Quick-Change 8

Sometimes it's weird how quickly things change in the span of a few days...

I stopped by Glen Helen last week to catch some of the pros wrapping up their prep for the upcoming Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series. While I avoided stopping by the pit area to chat with them (I'd picked up a cold after the final round of the Supercross season in Las Vegas, and didn't want to be responsible for getting anyone sick), it was good to get out in the sun and see everyone dialing in their bikes. That said, wow, it's weird how fast some things change. You'll see what I mean in a few of the captions below.

Alex Martin has been on the sidelines throughout the Supercross season, and it was good to see him getting after it on the course at Glen Helen. I don't know exactly what it is in this shot, but his position on the bike here kind of reminds me of Jeff Ward back in the day.

Sean Cantrell has wrapped up his rookie seasons in both the outdoors and Supercross, and was having some fun on the track.

The downhill was particularly nasty out there, that day, with a few big steps on the way down from Mt. St. Helens. Jordon Smith demonstrates.

Here's one of the big changes. Josh Grant was on the track and looking good, but today we got a press release that he'll be MIA for a few races at the beginning of the Nationals, as his leg injury needs additional time to heal. Bummer.

When we got the press release about Garrett Marchbanks joining the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team for the summer, we suspected that it was just one shoe dropping on their summer roster. That got confirmed in Las Vegas when Adam Cianciarulo let it slip that he was out due to knee surgery. So far Garrett looks plenty speedy, and it'll be interesting to see where he slots in this summer.

Joey Savatgy will be the healthy vet on the team for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki as they head into the Nationals.

The last we'd seen Jason Anderson, he was making an early exit from the press conference in Las Vegas due to illness after wrapping up the 450 crown. The good news is, he was back to full speed at Glen Helen, and dialing in his big Husky.

Mitchell Harrison looked good here, but we hear he had a big digger the next day. As far as we know, he's good to go for Hangtown.

Michael Mosiman was also getting in lots of laps.

We're bummed for Dean Wilson. He was on the gas while we were there, but later tangled with a slower rider, and ruined an ACL. It sounds like he's done for the outdoor season before it even gets going. Get well soon, Deano.

This was maybe the last ride for Christian Craig in Alias gear, as he'll be switching to Fox for the future.

Chase Sexton and the rest of the GEICO Honda crew will be in Shift gear all summer.

If you see Ivan Tedesco on the track, you know he's testing bikes and helping get the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki guys dialed in.

Broc Tickle was putting in laps and waiting on results for his B sample from San Diego. The bad news is, that one came back with the same result, and now he'll have to have a hearing to determine his penalty. We also got a press release today that Red Bull KTM has dropped him from the squad.

Justin Barcia making the big Yamaha bark on one of the Glen Helen uphills.

Here's a scene we never like seeing. Justin Cooper hit the deck about mid-day and was down for a bit.

After Justin remounted, he did a few slow laps but continued to moto throughout the day. After an injury kept him off the bike for his rookie Supercross season, he's been focusing on outdoors riding, which should prove useful for him, particularly in the early part of the season while other riders are transitioning to their outdoor setups. Remember, he grabbed a podium in his first-ever National (Unadilla). He's one to watch.

Hayden Mellross will be riding under the CycleTrader.com/Rock River/Yamaha tent this summer.

Freshly-crowned 250 West champ Aaron Plessinger was looking frisky on the track.

While the track was devoted to pros from 10:00-12:00, there were a few other brave souls who ventured out later on. This li'l dude had a tough time on the downhill.

Weston Peick was in solo mode, with the team back in North Carolina.

Blake Baggett seemed to be having a mostly easy day when we saw him...though we did see some flashes of serious speed. He could be really good during the outdoors. We've got him on our must-watch list.

Photos and words: GuyB



8 comments

View replies to: Quick-Change

Comments

The Latest