Good, Bad and Ugly | Thunder Valley

'Good, Bad and Ugly' reflects on miscellaneous points from the second round of the 2023 Pro Motocross series, Hangtown. What would you put under each subheading? Travel to the forum to join the discussion or share ideas on social media (@VitalMX on Twitter and Instagram). For now, however, read on for some thoughts on Ty Masterpool, RJ Hampshire and Guillem Farres.

GOOD

Ty Masterpool was great. So much is said about how difficult it is to jump into a championship or gain momentum after a lengthy period off of the bike, yet he has never had a problem with that. The issue is, instead, that he keeps on having these lengthy breaks. Yes, there have been multiple injuries (both little and large). Those are rarely communicated though and thus eyebrows are raised whenever there is a comment about his attendance record. Anyway, that's not the point here. The point is that he was incredible in just his second 450MX outing.

The way that he rode at Hangtown stopped this from being a complete shock; his speed and potential was very clear at that point. There was no denying that he was the best of the rest. To transcend that second tier and break into the factory fold is something that few riders have managed though and so it is difficult to comprehend what we just witnessed. What would have happened if Masterpool secured a holeshot? What is going to happen when the circus arrives at RedBud? The mind boggles.

This was a reminder of his ability, but also a reminder of just how bizarre his career has been. Talk to him and there is little clarity about what has happened in the past or will happen in the future. Human nature is to be fearful of uncertainty and thus this will stop him from making any real headway in the paddock. There are no questions about his riding, excluding supercross, it is just the rest of the stuff. It feels like the way to move forward is to do a tell-all interview where he plainly states his goals.

BAD

Starts, starts and more starts. One would think that is all RJ Hampshire has done this week. It is rather insane just how quickly things can change in Pro Motocross, huh? Hampshire won the first race of the season and looked like a true threat for the 250MX crown. There is no doubt that he is still riding that well, but his starts have absolutely killed him. That may even be an understatement! Seventeenth is his average starting position.

It will be difficult for him to overcome the forty-three deficit that he faces to Hunter Lawrence, but this is not over just yet. "It was a really frustrating day," Hampshire commented. "I feel awesome on my bike, I just need to get out of the gate. It's so frustrating having to charge like that and have a couple of crashes and still have a shot there at the end. I'm heading back to Florida, and we'll be able to practice some starts this week. I'll figure some things out and we should be better at High Point."

UGLY

Injuries are really taking their toll on the 250MX division. Jeremy Martin, Michael Mosiman and Guillem Farres are out for the term. Jett Reynolds, Carson Mumford, Tom Vialle and more are questionable for upcoming races. The impact of injuries in that 250MX division pales in comparison to the state of the 450MX, of course, but this is a worrying trend. Farres' situation is a real bummer, because he was so much of a factor through two rounds and really heading in a positive direction.

"Guillem Farres" is a name that does not carry much weight and some still scoff when they think about the fact that he landed a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing contract. '88' had silenced the doubters though and it seemed that the sky was the limit (if the sky is the 250MX podium). The good news is that he has supposedly a deal in place for next year, but the next time that he's in action will be in Supercross and that is unlikely to go as well as this. That will stir up more questions, then we will get to Pro Motocross and the doubts will be quelled again. Rinse and repeat.