Supercross is back, and what a night we had in Anaheim. As always, you never know what to expect going into the first round; however, this year wisdom paid off. Thirty-two-year-old Max Anstie let his experience lead him to a dominant victory in the 250 class, and thirty-three-year-old Eli Tomac took his Factory Red Bull KTM to the top step of the podium in the premier class. Supercross has always been a young man’s game—but could the tide be changing?
Eli Tomac is the total package. Tomac started the day P1 in the first qualifying session and carried that momentum into the night show. The change to Factory Red Bull KTM proved to be a good fit, with Tomac looking comfortable all day and extremely consistent off the gate. In the main event, he delivered a dominant performance, keeping Ken Roczen at a safe gap and getting the job done. On the SMX post-race show, Tomac said, “Everyone knows the clock is ticking, but the good thing is I still got it.” As we look to San Diego, one thing we know is that at 33, Eli Tomac is confident and ready for a fight.
As for the rest of the title contenders, I have a lot of questions. Ken Roczen did exactly what he does best—getting up front early and managing the race. While he could not get close enough to Tomac to make anything happen, he proved he can run the pace and remains a threat this season.
Cooper Webb came out swinging in the heat race, leading to a costly mistake that took Plessinger down with him. In the main event, Webb looked patient early, followed by a mid-race charge that ended with him going down while making a move on Lawrence, and from there things seemed to fizzle out. January has never been Webb’s specialty, but one thing is for certain—he will be a title threat at the end.
I was high on Chase Sexton going into A1, but now I’m not so sure. He looked great in qualifying and strong until his get-off in the heat race, but it was all downhill from there. His starts were not good, to say the least, and he could not seem to keep the bike on the track. Hopefully they just missed the setup for the main event, but from what I saw, it seems like there is still work to do in the Sexton camp.
I think Hunter Lawrence did exactly what he needed to do. He showed flashes of speed but flew under the radar, putting in a solid performance for fourth. He stayed out of the chaos and is in a good spot to start the season.
We’ve learned to expect the unexpected at the series opener, but I don’t think anyone had Jorge Prado walking away with a podium. He looked fast, fit, and definitely had something to prove. Is this just a weird first-race result, or is Prado a legitimate title threat? With some of the main contenders having work to do, this could be the perfect time for Prado to establish himself early. One thing is for sure—Prado will get good starts and be out front. Will the podium at A1 give him the confidence he needs to be a top guy all year?
With all the Deegan and Kitchen hype going into the season, it only made sense that neither were major factors in the main event. Kitchen worked his way through the pack well after a first-turn crash, while Deegan was a bit underwhelming following a mid-pack start. Ryder DiFrancesco got out front early and proved he has made big strides forward, finishing on the box. Chance Hymas also looked strong. Coming off an injury and on a new training program, I had my doubts preseason, but I expect him to be consistently on the podium and battling for wins after that performance.
Max Anstie was the definition of a veteran. He looked to be in mid-season form—no big moments, nothing out of control, just solid. If he stays consistent, he will be a real threat in the 250 class all year long.
As we look to San Diego, there is plenty to be excited about. How will Sexton bounce back? Is Jorge Prado here to stay, or was Anaheim just a first-round fluke? And what about the 250 class—will Deegan and Kitchen step up, or is this Max Anstie’s title to lose? Hopefully we’ll get some answers next week as we continue to look at the sport from the Outside In.
