Good, Bad, 'n Ugly: Spring Creek 1

250 Class

The Good: Dylan Ferrandis | 1st Place Overall

Jeremy Martin gave Dylan Ferrandis everything he could handle at the end of the second moto on Saturday. Still, Dylan was able to hold on for his first 1-1 performance since Loretta Lynn's 1. He now has the red plate again as well, and I think we're going to be in for one heck of a conclusion to this 250 title. The dream scenario is that they trade wins and go into the final round at Fox Raceway only a couple of points apart. Let me know in the poll below who you think will win the title out of these two. 

The Bad: Shane McElrath | 11th Place Overall

Shane stated in an interview with Swapmoto Live that he just didn't ride that well at Spring Creek...and, well, he's not lying. His first moto finish of 15th place was largely due to a bad start, but I would also expect for someone of his caliber to come further up through the pack than where he finished. He also couldn't pass his rookie teammate, Jarrett Frye, who was making his pro debut. Sooo, not a great look for Shane. He then didn't have the pace to stay up front in the second moto and eventually came home in seventh place. Shane is still on track to tie his best overall finish in an outdoor series (he finished fifth in the standings in 2018 and is in fifth right now), but I'm honestly more curious about what he'll be doing in 2021 at this point. Will the AMA let him stay in the 250 class, and he'll be with Star Racing Yamaha for one last try, or will he end up on a 450 somewhere?

The Ugly: Pierce Brown | DNQ

Pierce Brown recently announced on his Instagram that he is out for the remainder of the season, as he will have surgery to help get his knee back to 100%. It was a really up and down year for Pierce, but he showed that he does have the raw speed to be a big-time producer for the Troy Lee Designs team in the coming years. He just needs to stay off the dang ground. 

450 Class

The Good: Adam Cianciarulo | 1st Place Overall

Adam Cianciarulo has found "it" and has been the class of the field over the past two rounds. You take away his DNF in the second moto at Loretta Lynn's 1, and we might have a completely different situation in the standings right now. He is only 15 points behind Zach Osborne after Zach's issues in the second moto on Saturday, but can he continue this run of results? None of us have a clue, but how cool would it be for Adam to make an absolute run at the end of the series here and win the 450 outdoor title in his first year? I'd be surprised, you'd probably be surprised, and I'd bet that Kawasaki would be pretty dang surprised as well. This season keeps on delivering some sharp twists and turns. 

The Good Bonus: Christian Craig | 7th Place Overall

The one hope I had for Christian Craig heading into this outdoor season is that he would stay healthy for the entire series, which he has struggled with mightily over the past several seasons. And guess what?! He has done that so far! He hasn't necessarily set the world on fire with his results, but he does have several top 10 moto finishes with a few sixth-place finishes sprinkled in there as well. So I think he has done a fine job filling-in for Honda. The last bit of silly season news I saw indicated that he won't be back with Honda next year, but at least he'll end his tenure with them by consistently giving them some solid results.

The Bad: Zach Osborne | 10th Place Overall

A fourth-place finish in the first moto for Zacho wasn't great considering how Adam Cianciarulo has suddenly become a contender. His second moto was even worse as he had to deal with a flat front tire towards the end of the race and fell to 16th place. He lost 27 points to Adam in one day...and now Adam has to be considered a legitimate threat to Zach's championship hopes. This weekend is going to be a big one for Zach. He needs to firmly establish himself as the title favorite again and put a little more distance between himself and Adam. 15 points is still a decent cushion, but there's a lot that could happen over the next three rounds.

The Ugly: Broc Tickle | 16th Place Overall

Broc had a scary get off in the second moto, and initially, I thought his season might have ended right here. It turns out he's just beaten and bruised, though, and will try his best to be on the line this coming weekend in Florida! Broc, similar to Christian Craig, hasn't destroyed the field or anything during his stint with Monster Energy Yamaha, but he has been a solid fill-in rider. I hope that he has done enough this season to land a ride for the 2021 season. I think there are at least a few satellite teams that should consider him. He won't win races, but he will provide solid results every week, and he may surprise everyone with an occasional podium. 

Words by Grant Dawson
Photos by Steve Giberson