Roczen vs Lawrence, who wins and why?

I think it’s going to boil down to the start in the main. They both are fast but in Denver it took Ken to long to get to second and he couldn’t break the gap like he does if he is there right out of the gate. I think we all win this season since it has been such a good one and I’m at the point where I’m just excited to see it. I hope Kenny gets a great start, pushes to first then Hunta and Ken duke it out. Happy either way but if I had to pick one it’s Kenny. 

Who do you think Prado will hold up more? 

Hoping Kenny wins. Everyone says it's a great story for either but KR94 winning would be absolutely insane. On top of his entire story, he's riding a kickstart bike, going up against Factory Honda. Go get em KRoc!

Hunter. They have that bike working good on hard pack and altitude, and he doesn’t seem to be bothered by the altitude. So he will get a good start and push the pace.

 If Ken goes with him, I don’t believe Ken has the same stamina at altitude, so he won’t be able to keep up the intensity for 22 minutes. 

 I think it will be cool whoever wins tho. 

Hunter - his hard pack performance (except that Detroit crash) has been superior. Gets the start and sails off. The only thing that would stop him would be a crash or really uncharacteristically bad start. Kenny will cut through the pack quickly as usual, but he needs Hunter to have problems.

Kenny, can Hunter handle the pressure? I truly believe Kenny is taking this race by race, he didn’t even realize he’d have the red plate after Philly. 

But, deep down I know Hunter has the edge. 

96, two reasons;

1. only 643 feet below mile high stadium.  Seems like the HRC bike and the human behind the bars did well last weekend and 643 feet isn’t that much.

2. 96 seems overall to do better in ideal conditions.  It looks like conditions will be ideal on Saturday.

   
   Both riders are uber deserving, though.  I’m hoping for clean racing and nothing questionable from either rider, fellow competitors, lappers, or the AMA.

Coop Webb isn’t out of it guys. Come on.

Hunter, i just think he has Kenny covered in speed and he seems extremely focused on getting this done. Like he said "It's his to lose" and he ain't losing it. And I really hope Jett's there to congratulate him at the checkers!

Half of life is luck. The other half is fate. That puts kr94 on top. 

Kenny has nerves of steel while Hunter has flailed at times, so I say #94.

I think the closest thing to the level of pressure on these guys is A1, and Kenny has always delivered at that race. I think Kenny unlocks his best self and gets it done.  

I personally think Hunter has been spazzy when he’s made a mistake it has turned into rushing things and making 1 mistake into multiple a couple times this year. He’s looked frantic and in the edge of tossing it away many times.

If he doesn’t nail the start, I think Kenny wins.

But if Hunter starts up front, it really is anyone’s guess.

I think Kenny’s passing skills are better and his riding has been very in control.

Hunters starts have been amazing and his riding has been on the edge several times.

Rooting for Kenny, but it’s going to be close that’s for sure!

Ken Roczen wins the title, because I like to believe that the universe is fair. 

Ken Roczen, obviously. 

My thoughts exactly. Whoever Prado holds up is going to be in a tough spot. Would be awesome if both Kenny and Hunta get out in front of him in the start so we can see a battle. 

I think Kenny takes it.  In Denver it looked like after he got into 2nd he was completely content with it and had the mindset ride within his limits, waiting to see if Hunter crashes on his own or has mechanical (unlikely for both), still leaving with the points lead.  I think if Kenny gets a better start, he will need to be worried about Hunter torpedoing him.  I think both are deserving, but I hope Kenny gets it.   It would be epic if both get bad starts to watch them slice through the pack.  

I appreciate the thought into elevation.  Every podcast I've listened to this week has said it is 1000' foot lower because they just looked up Salt Lake City elevation.  It really isn't that much different when you look at the exact elevation numbers between the two stadiums. If you look at actual elevation maps, Empower Field is 5200' (not the 5280' they love to claim to make it an actual "Mile High").  Rice Eccles is 4650' so it's really only 550' lower than Denver...doesn't sound like much but it makes a difference.  Also with the track layout and surface being neraly identical I think it favors Hunter since he performed so well last race.  

You can't really compare qualifying times from Denver because Ken was the only rider in Denver that was diving into the scoring end loop to shave time off so those lap times are a little skewed.  The track design this weekend won't allow for diving into the end of the timing loop at the finish line.  I think it is going to be really close but I think Hunter comes out on top.  Excited for Saturday!

ROCZEN.

Because I said so. 

Going to be an epic race, I'd love nothing more than Roczen to come out on top of this one. Saturday cant come fast enough! 

We're going to see a new cooper Webb this week. He's turning over every stone. He went to a shaman this week and his aligned chakras are telling him and the world that he is not out of this championship 

PLEASE!🙏  AMA do not screw this up!

60/40 to Hunter.

No idea. That's why they race! My heart wants Kenny, but my head says Hunta due to his starts and calmness under pressure. Kenny could be forced to throw caution to the wind (basically what he said he chose NOT to do in Denver),  and on a hard, slick track, that could bite him. But that goes both ways. I do know I have butterflies already and I'm not even lining up!

Since Eli is out, 100% I'd love to see Kenny for the championship. I know none of these guys "deserve" a SX championship. But, Kenny DESERVES a SX championship. He has the speed, the starts and the stamina. Now, he just needs a bit of good fortune and he can get this title. He has resurected a basically dead manufacturer in Suzuki, he is great for the sport, he became and American, he's paid his dues. I mean...what's not to cheer for?

Rooting for Kenny. Looking at the track, it will be startcross, so we just hope he gets that start in the main. 

Hunter.

Better average starts. 

Definitely strong for the entire 20min.

Proven better in hard pack conditions. 

Only one set of whoops plays in his favor as well. He enters them well, but the bike begins to look sketchy about halfway through. 

If he holeshots, Kenny will have his work cut out for him. 

Just too close to make a call on this one... what it boils down to is - whoever makes a mistake loses... whether that be a bad start, or a crash, or invisible sky daddy knows what, one single mistake will determine this title... 

Roczen….Why? Well because how friggin cool would that be! 

Kenny needs a holeshot. I struggle to see a scenario where Hunter gets a holeshot and is able to sprint away from the group while Roczen is having to expend energy making passes, and Roczen is able to subsequently bridge the gap. Hunter is simply too good with a lead. 

However, I do think if Hunter gets a mediocre start (outside of the top 5), there is a higher chance of him panicking and making a costly mistake than if Roczen was in the same position. 

With all else equal, if both of them are up front away from the pack, I give a slight edge to Hunter just because he's been a tick better on most hard pack surfaces, save A1 and Glendale (I think it was Glendale that Kenny won? Or was that Houston). 

Honestly, I think the most entertaining scenario is if they both start mid-pack and are forced to battle each other as they work their way through traffic. In that case, I would give the slight edge to Kenny. The way he worked P2-P4 in Denver was masterful.

All in all, if I had to bet, I'd put my money on Hunter... but it's anyone's race, and I am rooting for Kenny.

Kenny. Heart and determination to bring it home and he isn't going out of this without a fight. Good start and sprint away. Let's go Kenny!

The one who finishes in front of the other, because they’re only 1 point apart. Yes Im fun at parties sorry