Ducati MX got ciabatti and he's reporting to CEO. End of Next season there going to offer Jett 5mil probably.
I think that's one of the negatives of Honda (and maybe Kawasaki?) is their inability/resistance to making any major changes to the platform to suit the riders style. Seems like that was a bit of the issue with Tomac on Kawi in the past but I could be wrong there. I think it'll be a good step in the right direction for Chase. At the level these guys are riding at, slight changes and confidence are going to be paramount. I think it may take him a few rounds to get comfortable with a good setup, but I think he'll be faster than he was last year and more consistent. Hopefully there will be 3 guys up front battling every weekend. or more.
The Moto podcasts I'm listening to said the same thing about Webb at KTM last year. He wanted to run a certain fork diameter last year and was told no. Webb bounces and now all the KTM 450 riders are supposedly on the fork diameter he wanted lol. If it's a rough two years for Sexton, I would not be surprised to see him try and get on a Star bike if Tomac retires.
Although Webb has skills, he cant develop a bike. He came to KTM after Dungey had the platform worked out. he wins 2 championships aboard the Dungey developed ktm, then they update chassis, motor etc... Webb couldnt make it work, they bring back Dungey to sort it, and the whole team started doing better(ish). So If I was KTM, I wouldnt listen to Webb either. I think it was a HUGE mistake for Webb to go back to Yamaha. He wins back to back 250f championships with Yamaha, gets on the 450 and cant compete at that level, and the last crash almost ended his career. Decoster called him while recovering, and offered him the KTM position. As long as Eli has the 450 dialed, and the bike can work, maybe Webb will do better but, I think not. Time will tell. Ski
But it is funny that the KTM riders are now on the components that Webb asked for but they wouldn’t allow. Apparently enough riders came to the same conclusion and they finally had to acquiesce. And they changed the frame going back in the direction of the older frame.
At some point Ian and Roger also became aware that Cooper was leaving their team, also. Chase and Dylan were also clearly unhappy last year with the support their teams offered to them.
Jett doing Jett things. Webb is looking better than I thought he would. What're the odds that Sexton and KTM have been sandbagging with all this talk about Sexton not being comfortable on the bike? Eli a little further back than I thought he would be. Did get the holeshot though in Qualifying 2.
I agree, other than the Sexton/Tomac thing. Chase has speed, & skill, just needs a good bike, and team around him, and he will stay near the pointy end. I figured with Eli only being on the bike since October, and the mental side of that injury, I thought a top 10 would be good for him. I didnt think he would have a podium or top 5 night, right out of the gate. If he can stay in the top 10 the first 6-8 races, then his conditioning, and time on the bike, and confidence in the repair, should help him in the mid and end of this series. I felt really bad for Hunter, that is just bad luck. Also sucked to see Malcom and Kenny on the ground, but, glad they both dug deep, didnt quit, and were top ten, or very close to it. I was super stoked for Anderson and Plessinger... Good for both of them. Going to be a great season. Ski
Eli looked like a guy towards the end of his career and returning from a long injury. He’ll get better. Webb surprised me. He will be a threat.
Yeah Eli just hasn't had any races for the better part of a year. Anderson and Webb were not miles back. If they can put pressure on Jett and fuck up his rhythm, there's hope.
It will continue to be tough Saturday nights for the field, when Jett gets through the first turn of the main with the lead. I do agree with most everything already stated above. I feel everyone was focused on getting through A1 intact and with an 'acceptable' and safe finish. I'm still looking forward to some battles for the win, as I know Chase, Cooper, and Eli won't go down without a fight. The SX and SMX Championships last year reminded all of the veterans of the importance of the 'long-game' plan. Jett had a point to prove last night.
From our vantage point sitting in the stands, that was a pretty interesting 450 main. you already know what happened but just a couple thoughts. First, even before the heats it was clear Jett had the hot hand. In practice he was much more willing to take risks, which usually turns out badly at A1— there was a rhythm the length of the first base foul line in front of us and during practice he went three, four, and five to get out, barely making the fifth, touching the ground only 3 times along the length of the first base line from the right field Fence to home plate, like 350 plus feet, and no one else even tried it all night long, out of the 150 or so total participants. Very hairball and really impressive. After they saw him do it, the track people lengthened the fifth one by 5-6 feet so he couldn’t do it either, which made it a lot safer for everybody. In the race, Jett didn’t look that much faster than everyone else, but he stayed fast longer. Anderson and Cooper Webb tracked him about two seconds back for 2/3 of the race but they started to make mistakes and slow down towards the end and Cooper endoed, and Jason Anderson sort of gave up and let him go, but Jett kept going at that pace. He’s like 10 years younger and it shows. And having watched him in outdoors last year, you get the impression he was on cruise and could turn it up if challenged. About Tomac—he got a lousy start, made it as far as 8th, then slowed down a bunch. I’m a big fan but it’ll be a few races before we see what he’s got in 250 the big surprise I thought was Beaumer, who has the speed in his first year to lead a long ways into the race but just needs more endurance. I’m guessing that’ll come later in the year.
