Ben LaMay | Break Through On The Way?
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With seventeen rounds in Monster Energy Supercross Series schedule, it’s common for a lesser-known rider to go on a run as the season winds down. There are a number of factors for this, including comfort and confidence that come with being in a race-weekend routine and an entry list that is subject to injuries but overcoming these things are part of the process in professional racing. We’ve seen a number of racers climb the result sheet late in the year and in 2019, it’s happening to Ben LaMay. The Alaska native-turned Texas resident has been a mainstay in the 450 class for years and since joining the SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda team as a fill-in rider, he’s hovered just outside the top-ten in qualifying and feature races. Although the initial agreement was just for three rounds, the expected time Justin Brayton needed to rehab a knee injury, LaMay and team recently decided to complete the rest of the Supercross season together.
Although SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda is an independent team, their ties with a number of aftermarket brands and Honda’s racing program means there are plenty of parts for a rider and the bike. Considering the short stint that LaMay was going to be with the team, many figured that he would bring some of the settings he had for his TPJ-supported Honda CRF450R with him to expedite the process, but in the end, LaMay was given the team’s base setting from the start. There was little testing time prior to his first race with the team in Houston, as the first laps on the MCR bike occurred during Friday’s press riding session, but he managed to do well in the Triple Crown format and put in a 16-13-14 results for fourteenth overall, which tied his finish from one week prior in Seattle. LaMay and the team were able to get more seat time in between Houston and Nashville, and it showed on the track, as LaMay was seventeenth overall in qualifying and survived a chaotic Main Event for a season-best twelfth-place result.
A look at the bike in Nashville showed that LaMay has the same Showa-tuned suspension as the rest of the team while a collection of aftermarket and modified pieces are scattered around the CRF450R. With big jumps and non-stop obstacles, stiff suspension is one of the most critical components for Supercross, and LaMay seems to have found an ideal setting for the conditions.
With a handful of races left in the year, it’ll be interesting to see if LaMay can crack the top-ten and land a higher ranking in the championship chase. Should all go well for LaMay, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see him land on a team or earn more support for the rest of the year and the 2020 season.
