Houston - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 7

Get Grant Dawson's takes from the weekend; whether they were the highs, lows, or darn near unwatchable.

250 Class

Aaron Plessinger.Click photo to change size and caption

The Good: Aaron Plessinger | 1st Place

I've been saying for a couple of years now that Aaron has the speed to win a championship, but has lacked the starts and consistency needed to make it happen. He still doesn't have the starts quite figured out, but he's put the speed and consistency parts together through these first two rounds and will have the red plate for the first time in his career this coming weekend. Like I said regarding Shane McElrath last week, there's still not really a favorite in this 250 West division. There are easily five guys that could win main events and the championship, and no one is out of it yet. But, Aaron is sitting pretty right now. I'm interested to see how the Triple Crown format that will make its debut (outside of MEC) this coming weekend will impact the race for the championship 

Chase Sexton.Click photo to change size and caption

The Good Bonus: Chase Sexton | 3rd Place

Whoa, this one came out of nowhere! Sexton's one of those riders that was inevitably going to end up on the podium, but I wasn't expecting for it to happen in his first full season racing Supercross. GEICO Honda's got themselves a hardworking youngster who is already starting to perform at the level of a veteran. Impressive. I wonder if this will snowball into more podiums as his confidence continues to build? I guess we'll see soon.

Adam Cianciarulo.Click photo to change size and caption

The Bad: Adam Cianciarulo | 7th Place

It was starting to look like it was going to be Adam's night. He had won his heat, and he got a decent start in the main event and started picking his way through the field. He eventually closed up on his teammate, Joey Savatgy, who was leading the race and decided it was time to make a move. Unfortunately, he didn't make the pass stick and fell over in the turn. He then got back up and worked his way back to third before crashing again and falling back even more positions as a result. What was looking like a potential win became a seventh, and I'm sure he was fuming after the race as a result. I'd be pissed too, especially since this isn't the first time he's thrown away the lead. He's going to have to start making up some points very soon, or he may start to lose touch with the other riders fighting for the championship. 

Justin Hill (1).Click photo to change size and caption

The Ugly: Justin Hill | 10th Place

Yeah... One week ago I wrote how I genuinely believed that Justin had arm pump last week (I still do believe that, by the way) and how I hoped that Houston would be a nice turnaround race for him. It wasn't, and honestly I don't think this rather horrific weekend for the defending champ can be linked back to arm pump. It's one thing if a rider gets arm pump during the main and fades back, but Justin didn't look good all day. He qualified ninth, finished fifth in his heat, and then got tenth in the main event. That's not a great day from start to finish, and to me that points to him just having a bad weekend. It happens, just like arm pump, but if it continues to happen his season is quickly going to become a train wreck. 


450 Class

Jason Anderson.Click photo to change size and caption

The Good: Jason Anderson | 1st Place

This is, uh, getting quite interesting. Who would have guessed that Jason Anderson would have the red plate two rounds into this championship? Most people had their money on Eli Tomac or Marvin Musquin, and maybe a few had their money on Ken Roczen. Jason Anderson, though? I guarantee not many. But he has it, and I couldn't be more pumped. Why is that? Because this is the perfect twist to this year's championship (which is arguably the most hyped since the season following Ryan Villopoto's retirement). No one saw it coming, and regardless of who your favorite rider is, everyone can find some satisfaction in the underdog finding its way to the lead. His biggest threat now is Ken Roczen, and while I believe Ken will get stronger as the season goes, Jason has a real opportunity here to stretch out his points lead. A2 can't get here soon enough. 

Justin Barcia.Click photo to change size and caption

The Good Bonus: Justin Barcia | 3rd Place

Another big surprise is Justin Barcia's two podiums in two races. It's no secret that Justin has not had a good Supercross season since he switched from Honda, so to see him get two podiums in a row is incredible. He seems to finally have his flow back, and if he continues to ride well and improve as the season goes on I can't rule out the possibility of him grabbing his first win in a few years. We've all been impressed by the story of Ken Roczen's return to racing, but Justin's career-saving season is a close second so far. 

Broc Tickle.Click photo to change size and caption

The Bad: Broc Tickle | 8th Place

Did he have the best start? No. But did he move up much? Not at all. I'm not really sure what to make of Broc Tickle's first two rounds of the season. After his performance at the Monster Energy Cup, I was expecting for him to be a podium contender throughout the season. And while that could still happen, he hasn't looked a whole lot different than the Tickle we've seen in Supercross for years now: solid, but not a consistent top five/podium guy. It'll be interesting to see whether Aldon Baker's newest rider rises as the season goes on, or if he stays where he's been these first couple of rounds.

Marvin Musquin (25).Click photo to change size and caption

The Ugly: Marvin Musquin | DNQ

Just when we thought that this may be the season of Marvin Musquin, he crashes out during his heat race in Houston and is unable to race the LCQ, resulting in a DNQ for the main. He's now in the same situation Eli Tomac was in after A1. Is it bad? Will it affect him if he attempts to race A2? He and the team will have to consider these things and make a decision pretty quickly. Regardless, I don't think we'll see the same Marvin even if he is able to race A2. He could salvage points while his shoulder gets back to normal (like he did with his knee during nationals last year), and then re-engage his assault on the championship when he's good to go. But it's still impossible to deny that the goose egg he received in the points column at Houston has greatly decreased his chances of winning the championship. Hopefully he's able to race this coming weekend and starts to claw back some points. 

Eli Tomac.Click photo to change size and caption

The Ugly Bonus: Eli Tomac | DNS

Following A1, Eli's chances of winning the championship were greatly decreased but it was still a possibility. But after pulling out of Houston because his shoulder still wasn't good enough to race, and falling to 40+ points down in the championship, his chances now are nearly rock bottom. Just another twist in this already drama-filled Supercross season. But if/when he does return, how will he impact the championship chase between the other riders? That will be intriguing. 


Words and Photos by Grant Dawson

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