One of the best motocross tracks on the series schedule on the best weekend of the year! Red Bud never disappoints and this year was no exception. The absence of Jett Lawrence to the series meant that it gave “hope” to a lot of other riders to get a moto win or even a podium spot that was already previously filled with Jett Lawrence. Now that the weekend has come and gone, let’s dive into some talking points of Saturday’s Red Bud National.
Chase Sexton: This is number 4’s championship to lose. I agree with Ricky Carmichael though, as we can’t just crown Sexton just yet. If it wasn’t for that crash by Hunter the first moto these results could be much different leaving Red Bud. I don’t think Chase would of got around Hunter the first moto and that would of set the stage for a great moto two between the two. I will say with Jett out of the series, you will most likely see less mistakes from Sexton the rest of the year because I think he knows he doesn’t have to push as hard to win races now. Just that placebo affect alone can make a rider ride much smoother.
Hunter Lawrence: I personally think even though Hunter had the red plate, a lot of people kind of disregarded him as a threat for the title. His speed is one of the best for longer motos and his starts will save him from maybe not being quite as fast as Sexton. If Sexton doesn’t get the start in these upcoming motos and Hunter does, the points can slowly creep back the other way. This is not over by any means! I also noticed that Hunter’s fork looked like it progressively got more deflection (harsh) in it as the moto wore on as the factory HRC Honda 450 didn’t look as good as Sexton’s coming down those hills.
AP7: Is there anything more fitting than AP getting a podium at Red Bud on 4th of July weekend? I’ll wait… AP is one of these guys that is going to benefit from Jett being gone from the series as he always is a bubble podium guy. His bank account will thank Jett later but in the meantime look for AP to fight for podium spots with this guy below.
Justin Cooper: Yeah, this guy. Another “Jett Effect” rider will be Justin Cooper. Cooper is underrated for how strong he is late in motos. Past Sexton, I think Cooper is one of the strongest when the track gets tougher. Cooper will be hovering around the podium spots the rest of the summer and with a complete full outdoor season under his belt, next year’s SX series should see a J-Coop that is near the podium as well. Cooper is also another rider who decided to stick with the KYB PSF1 air fork as he is a Star Racing Yamaha bi-prodcut. Most of those guys that came through Star have been on the PSF1 fork and once you’ve grown up with that feel, it’s tough to ditch it for a spring fork. The factory PSF1 fork has come a long way and has great initial feel and is super tough near the end of the stroke. Watch J-Coop ride and pay attention how much he slams into bumps rather than finesse his way through them. This fork choice makes more sense.
Kyle Webster: From the Pulp Show Monday night to a great ride on Saturday. Kyle is using Steve’s trusty number 762 and is giving some of these factory guys fits. Webster who is leading the Aussie MX series points has some serious early lap speed but as you can see lacks a little of that late race fitness. Yarrive has done a great job of bringing in quality riders to put in solid results. You can’t do that with a shitty team or bike. Good job to the whole FirePower Honda team!
Christian Craig: CC is slowly coming around. Getting some of that hardware out of his arm has helped some movement and it’s nice to see him back into the top ten on a regular basis. I do think he is struggling with his bike and quite frankly could do better on an aluminum frame but we will have to wait until next year to see this. Don’t be surprised if we see him on a yellow bike next year.
Chance Hymas: What a day! Chance has turned a corner since figuring out his diet as well as being around the Lawrences! You can see his riding is more fluid and he has that hop, skip and jump riding style that the Aussies have. If you look back on some of these Daytime Program articles, I have been an advocate of this kid and knew he would turn the corner. He has a solid team around him, has the best riders to train with and comes from a solid upbringing. These are qualities that not everyone has. Chance has it! I know that his fork setting has also been played with as of late so maybe some of this newfound “raw speed” comes from a more comfortable fork feel.
Ty Masterpool: Ty is just a bad ass. Some of you are saying that you need to see more? WHAT! Come on! This dude deserves this ride! His SX skills aren’t that bad and with a team like pro Circuit and Mitch, he will be just fine indoors! Sign this kid! I think he popped his cherry in moto one while battling with Deegs, but he hung in there for a nice podium finish!
Jo Shimoda: I don’t know man. I heard that Jo is not great at testing, but the kid can win if he gets a start. The smoothest of all the 250 riders, this kid needs a little more confidence and I think he CAN be a title threat, but I just don’t see the confidence yet. I could be wrong (and I am a lot) but listening to him being genuinely happy on the podium about getting third is one of the reasons why I think he’s not winning more. Most of these top guys would be pissed off at third but Jo seemed happy. I am not saying that he shouldn’t be, as it is a great result, but to be elite and winning a lot, I think you have to have this mental state where you aren’t satisfied unless you win. I mean the dude ALMOST did win the whole damn thing. He was that close. So maybe my point is stupid. Maybe he was just happy that he ALMOST won the damn thing. I don’t know…
Haiden Deegan: Wheels fell off a bit in the second moto, but if it wasn’t for the bike stalling and landing on a lapper’s bike we could be seeing Deegs with another overall. Maybe he wouldn’t have got Chance, but I still think he gets the win in Red Bud. He also didn’t have that end of the race speed at the end of the second moto like he usually does (understandable however). Nonetheless the kid can have a bad day and get a top five. That’s scary for the competition.
