Good, Bad and Ugly | 2023 Seattle 3

'Good, Bad and Ugly' recaps some miscellaneous points from the eleventh round of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross series, Seattle. What would you put underneath each subheading? Head to the forum to join the discussion or share your thoughts over on social media (@VitalMX on Twitter and Instagram). For now, however, read on for some thoughts on Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton and Stilez Robertson.

GOOD

Seattle marked a return to form for Eli Tomac. Well, did it? There are some who claim that Tomac did not fall into a slump and, truthfully, the series standings never indicated that. The furthest that he fell from the red plate was two points. There was never a reason for him to panic. However, it was damage limitation mode for a while there and Cooper Webb would have gained so much confidence from his foe's bobbles. Webb had beaten Tomac in four of the six races that were held prior to Seattle and he kept it rather close in those that he lost, Oakland and Daytona, so 'orange' was the color of momentum for a month and a half.

Now, those who are against that theory would point towards the championship standings and that is a reasonable tactic. Dive deeper than the results and there were undoubtedly cracks in that impeccable armour of Tomac. Webb would have seen those, aimed to exploit them and used them to thrive. There is simply no doubt about that and one would think that only caused him to push forward in the middle of the Seattle main, where he took a chunk out of the deficit on consecutive laps. Tomac retaliated in the latter stages, halted Webb's momentum for the first time in a while and regained some confidence. If Tomac wins this title, this scribe will look at Seattle as the moment that the pendulum swung.

BAD

The subheading above is horrible, as "bad" is not necessarily a narrative that fits any on-track activities. Let's dive into a point of debate instead. Chase Sexton lost five additional points in Seattle and is now twenty-two points adrift in the championship standings. Is he out of this battle? If this was a mediocre season with two or three contenders, then he would be. 2023 Monster Energy Supercross is anything but that though, to the delight of spectators across the world, and therefore the door is open ever so slightly. Justin Barcia, Jason Anderson, Adam Cianciarulo, Ken Roczen and Aaron Plessinger have the ability to steal points from the contenders and aid a rider like Chase.

Those athletes could also steal points from Chase, as they did in Seattle, but the point is that the door is open by a small margin. Look back at the St. Louis fixture in 2006 Monster Energy Supercross and that confirms that there is hope. Chad Reed entered the round in third place, fifteen points adrift, and then chaos ensued. James Stewart finished seventeenth after a fall and Ricky Carmichael's shock broke. Reed left the night as the winner and championship leader. Imagine if lightning strikes twice? It would be a treat for fans and a welcome gift for Sexton. Watch this space, huh?

UGLY

Stilez Robertson was acquired by the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team for a reason, to state the obvious. That being that he showed significant potential and has the ability to claw his way to the top of the totem pole. Many, including this scribe, believe that he can still do that and be a winner. It is just unfortunate that there have been few opportunities to show that this season, as crashes have piled up and stopped him gaining any momentum. Seattle was an additional stumbling block – he led four laps, crashed and was done for the night.

There have been flashes of that brilliance. Robertson won a main event at Anaheim 2, remember, and joined his teammate on the podium that night. Success has been sparse ever since and one would presume that pressure is piling on with each misstep. Now, a greater challenge faces him. Can he deal with that demand to put the pieces of the puzzle together? Time will tell, but the tools are there. The good news is that he exited Lumen Field unscathed and will be on the track in Glendale, Arizona. The Triple Crown format will return on that night and that was kind to him last time. Same again?