Another Triple Crown has come and gone and even though it wasn’t the most exciting race we’ve seen this year, the 450 points chase is closing down and now we have something to look forward to as fans down the stretch. Let’s break down some stuff that I witnessed or heard from Saturday evening.
Chase Sexton: I found out last week that Chase has been doing less “tinkering” on his machine and more of learning to deal with those flaws in certain parts of the track. Sometimes learning where your bike is not as good and NOT trying to make it better is better than working on it then possibly going backwards. For a rider, it’s knowing what your bike is going to do lap in and lap out even if it’s bad in one or two areas of the track. Does this make sense? I know it sounds confusing but at some point the rider just has to suck it up and deal with his machine not being great everywhere. I think with that comes less stress for the rider knowing he can ride more laps and possibly adapt a little rather than having a new feeling motorcycle every weekend. To KTM’s credit, Chase’s bike as well as ALL the steel frame’d bikes looked great Saturday. I disagree on that steel frame is much better on hard pack theory that the announcers were talking about on Saturday night. Yes, maybe a few years ago that was the case but the new steel frames are stiffer in nature than in previous years, but I also think that some of the Japanese frames have gone backwards in comfort so maybe, just maybe the old KTM steel chassis comfort is coming back around! Anyhoo, kudos to KTM and Sexton for getting the train back on the track.
Mookie: Malcolm is one tough SOB. I also love to see the more consistent Mookie in 2025. To have a bike hit you during daytime qualifying and have the mental fortitude to hang it out for the three main events shows the confidence Stew has this season. Again, the bike is also better this year as you can see by his riding. When I asked one of the team members if Malcolm thought his bike was better in 2025, I was greeted with a resounding yes before I could even finish the question.
Christian Craig: Look a 12th is kind of where I put CC for this round. My kid asked me where I thought he would finish and I said 10-12th. Even though that is not where Craig wants to be, he has to start somewhere and to build off a 12th is going to be easy for him to see progress. When Craig is on the track is there anyone that looks better on the bike? Maybe other than Sexton CC just has it, plus his Fox gear was Best Dressed. Love that blue!
Jason Anderson: Jason was on the receiving end of the crapper this weekend. I think some of JA’s aggression has hurt him somewhat in the sense that these guys that are trying to get around him know they must make an aggressive pass in hopes that he may fall so there is no retaliation. I could be wrong but this weekend for sure looked like that. Both times he fell there was no room for him to move (because both riders pushed him out to make sure he couldn’t get back around in the next corner) and that was by design me thinks.
Benny Bloss: Shout out to B2 and the Beta team. The Bee-ta is an underrated bike and a top ten in the 450 class is not an easy feat. I personally think if we had longer whoop sections, Benny would be more towards the 7-8th place range. He’s that good in whoops and I think the Beta has the better frame feel in conditions like this. Wait until SLC or maybe even Denver! I think B2 and his Beta will be good in these stadiums.
Nate Thrasher: Now that Max is injured, Nate is going to be the next man up for Ol’ Bobby. Nate has the speed to do this every weekend and maybe now that he got one under his belt, he can continue this winning run. He is known to be a streaky kind of rider, so I would not be surprised t see him go on a little run here.
Tom Vialle: If you asked me (by just watching Vialle ride without looking at points) if I thought he would be leading the points, I would say absolutely not. He has been consistent but never looks like he’s a threat to win races. Now I am not saying he can’t or he hasn’t been close, I just haven’t seen that “oh shit, that guy is ripping” type speed. I know that is his style but I saw more RAW SPEED last year in my opinion. This isn’t a hate comm at all so peace and love but I could see RJ creep up on this thing and win the title.
Enzo Temmerman: Shout out to Enzo on winning his first SX Next event. The kid has had a tough road with HUGE injuries that weren’t always in his control and to me has one of the coolest styles in amateur racing right now. The SX Next race was probably some of the best racing we seen all night and these kids sure do go for it. Enzo is smooth and steady which is going to be a recipe for a good professional when he gets there. He has a little bit of Jason Anderson when he rides as he uses his legs a lot. Congrats to Enzo and family.
