Good, Bad, 'n Ugly: Orlando 1 1

250 Class

The Good: Jett Lawrence | 1st Place

Ol' Jett took full advantage of a great start at Orlando 1 and managed his gap over Colt Nichols en route to his second win of the season. I have to imagine that he was in a decent amount of pain towards the end of the Main Event due to the shoulder injury he has been dealing with, but it seems like the dude can push through damn near anything if he has a chance to win a race. Now he has a couple of months to heal up and come back ready for another win at Salt Lake City.

The Bad: Christian Craig | 3rd Place

Given the circumstances, Christian rode great, and the only reason he's even listed as "The Bad" is because of his heat race crash that injured his wrist/hand and pretty much dashed any chance he had at winning the Main Event and closing the gap to Colt Nichols before the break. The good news is that it sounds like his wrist is just swollen, as his initial visit to the doctor revealed that he didn't have any fractures, and now he has plenty of time to get his hand/wrist back to 100%. 

The Ugly: The East Series Going on Break is Good News

Usually, I'm not the most pumped when one of the regional 250 series goes on break, as it means that we're nearly halfway through the season as a whole. However, I am so glad that the East series is about to go on an extended break. Injuries have absolutely decimated this class, and a couple of the guys that were out on track on Saturday were pushing through some pain. I'm looking forward to watching a fresh group of riders out there, and I'm glad that the East guys get a chance to heal up. Hopefully, some of the East guys that we've lost over the past seven rounds can make it back in time for Salt Lake City. 

450 Class

The Good: Cooper Webb | 1st Place

In my opinion, this 450 title will come down to Cooper Webb and Ken Roczen, and it sure does have some potential to be a great battle as we head into the mid-point of the season. Cooper executing a two-for-one pass and getting around Ken the way he did was a crucial move and once again shows how fantastic his racecraft is. I really don't know who I'd pick as the favorite right now. Ken has the advantage in the standings, of course, but it's not like 13 points is that big of a cushion in this class, and Cooper could go on a run of wins at any time. I wish that Eli Tomac would stick his head into the battle and potentially make this one of the best seasons in recent memory, but I think it's a two-horse race for now. 

The Bad: Dylan Ferrandis | DNF

Dylan's quietly had a solid rookie season in the 450 class and had largely stayed out of trouble up to this point, although his starts have still proven to be an issue that have held him back from showing his full potential. He went down at Orlando 1, though, and he also got hit by another rider when he got up, which knocked the wind out of him. It sounds like he didn't sustain any injuries from the incident, but it's never good to see someone sitting down on the side of the track with a look of severe pain on their face. I'm hopeful that he can get his starts dialed in between now and the end of the season because he has the speed to run with the guys at the front of the field. But he can't start outside the top 10 every week in this class and expect to work his way to the front. 

The Ugly: Broc Tickle | DNQ

It was odd to see Broc Tickle fail to make the Main Event, but he got a horrible start in the LCQ and didn't have enough time to make it to a qualifying position. I will say that I've also been surprised by Broc's overall performance throughout this season. I get that he's on a new bike with a new team, but he has yet to secure a top 10 finish. I mean, this is a stacked class, and I've acknowledged that several times this year, but I'd slot Broc into the same tier as Joey Savatgy, and Joey has three top 10s so far. We'll see if he's able to find his footing as the season continues to progress. 

Words by Grant Dawson
Photos by Steve Giberson