2026 Outdoors: The Start of Something Different?

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Could this outdoor season could mark a turning point for Jett as the series begins to shift toward a new generation of contenders? He’s been the rider to...

Could this outdoor season could mark a turning point for Jett as the series begins to shift toward a new generation of contenders? He’s been the rider to beat—and has already proven he can return from injury and perform at Pala—but this year could present a different challenge, with a deeper field and pressure coming from multiple directions.

Rewind:
Jett’s entry into the 450 class came during a period of generational transition, with Chase being his only true same-era rival. You could point to Tomac or Roczen at times - both still elite - but being old Dads from an older generation, it’s apples to oranges. Hunter was consistent, but not a sustained race-winning threat. As a result, Jett has rarely faced multiple healthy race-winning contenders over any extended stretches. It was usually one primary challenger at a time depending on who was in/out (Chase or Eli). One of the most important observations from this period is that the racing has always been very clean and controlled, as neither guy ever raced Jett overly aggressive or dirty.  In short, it’s been a brief stretch of gentlemen racing gentlemen, very cleanly.

That brings us to 2026 which brings a different kind of adversity:

Injury:
Jett’s recovery hasn’t been perfect and he’s had a bit of a setback. I haven’t seen anyone talking about this online, but enough people know about it now that it’s fair game to mention. He still has a path to being near 100% by Pala, but the margin is thinner now.  He’ll need everything to go very well over the next several weeks to regain full strength/flexion. That said, Jett could show up to Pala at 85% and go1-1, but this is proving to be a tough injury to manage.

Hunter:
Hunter now looks like the more confident/complete rider that a lot of close people to him were expecting. In the 250 days there were always quiet conversations within his inner circle that Hunter’s style might translate to the 450 better than Jett. While that didn’t happen, Hunter now appears to be settling into that potential, and his newfound confidence might be exactly what he needed to be a serious title threat. I really like Hunter and would love to see him battle with his little brother.

The Prado & Deegan factor:
This is the biggest shift coming as Prado and Deegan introduce a different kind of pressure that could result in heightened mental and emotional battles (on and off track). Both riders should be capable of matching Jett’s pace at times, and with that they both bring the intense aggression and a willingness to disrupt. Jett hasn’t had to deal with riders willing to take aggressive shots or play heated mental games, so it will be interesting to see how Jett responds. With Prado and Deegan I would say it’s not “if” it happens, but “when” it happens. Prado arrives with something to prove, not to mention there is beef between the two that started a long time ago. A lot of fans think Prado rides a wide bike in supercross? Ha! Just wait for outdoors where Prado knows he can win. And then there’s Deegan—we all know what’s coming. You can already hear the podium speech about how Jett calling him a punk on the Gypsy podcast just added fuel to his fire. I'm not sure that was a good idea on Jett’s part to openly start beef with Deegan, but time will tell. I say this because Deegan will now be very fine with torpedoing Jett regardless if he's able to run his pace or not. Between Prado and Deegan, I could actually see Prado ruffling more feathers by pissing off Tomac and Chase fans, if they are in contention.  Prado definitely won’t be pulling over for his fan-favorite teammate outdoors. I expect aggressive moves, mind games, and friction on/off the track between Deegan, Prado, and the rest.

Eli and Chase:
These two are wild cards to challenge Jett.  Will they be happy with their bikes and capable of running the pace at times?  I don’t know, but I sure hope so.  Eli said he loved the KTM for Daytona so I guess there’s some hope.  As for Chase, who knows but it seems the odds are against him lately, and it just might be the bike. 

Leaving out all other riders who might occasionally get in the mix or cause traffic, could this year be any different for Jett or will he go out and wax everyone again?  Will Prado and Deegan be disruptors and possibly beat Jett, or will they be non-factors?  Will Jett get caught up in any dirty games?  Will Eli and Chase be in the game?  Will Hunter be the new one to beat?  I’m not sure but I just hope everyone is healthy so we can see how this plays out.  History tells us we won’t likely see this dream scenario of 3-4 man battles up front, but it would be amazing if Jett, Hunter, Chase, Eli, Deegan, and Prado are all healthy and happy for several consecutive rounds.  IF this comes to fruition we could be in for some barn burners, so let's hope history doesn't repeat itself with injuries and a 1-2 horse race.  I wouldn’t want to bet on what happens, but if I had to, I’d still pick Jett to rise up again. That said, starting this season, there are clearly more obstacles to get in Jett's way—including mental battles he hasn’t had to face in his 450 career yet.  

If this season doesn’t deliver multi-contender battles, I guess we still have a bright future to look forward to as the new generation finally comes into its own. In a few years, we could have a seriously dialed 450 class with Jett, Hunter, Chase, Prado, Deegan, the Coenens, Davies, Shimoda, Kitchen, and more.

If you made it this far after I just killed half of my conference call, is it insane to think this season could mark the beginning of a true generational shift?

whateversclever69 wrote:

Yeah! Everyone knows about Jett’s recovery setbacks! You guys knew about his recovery setbacks right? Everyone’s talking about it!! (Nobody has talked about it and I...

Yeah! Everyone knows about Jett’s recovery setbacks! You guys knew about his recovery setbacks right? Everyone’s talking about it!! (Nobody has talked about it and I have never heard anything about it)

USA wrote:

I heard bro was also waiting for a pizza when this thread was being queried 

30minmotos wrote:

Is that chat geepeetee or did you type all that?

I am looking forward to outdoors for sure tho!

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

I VTT'd it into my computer out loud so they are my words, and then I cut/paste it into AI to proofread and correct grammar.  Took...

I VTT'd it into my computer out loud so they are my words, and then I cut/paste it into AI to proofread and correct grammar.  Took me about 20min during my conf call that was muted on my phone.

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Could this outdoor season could mark a turning point for Jett as the series begins to shift toward a new generation of contenders? He’s been the rider to...

Could this outdoor season could mark a turning point for Jett as the series begins to shift toward a new generation of contenders? He’s been the rider to beat—and has already proven he can return from injury and perform at Pala—but this year could present a different challenge, with a deeper field and pressure coming from multiple directions.

Rewind:
Jett’s entry into the 450 class came during a period of generational transition, with Chase being his only true same-era rival. You could point to Tomac or Roczen at times - both still elite - but being old Dads from an older generation, it’s apples to oranges. Hunter was consistent, but not a sustained race-winning threat. As a result, Jett has rarely faced multiple healthy race-winning contenders over any extended stretches. It was usually one primary challenger at a time depending on who was in/out (Chase or Eli). One of the most important observations from this period is that the racing has always been very clean and controlled, as neither guy ever raced Jett overly aggressive or dirty.  In short, it’s been a brief stretch of gentlemen racing gentlemen, very cleanly.

That brings us to 2026 which brings a different kind of adversity:

Injury:
Jett’s recovery hasn’t been perfect and he’s had a bit of a setback. I haven’t seen anyone talking about this online, but enough people know about it now that it’s fair game to mention. He still has a path to being near 100% by Pala, but the margin is thinner now.  He’ll need everything to go very well over the next several weeks to regain full strength/flexion. That said, Jett could show up to Pala at 85% and go1-1, but this is proving to be a tough injury to manage.

Hunter:
Hunter now looks like the more confident/complete rider that a lot of close people to him were expecting. In the 250 days there were always quiet conversations within his inner circle that Hunter’s style might translate to the 450 better than Jett. While that didn’t happen, Hunter now appears to be settling into that potential, and his newfound confidence might be exactly what he needed to be a serious title threat. I really like Hunter and would love to see him battle with his little brother.

The Prado & Deegan factor:
This is the biggest shift coming as Prado and Deegan introduce a different kind of pressure that could result in heightened mental and emotional battles (on and off track). Both riders should be capable of matching Jett’s pace at times, and with that they both bring the intense aggression and a willingness to disrupt. Jett hasn’t had to deal with riders willing to take aggressive shots or play heated mental games, so it will be interesting to see how Jett responds. With Prado and Deegan I would say it’s not “if” it happens, but “when” it happens. Prado arrives with something to prove, not to mention there is beef between the two that started a long time ago. A lot of fans think Prado rides a wide bike in supercross? Ha! Just wait for outdoors where Prado knows he can win. And then there’s Deegan—we all know what’s coming. You can already hear the podium speech about how Jett calling him a punk on the Gypsy podcast just added fuel to his fire. I'm not sure that was a good idea on Jett’s part to openly start beef with Deegan, but time will tell. I say this because Deegan will now be very fine with torpedoing Jett regardless if he's able to run his pace or not. Between Prado and Deegan, I could actually see Prado ruffling more feathers by pissing off Tomac and Chase fans, if they are in contention.  Prado definitely won’t be pulling over for his fan-favorite teammate outdoors. I expect aggressive moves, mind games, and friction on/off the track between Deegan, Prado, and the rest.

Eli and Chase:
These two are wild cards to challenge Jett.  Will they be happy with their bikes and capable of running the pace at times?  I don’t know, but I sure hope so.  Eli said he loved the KTM for Daytona so I guess there’s some hope.  As for Chase, who knows but it seems the odds are against him lately, and it just might be the bike. 

Leaving out all other riders who might occasionally get in the mix or cause traffic, could this year be any different for Jett or will he go out and wax everyone again?  Will Prado and Deegan be disruptors and possibly beat Jett, or will they be non-factors?  Will Jett get caught up in any dirty games?  Will Eli and Chase be in the game?  Will Hunter be the new one to beat?  I’m not sure but I just hope everyone is healthy so we can see how this plays out.  History tells us we won’t likely see this dream scenario of 3-4 man battles up front, but it would be amazing if Jett, Hunter, Chase, Eli, Deegan, and Prado are all healthy and happy for several consecutive rounds.  IF this comes to fruition we could be in for some barn burners, so let's hope history doesn't repeat itself with injuries and a 1-2 horse race.  I wouldn’t want to bet on what happens, but if I had to, I’d still pick Jett to rise up again. That said, starting this season, there are clearly more obstacles to get in Jett's way—including mental battles he hasn’t had to face in his 450 career yet.  

If this season doesn’t deliver multi-contender battles, I guess we still have a bright future to look forward to as the new generation finally comes into its own. In a few years, we could have a seriously dialed 450 class with Jett, Hunter, Chase, Prado, Deegan, the Coenens, Davies, Shimoda, Kitchen, and more.

If you made it this far after I just killed half of my conference call, is it insane to think this season could mark the beginning of a true generational shift?

ShellyMX wrote:

Very well written. Bring on the outdoors!

jmo443 wrote:

Deegan. 

30minmotos wrote:

Is that chat geepeetee or did you type all that?

I am looking forward to outdoors for sure tho!

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

I VTT'd it into my computer out loud so they are my words, and then I cut/paste it into AI to proofread and correct grammar.  Took...

I VTT'd it into my computer out loud so they are my words, and then I cut/paste it into AI to proofread and correct grammar.  Took me about 20min during my conf call that was muted on my phone.

gerg wrote:

I'm sure your employer would appreciate that.

30minmotos wrote:

Is that chat geepeetee or did you type all that?

I am looking forward to outdoors for sure tho!

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

I VTT'd it into my computer out loud so they are my words, and then I cut/paste it into AI to proofread and correct grammar.  Took...

I VTT'd it into my computer out loud so they are my words, and then I cut/paste it into AI to proofread and correct grammar.  Took me about 20min during my conf call that was muted on my phone.

jmo443 wrote:

Deegan. 

The Wolf Man wrote:

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

jmo443 wrote:

Deegan. 

The Wolf Man wrote:

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

ohh_454 wrote:

The 250 class should be good, going to be like 2005 again

whateversclever69 wrote:

Yeah! Everyone knows about Jett’s recovery setbacks! You guys knew about his recovery setbacks right? Everyone’s talking about it!! (Nobody has talked about it and I...

Yeah! Everyone knows about Jett’s recovery setbacks! You guys knew about his recovery setbacks right? Everyone’s talking about it!! (Nobody has talked about it and I have never heard anything about it)

truck wrote:

@LewisPhillips mentioned it on LVK but not much detail. 

jmo443 wrote:

Deegan. 

The Wolf Man wrote:

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Zacka 161 wrote:

hahaha!!!! 
 

Join The Generals army and get 'motivational text messages'  -- what a scammy dork

https://thegeneralsarmy.com/

jmo443 wrote:

Deegan. 

The Wolf Man wrote:

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Zacka 161 wrote:

hahaha!!!! 
 

Join The Generals army and get 'motivational text messages'  -- what a scammy dork

https://thegeneralsarmy.com/

The Wolf Man wrote:

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Thanks Brian! Isn't it time for your botox injections?

Zacka 161 wrote:

hahaha!!!! 
 

Join The Generals army and get 'motivational text messages'  -- what a scammy dork

https://thegeneralsarmy.com/

whateversclever69 wrote:

mark my words.  I will call into pulp and read a Genitals Army Salute manifesto next week

Zacka 161 wrote:

Can we please stop with the mindlessly long AI slop posts… 

USA wrote:

I heard bro was also waiting for a pizza when this thread was being queried