You’ve seen the results, here’s the story.
Things were starting to get predictable this season, Chase Sexton and Hunter Lawrence will crush qualifying, and there won’t be many surprises in the heats, except for RJ! And the mains will go down to the select few same guys battling it out.
Indy started much the same way, Chase and Hunter qualified fastest, and Jordon Smith and Hunter predictably split the 250 heats. But the 450 heats threw a couple of curveballs, Justin Barcia winning heat 1 from Ken Roczen, and them both looking great. Chase won heat 2, but this race also saw a very cautious-looking Eli Tomac finishing off the podium, despite getting the holeshot.
Speaking of the heat races, a big “Get well soon” to 250 privateer Larry Reyes, who suffered a lacerated liver, fractured shoulder, and concussion during heat 2, I’ve gotta admit when they were taking a bit of time to get him off the track, I felt sick in the guts, glad he’s going to be ok. Larry also only found out that morning, that his sore ankle from Daytona was actually cracked! A rough night indeed, but not as rough as the 722’s hairline! It's time bro, trust me.
I’m thinking those unusual heat races won’t mean much, Eli, Chase, and Coop will be out front by lap 2 come the main. Or so I thought. And there was no LCQ carnage again! about time Cade Clason and Alex Ray put on a show hey, speaking of Cade he won the 450 race and rookie Caden Braswell won the 250.
Onto the mains and I’m sitting there watching the 250 race and I’ve gotta admit I was a little bored, or at least as bored as you can be watching the best sport in the world. Hunter is just too good, 7 seconds up on Nate Thrasher 2nd who was 7 seconds up on Smith 3rd who is 8 seconds up on Jeremy Martin. A great podium dedication to Brayden Erbacher from Hunter though. Nice.
All go for the 450 main and I’m 100% expecting it to be a battle between the big 3 and not super pumped. But the moto gods served up the tastiest of treats didn’t they! Kenny with the holeshot, leading early from Coop, Chase, and Adam Ciancirulo, Eli with the bad start outside the top ten, the less-than-ideal gate pick surely playing a part. Chase passed Coop into 2nd and looked to be heading toward the lead only to once again crash while in a strong position, I don’t even know what to say. He got up in “bullethead’ mode in the 12th position.
Eli was just not Eli, looking very human and sitting in 7th, upfront Kenny held a 3-second lead over Bam Bam who had made his way up to 2nd, and Coop sitting in 3rd and looking ready to pounce. At this stage of the race, I’m thinking that Coop has them right where he wants them, “here comes the shark” “blood in the water” all that stuff!
3 minutes to go and Coop ain’t doing shark things, Kenny is holding that lead and that Suzuki win is actually starting to seem like a possibility. What were the odds that we were going to see a Kenny and Bam Bam fight for the win, a Suzuki and Gas Gas duking it out!
Kenny held on with Bam just not close enough when it counted. The first Suzuki 450 supercross win since Ken himself won in 2016. Really cool for Ken, Suzuki, Dustin Pipes, Larry Brooks, and the whole Progressive Suzuki team. Bam in 2nd, the two riders embracing after the battle, the first of many emotional scenes, leading to the podium, not to mention on the podium where we saw a choked-up Kenny complete with Kickstarter in hand. We’ll remember this one.
A bittersweet Coop in 3rd and now the points leader, a weird way to earn that, with Eli in 8th and Chase in 10th. I guess on a very challenging track Chase was too hot, Eli was too cold and Coop was just right. Coop has podiumed all bar 2 races so far and the other 2 were a 4th and 5th.
Indy has sprinkled a little spice on the season, bring on the Motor City.
Go Riding
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