Thunder Valley Motocross - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Motocross Feature

With scenic views and great racing, Colorado was the perfect place to send the series into a week long break. But before we all take a breather from the world of dirt bike racing, let's look at the best and the worst of Thunder Valley.

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The Good: Jeremy Martin | 2nd Overall

We saw a glimpse of the Jeremy Martin we've been waiting to see all season long during moto one of Thunder Valley. Granted, he has been pretty vocal about dealing with a head cold at the first couple of rounds, but it seems like he's finally getting over it. He looked very good during the first moto, and although he only claimed third in the second moto, he only sits three points out of the championship lead. I expect for him to keep building over these next few rounds and grab his first overall of the year very soon.

The Bad: Aaron Plessinger | 11th Overall

When Aaron got a great start in moto one, I thought Thunder Valley was going to be the first time this season we would see him up on the podium. Unfortunately, he went down early in the moto and then got a poor start in the second moto. He did ride better than the results show, but 11th overall is not what he was looking for, especially if he was hoping to get in on the championship battle. He needs to get the ball rolling here soon, or this may turn out to be a disappointing season for the sophomore rider.

The Ugly: Adam Cianciarulo | 14th Overall

Adam looked really good in the first moto as he worked his way through the pack, and he was looking very good in the second moto until he went down. It's a real shame too, as his crash took away a great chance for us to see where he is at in the speed department. I mean, we know he's not slow, but we are all curious where he stacks up compared to the current frontrunners. Good news is that there is still 18 motos left in the season, and I'm sure he'll get another good start at some point this year.

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The Good: Cole Seely | 4th Overall

Cole stated before the season started that he wants to shake the "Supercross Specialist" reputation he's gained over the years, and so far he's done just that. Not only has he been solid, but he's been a podium threat during the first three rounds of the season. I certainly didn't expect to see him running up front almost every moto this year, and it's great to see him getting better and better outdoors. If he stays on his current pace, he might contend for a moto win at some point this season.

The Bad: Eli Tomac's Starts

Eli has been killing himself this season with terrible starts. I can't really say this is a huge surprise considering he got terrible starts the entire Supercross season, but I expected for him to at least get decent starts in motocross...not the 15th place starts he has been getting. Hell, he's had a few motos where he's started around 20th! Eli, no matter how good he may be, can't do that when there are guys like Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen starting up front every moto. My recommendation is for him to spend an entire week doing nothing but practice starts, because he needs to figure this whole start thing out.

The Ugly: Jason Anderson | 40th Overall

Jason pulled out of moto one due to altitude sickness and didn't return for moto two. And unfortunately, that double DNF killed him in the points and dropped him from fourth to seventh in the standings. There's not much else to say about the situation... It just sucks for Jason that something completely out of his control cost him an entire round of racing.