St. Louis always has some of the best dirt in the series but this year proved to be some of the toughest conditions yet. With ruts littered all over the track within laps after re-prep. Most of the riders concurred that it was the toughest race of the year by far. The series is winding down and we have a dogfight in the 450 class so let’s get right to it.
Ken Roczen: If you’re not rooting for Ken to win this title then you’re not a fan of the sport. If he wins and he’s on a Suzuki, we will never see an updated yellow bike ever. I mean Suzuki hasn’t had a new bike in years and they win a SX title? Yeah, man we will keep our money and just repurpose what we got! It wins titles. We’re good! On a serious note, Ken has always been amazing on the bike but I think having his Homelife dialed in as well as being on a team he can be himself on is something that was missing for quite sometime. The HEP Suzuki team deserves A TON of credit to get Ken happy and keep him that way. Also, how does this dude triple through the nastiest of rhythms on the second to last lap when the track looks like a bomb has been dropped on it? I don’t know! Insert Wayne and Garth saying “we’re not worthy, we’re not worthy”!
Justin Cooper: Cooper got an updated shock setting from the suspension wizard himself, Mr. Gilly and ever since that shock change we have seen a different J-Coop! Justin is a technical rider and much like Cooper Webb he thrives in softer conditions, especially when the track breaks down and the whoops become legit jumpers. It will be interesting to see where J-Coop lands for 2027.
Hunter Lawrence: HJ was very lucky to walk away from last week’s crash and if he wins the title he deserves it times ten. The dude has been scrapping and fighting his way for every result he has got this season. NO ONE predicted Hunter to win the title in 2026 and for him to come out and establish himself as the man, was/is really impressive. Also, these wins haven’t come easy on the team neither. Lots of testing with the HRC Honda this season in order to get Hunter more comfort! Honda will have a new bike in 2027 so we will see if Hunter or Jett get on that thing come Unadilla time.
Eli Tomac: I don’t know man. I tried to do some digging but came up empty handed on this one. I listened to the interviews and he swears he’s not hurt, I don know that Eli and the whole team were in California testing during the week so there’s validity to that. I did get some spy videos of him riding last week and it looked like he was fine so maybe he’s run down? Yes, it’s Eli Tomac but he is human and maybe he is just flat physically? It’s a long season and who could blame him for being a little run down. I don’t know, man, I am spitballing here!
Garret Marchbanks: Someone in the industry told me that Garret hasn’t been that great this year and I was like, “WTF are you talking about”? I feel like G being in the top ten is right where he should be and I would expect Kawasaki feels the same way. A ninth in St. Louis (almost a 7th) is a pretty damn good ride! He is also getting ninths/tenths pretty damn close to seventh/eighth. Garret is Kawasaki’s savior right now and that should show you that it isn’t the bike as much as it is the rider. Sure the expectations are lower for G than Chase but the bike isn’t the WHOLE problem.
Deegs: Damn. Let’s just get on the 450 now eh? Forget the rest of the 150 West right? Get on the 450 this week in SX, skip Nashville and come out 450’ing for Cleveland or Philly. Why not? Get your feet wet, Deegs! Could he win? Not yet but I do feel the guy would top five or podium by the end of the season. Summer can’t come quick enough!
Nick Romano: For a kid who was riding a 450 before the east coast started, this sure is an awesome turnaround. I have been getting a chance to watch Nick ride at the Kawasaki SX test track and he has a lot of speed. He is aggressive on the bike and is as fast as Garret early in their motos but just needs more on the bike fitness which I think will come with more gate drops. Look for this kid to be near the podium when the east wraps up this season!
