2020 Atlanta Supercross | Kickstart

Race face.

Did you watch our pre-race interview with Jeremy Martin? We caught the GEICO Honda rider on Friday afternoon and talked about his recent results, the week he spend riding with brother Alex in Florida and how they are both on factory bikes at the highest level of the sport, and his adaptation to the current generation CRF250R and his switch to Showa suspension. Click the blue “Complete Coverage” link up top to find the interview in our Atlanta work and press play.

Cedric Soubeyras is a welcome addition to the 250 East Coast region. The French rider has been on a whirlwind tour of Europe over the last few months, including his run to the title in the French SX Tour and success in the UK Arenacross Series, but now it’s time to take on the US SX scene with the ERM/2B Moraco/Munn Racing/Husqvarna crew. Soubeyras was 10th fastest in qualifying, third in the LCQ, and 11th in the Main Event, which is a good result considered the limited time he’s had riding amid all the travel. We really like the way he had his Fox Racing helmet painted in the French national colors and that he matched it with the right style of SCOTT Prospect goggles…

Something we noticed on Saturday that could be something or could be nothing: Cooper Webb was right behind Eli Tomac more often than not in the timed qualifying sessions. It seemed like wherever ET3 was, Webb was somewhere close behind. Was this a way to see if Webb had the pace of the front-runners despite being injured or a tactic to show Tomac that the defending champion is going to be one of the riders he’ll have to beat in his hunt for the 450 SX title?

Check back later in the week for an interview with Henry Miller on his return to action after a shoulder injury. The Minnesota racer is set to take on the rest of the 450 SX season on a privateer KTM with support from close friends and industry sponsors. Miller didn’t make the Main Event in Atlanta, as he came up ninth in the LCQ, but he’s showing rapid improvement after time away.

We said it last week, but the thought holds up: RJ Hampshire has to win or be on the box from here until the final round if he wants to win the 250 East Coast SX title. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider made it a point to be near the front of the pack in all of the practice sessions and raced hard for every position on the track, including his laps led in the 250 Main Event until a pass by Chase Sexton put him in second place. Currently third overall in the series with 61 points, Hampshire has to make something happen soon to close the 14-point gap to current leader Sexton.

Jordon Smith is steadily making progress on the track. During our How Was Your Weekend interview after the race, the first-year Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider further explained that he is a bit underprepared for the year due to a wrist injury and that he’s making steady progress each week with the bike, team, and his body. Smith finished fourth in Atlanta, his second top-five result of the season, and is now fifth overall in the championship standings.

Dash to the first turn.

Dean Wilson is doing damn good lately. After a slow start to the season following last October’s hip injury, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider has become a presence near the front of the field during qualifying and the races, especially over the past two weeks. Wilson was fifth fastest during the afternoon in Atlanta and was in the top-10 for all of the Main Event for a 10th place result, one spot better than teammate Jason Anderson. Keep an eye on Dean in these next few weeks, because he’s getting back to full strength and speed.

Family weekend at the races. For his final opening ceremonies in Atlanta, Chad Reed was joined by his three kids on identically prepped Husqvarna EE5 electric minibikes for a special half-lap around the track. Seeing the crowd cheer for Reed during his last run on the circuit has been cool to see, because many have an attachment to the two-time champion from Kurri Kurri, but his ATL introduction will certainly be one of the more memorable of the tour.

Note the lack of a GoPro on Pierce Brown’s helmet. After Brian Moreau’s injury in Tampa, Roger DeCoster made the executive decision and has mandated that objects like a camera or LitPro device will not be allowed on a KTM or Husqvarna rider’s helmet from here out.

Since GoPro is a team sponsor for TLD KTM and camera use is a must in their agreement, KTM came up with this simple mount that will put the camera on the front fender. We’re interested to see how this footage looks, especially with the stabilization of the Hero 8.

While we’re on the subject of Brown, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider was impressive in his pro SX debut. Placed in the unseeded practice sessions during the afternoon, Brown took advantage of the pack he was with and clicked off very quick laps, which put him fourth overall in the entire 250 Class. Impressive for a first timer on a true track with Tuff Blocks, ruts, tricky transitions in jumps, and a talented list of competitors. Brown battled with Shane McElrath in his Heat Race and finished in third place, but a crash in the Main Event left him with a broken visor and a 17th place finish. Look at his lap times and riding from the weekend more than the results, because he could be a surprise on the East Coast in the next few weeks.

Enzo Lopes is another rider that’s making an impact on the 250 East Coast class. Signed with the Club MX crew for 2020, the young rider has finished in the top-10 the last two weekends (eighth in Arlington, sixth in Atlanta) and these results are reminding everyone why he was a modestly hyped amateur rider with a Red Bull sponsorship. We like how he always has a blue and yellow Shoei helmet and SCOTT goggles, which are the colors of his native Brazil. Makes us think of Ayrton Senna a bit…

Chase Sexton was on a mission in Atlanta. The GEICO Honda rider was the fastest of the 250 Class in qualifying, raced his way to the Heat Race win, and out-battled rival RJ Hampshire for the Main Event win, his second W of the season and third of his career. Since this is Sexton’s last year on the small-bore bike, he’s doing everything he can to make a statement before exiting the class and getting on the Team Honda HRC CRF450R this summer. He’ll have sole position of the red plate for Daytona, a big statement for Honda at a race they are the title sponsor of, and further encouragement to defend the 1E.

Roczen over the front-end of his bike, El Hombre hanging off the bike with a leg out for balance. There’s always something to see at the start of a moto.

Justin Brayton rode well in Atlanta, even if the results don’t show it. The Team Honda HRC rider was 10th in qualifying and was in the top-10 during the Main Event until some contact with Cooper Webb caused him to lose some spots and a separate crash in the sand erased even more of his forward progress through the pack. Brayton ended the night 12th, which caused him to lose eighth place in the championship standings to Justin Hill. Brayton will spend this week riding with all of Team Honda HRC in Florida and will return to his usual program in North Carolina after Daytona.

Token Tevin Tapia photo.

Blake Baggett was not happy in Atlanta. Two tough weeks had put the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM rider in a bit of a hole, especially after his podium in San Diego, and he looked like a contender for a top-five finish in Atlanta. Until the run-in with Eli Tomac. The crash left Baggett with a damaged front wheel and he was forced to nurse the bike home to the checkered flag, which meant no big jump combinations or hard laps. Barcia’s discussion with Tomac was more public (more on that below) but Baggett might actually have been the most pissed out of the group, evident in his shove of ET3 when they went to pick up their bikes and a retaliatory move on the track when he was being lapped later in the race. We were told that Tomac didn’t mean to take Baggett down, that he was trying to get away from Barcia as quick as possible and that he was going to talk with Baggett to cool the situation after the race, but Baggett bounced shortly after the checkered flag and didn’t seem to be in a mood to take an apology. Keep an eye on this going forward.

We’ve said all year that Vince Friese can be a top-10 guy and in Atlanta, he had the pace to prove that point. The SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider diced with Dean Wilson in their Heat Race for a solid sixth place finish, then linked up with teammate Justin Hill and ran in the top-five for a good chunk of the 450 Main Event. Jason Anderson’s pass and eventually crash did take Friese down a few notches in the result sheet, but he looked quick and comfortable when he was behind Hill early in the race, just like a normal day at the practice track. We’ll be interested to see if Friese can make the same thing happen in the next few weeks and hold his own for the full duration of the race.

Do you believe in Justin Hill yet? For another weekend, the SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda rider was one of the fastest in the 450 Class from qualifying (third overall) to the Main Event (ran in the top-three for a while before sliding back to sixth) and has made many think he could be a podium finisher between now and Salt Lake City. Seriously, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a Heat Race win from Hill in the next three weeks, just because he seems to be in that mindset of building from small success. We’ll have an interview with Hill on site later in the week…

Shoutout to James Weeks for his steady riding in recent weeks. Part of the TPJ program, Weeks has worked hard over the last few years to become one of the better full privateers in the sport (look closely at the parts on his YZ450F) and these two Supercross Main Events appearances prove that he’s getting the hang of things.

If you ever have the chance to go to the race the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, do it. The building is beautiful and state of the art, the city is excellent and offers something for everyone, the pits are enclosed and a short walk away, and there are plenty of places to stay around the airport or in town. All that, and some of the best racing of the season year after year. We're already looking forward to 2021.

Feld and Dirt Wurx made use of sand in one lane of the track in Atlanta and like always, it caused some of the sport’s best to look like C Class riders on occasion. What do you think about sand lanes? Personally, we like when they are used in flat, straight sections, because it’s a variable that everyone has to deal with and brings some motocross history into the stadium. But seriously, keep it out of the turns, because it never works there. And if you don’t like sand, well, you won’t like this weekend’s layout in Daytona…

Jimmy Decotis hasn’t hidden the fact that he’s riding with a hip injury, so we decided to get some advice on riding through the issue for this week’s installment of Moto Tip. Check back in a bit to hear how Decotis manages the pain, how he decides to race or not, and what you can do if you’re in a similar situation.

Battles

This is exactly what a “huckabuck” looks like.

Nick Gaines has been a rider we’ve paid attention to for years. A staple of the East Coast rounds of SX and MX, Gaines has been solid through 2020 with his spot on the 3D Racing Yamaha squad, especially in Atlanta. Ninth fastest in qualifying (and the highest-ranked non-factory rider), Gaines carried that speed into the night’s races with a fourth-place finish in his 250 Heat Race and a solid eighth in the Main Event. This is a huge bounce back for Gaines, as he missed making the night show in Arlington, and we’re interested to see how he does in Daytona, Indy, and Detroit. Nick, let’s do an interview soon…

Jeremy Martin’s crash in the 250 Main Event left his GEICO Honda mangled and without a rear fender for the closing half of the feature, something that didn’t seem to slow him down. We can only imagine what it’s like to lean back over the edge of the seat in the whoops without the rear fender there to keep you in place.

Did you hear our podcast with Mike Muye last week? Find it when you’re done with Kickstart, because it’s an interesting conversation on the operations and logistics that go into every round of SX, plus some insight on the future of the sport. Sounds like we should be ready to get the passports out for international rounds in a few years.

After missing two weeks with a pulled torso muscle, Benny Bloss was back in action and back in the Main Event at Atlanta. Seriously, to miss a few rounds and come back like nothing is wrong shows how good guys are at the highest levels of SX, and the Rock River Yamaha rider put in a solid 13th place result in the 450 Class.

Aaron Plessinger put in his best finish of the season so far (a seventh, for those keeping track at home) in Atlanta, which is a very similar path of progress to the one the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider was on at this time last year before his injury. The second-year 450 racer has been rather unassuming on the track, as he’s steered clear of any incidents and has raced despite a few crashes and small injuries, which shows he’s not “checked out” the way some like to speculate. Back in Florida and training at Justin Barcia’s house, the upcoming tracks like Indy, Detroit, and Seattle could be AP’s chance to get into the top-five.

We had to put this photo of Jason Anderson’s pass on Vince Friese out there. We saw the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider get a run on Friese as they approached the triple and watched him crank the bike over in the air to get low and take the inside line for the next corner.

Thoughts on Eli Tomac’s ride at Atlanta? It seemed like the whole field was gunning for the incoming point leader and that they did little to make things easy for the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider. His pass attempt on Baggett was questionable and we heard from the team that it was his sudden strategy to put as much space between him and Barcia as possible, so the crash was the outcome. That Tomac got up, though deep in the field, and rallied back to fourth place showed that he’s still prone to some simple mistakes with big consequences, but it did prove that he’s much better at not letting it destroy his entire effort on the night. Will he win Daytona? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind.

Don’t count Justin Barcia out just yet. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider was on a mission in Atlanta (it’s his home race) and was not going to let anyone keep him from reaching a spot on the podium. Barcia knows he’s in a good spot right now with his team, the bike, and his riding, so these next few rounds could be him at his best. Currently third in the points, he has contract extension incentive should he finish first or second in the championship. We see him staying at Yamaha for a few more years.

That was a statement win for Ken Roczen in every way. Last week we said that the Team Honda HRC rider had to finish ahead of Eli Tomac in Atlanta so that the points between the two could stay close, and he did just that with a dominant start to finish run to the checkered flag that has the two tied as the series heads to Daytona. This is the best we’ve seen Roczen post arm injuries, and honestly, it could be the best he’s ever been all-around. Yes, his speed in early 2017 was impressive and arguably faster, but the way he rode near the edge of disaster didn’t make for a good long-term plan. Now older, more mature, and much smarter, Roczen is hitting his marks in every way and looks poised for a solid second half to the season.

Martin Davalos did the damn thing in Atlanta. The Team Tedder/Monster Energy/Lucas Oil/KTM rider saw Atlanta as his home race (he’s practically lived in the south just as long as he lived in his native Ecuador) and did everything he could to post a season-best score in the city. Ninth in qualifying during the afternoon, Davalos got to the front pack in the Main Event and stayed clear of the commotion until the final laps, when he was shuffled from third to fifth, still a career-best result in the premier class. Check back soon for an interview with Davalos, because although the initial plan was just to try the 450 in 2020, he now wants to stay on the starting line for as long as possible.

Fireworks. Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac exchanged words after the race, the second time this year. Barcia was clearly the madder of the group, as he found Tomac and laid into the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider for what Barcia felt was aggressive riding that resulted in a slightly bloodied and swollen hand. Tomac, meanwhile, took Barcia’s wrath and stared back at him, an attempt to not bring even more into an already tense situation. What exactly did they say? Watch Dirt Shark later this week, because Ash was behind the two with his video camera and recorded it all… | CORRECTION: Feld just put out a video that shows Eli getting just as chirpy with Barcia, which shows that he's not going to be pushed around. This just got even better.

Cooper Webb’s ride to third place in the 450 Main Event might have looked like another one of his gritty pushes to the front of the pack, but it was a painful test of his determination and desire to defend his rank as champion. The Red Bull KTM rider was in agony after the race was over and was trying to hide the emotion when on the podium, but it took a toll on him. Webb skipped the post-race press conference and went right back to the team truck, where he was tended to by Doc G for all-over soreness and some displaced ribs. Don’t expect him to be doing many motos between Atlanta and Daytona…

Malcolm Stewart had a message for Brian Moreau on the back of his Seven MX pants in Atlanta, a small sign of respect for the injured French rider. Stewart will auction off this gear and donate the money to Moreau’s recovery campaign, which has a current goal of 200,000 dollars. Small update on the rider: he was put on a medical flight back to France last week and will continue his recovery from the C7 fracture in a hospital that’s much closer to his family. We’ll share more information as it comes out, plus the link to Stewart’s gear when it goes up for sale.

Webb didn’t make any attempt to cover up his injury during the weekend and even had his muscle stimulation therapy machine out and hooked up during the autograph signing. In a time when every rider thinks that they have to hide any sort of issue, we applaud Webb for being in the open, because everyone knew he was hurting and didn’t try a cheap shot on him to knock him out of title contention.

Stay strong, Brian.

Token Dillon Cloyed photo.

Another JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing rider on the sidelines. Isaac Teasdale tweaked his knee in Texas and damaged the MCL, put made a wholehearted attempt to race in Atlanta by taping up the injury for added stability and focused on rest and therapy between practice. Unfortunately, the pain was too much to overcome and he called it quits after the second timed qualifying session. Heal up, Teas…

If you get to watch practice at an East Coast race, watch Zane Merritt. The dude has his AllSouth KTM at an angle more often than not with whips or scrubs over nearly every jump. Is it fast? Yeah, sort of. Is it cool? Hell yeah.

Waiting for AC's return.

Scootin’. With how far some of the walks between the paddock and the race track are this year, nearly every team has come up with some sort of electric scooter to get their staff members back and forth as quick as possible. It might not seem like a lot, but the extra five minutes spent walking could really make a difference if an emergency repair or issue comes up. Swap, can we splurge and get one?

Chase Sexton is already starting to settle in over at Team Honda HRC. On race day, he makes use of the Concept 2 Ski Erg machine that Ken Roczen keeps on the truck to warm-up for the day’s riding, and on Monday, Sexton spun some practice laps on his future CRF450R.