night. I am interested in seeing how he does outdoors!Â
Sexton: Ol’ Gisele came back didn’t she? Just when you thought she was gone for good because they changed her colors, she reared her ugly head. Damn it! Chase was on one in the main but maybe rode past the point that the track allowed. Chase has been as fast as Jett, but his starts have seemed to kind of gone away from him. Early in the year he was ripping great starts and now it seems those have somewhat dissipated. Hopefully we can see the number 4 get up there in outdoors and mix it up with 18 (errrr, I mean number 1).
AC: You’re crying! No, you’re crying! AC’s time in our professional sport is almost come to an end! The dude has been nothing but class and to think he is going to be gone so early makes me sad. From a phenomenal amateur career to a professional career I am sure he would call a mix bag, this sport can be brutal. However, this dirt bike thing has created a great life for AC and he is one of the few riders that actually “get it”. To have a guy tough this last year out and still as ride as good as he has, is pretty inspiring.
Shimoda: Shimoda realist should have a field day with this. The championship is out of his reach and he is winning. Ehhhhh boy. No matter what however, the likable Japanese Honda rider is one of the most technical 250 riders on the track and this hard pack circuit in Denver is just what the doctor ordered for Jo. Throttle control and weight distribution on the bike is what jo is best at. Wouldn’t surprise me if he wins next week in SLC too!
Kitchen: Levi did what he had to do to make it fun for us to watch the 250 East/West Showdown next week in SLC. Levi rode great and although probably could have won the damn thing if there was another five minutes left, he put himself in a great position to win the WEST next weekend. I also think this boot unlatching situation wasn’t as big of a deal as some of you thought it was. His bottom buckle was still attached so his foot wasn’t just going to slip out. In all honestly the FOX buckles are one of the easiest to come unlatched while riding so this isn’t that surprising to me.
RJ: This is tough for me to say, but I think RJ takes it. I feel like RJ is more DGAF then Levi and this championship has been brewing/manifesting inside more over the years with Rick. SLC is going to be a skating rink but my money is Rick gets a good start and is better through the whoops than Levi, which will help him win the title. Levi and RJ are so opposite with their riding styles that it’s going to come down to who gets the start, me thinks.
Lux Turner: Lux was in a top ten for most of the race and then a late race battle with him, Ju Ju and Ryder pushed him back to 12th at the checkers but he was riding great. In fact, Lux has been better than I thought he would be in 2024 SX. Lux has raced my kid for a couple years and then all of a sudden had this emergence of speed and technical ability to ride SX. I think the AEO team should try to keep this kid on their team to let him develop a little more as I think he could be a solid top ten kid all next SX season. Oh and his sister is the fastest woman MX racer there is right now.Â
Ryder D: I am a Ryder D fan. I like the kid. I somehow don’t know how he is as far back as he is at times. I will see a fast Ryder in the heat race, but in the main, it’s like a different rider (Ryder). I am fairly sure he has another year on his LD/Gas Gas deal so next year will be a pivotal year for him in SX. I know he has the talent to get it done and I think it will take one GREAT finish to snowball, but it needs to happen fairly soon as this sport is cut throat.