Who has the most pressure going into A1?

Interesting.

This gentleman right here. In the booth this year.

Sexton...

Eli 

Knob jockey bringing up old threads

Sexton. That number 1 seems lighter than the other numbers but it holds a lot of weight. 

Very little pressure on Eli- twilight of his career, starting a season that many (Even he) probably didnt expect to start, coming off an injury that sat him out all last summer. I very much doubt he's looking for a team/ride for 2025.

There is no pressure. If he doesn't win, he's done enough to sign-off with pride.

Id say the most pressure is equal between Chase & Jett.

Chase- Many many people will say Chase didn't win last year's SX Championship as much as Eli 'lost' it. He'll want (need) to prove he was a worthy winner. And he's On a proven bike & team- there aren't many excuses.

Jett- The man of the moment! Not many expected his outdoors performance. All eyes are on him to see what he can do. At the same time there's a whole host of Americn 'fans' who are desperate to see him fail.

And then we've got Webb!! He'll want to prove the 'problem' these last couple years has been the KTM & not himself. 
Personally, I think we will see more of the same from Webb- I do believe the problem is him rather than his bike.

Of the three names above, whether they win or not, I believe they will finish in this order: Jett, Chase, Coop.

He's not coming back to finish 5th , he's one of few who's not been involved in a bike switch , he's got the best rookie we've seen in a long while coming out and it's his last chance , I think that's pressure 

Webb

It shouldn’t be Jett because it’s his rookie 450 SX season, but because of what he’s done up to this point IMO it’s still Jett.  Rookie or not he’s been so good that if he struggles I think most people including myself would be shocked. He doesn’t have the 1 plate but everyone knows he’s “the guy” now. 

I think, pressure, drama, animosity, etc...

Are products of the people on the outside looking in.

The guys at the gate don't dwell on even half of that crap.

Their contracts are signed, training programs well formed, gate drops in just a few days.

It's what they live for.

No doubt the top guys are focused on winning, but know the checks still get deposited if they don't. 

Jett stating repeatedly that he will be McGrath's win record seems to put a little pressure on him, doesn't it? I think he will do great, my concern is the broken down track from laps 15-20 that he has never raced in those conditions,17 rounds in a row. 

That's where Tomac will have an advantage over he and Sexton. 

IMO, the only three who, if they stay injury free, will be racing it out all 17 rounds.

Perhaps (hopefully) Webb can get involved late in the mains, and in the season. 

Has anyone said the compressor at the Dunlop rig yet? Probably that thing.

I reckon most of the super-fast guys have a fair amount of pressure this year for wildly different reasons than each other though. Whether it's a potentially awesome debut, a potentially equally awesome comeback, returning to form and your potential, backing up the big ol' number 1 on your bike... There's a lot going on for a whole lot of dudes. I also reckon, like Joey mentioned, pressure affects some of these guys very differently than the average person and it's not necessarily negative.

I think Sexton, he's the defending champ on a KTM this year.  He's going to have to prove his wheel tucking issues were with the Honda and not his riding style, but if they continue on KTM, then a lot of so called experts on this forum are going to have Egg Souffle on their faces. 

I’m thinking Anderson. 
 

can he still be a title contender..?

Someone’s been thread shopping at the antique stores…

The guy choosing Chase’s front tire/fork setup is probably waking up in a cold sweat every night. 

Jett has the most attention. If that turns into pressure is up to him and his expectations. It’s probably too early to publicly say anything about Jeremy’s record though, not a good look. But he’s pulled off amazing stuff so far, maybe he has what it takes?

ET can charge for a title, or cruise around for the crowd, either way he gets massive credit and respect. Same for KR.

Hunter gets a little rookie forgiveness space, for a few rounds at least.

Cooper Webb is feeling the heat. 

Its got to be Webb, he made a big fuss last year and left KTM, now he is the #2 guy at Yamaha where he will be feeling constant pressure from Tomac.  He needs to come out and make a statement more then anyone else on the starting gate, and I think he will.

How about team KTM and Star. Hiring ex champs, their bikes better be up to the task.

Anyone else think the current 450 riders better get their winning done before danger boy moves up?

Honestly, it might be Webb. He's the one who wanted that Star Yamaha to fix his problems. Well, he's on the team now and HAS to perform. But if the SMX races taught us anything, its that the bike isn't going to help him like he thought.

Webb straight up said he thought there were things Eli could do that he couldn’t because Eli’s bike was better and that if they were on the same bike, he (Webb) would be able to do those same things. So yes, lots of pressure on Webb imo. 
 

I’d say major pressure on Chase, little to no pressure on Jett, and a moderate amount of pressure on Eli, but mainly from himself.