ChapMoto Race Recap Week 16: What Went Down In Jersey
This is a new series in which we will look back at the
past weekend's Supercross race and give you our thoughts and
perspectives on what we saw. We've posed several questions based on
the evening's events to a motley crew of Chaparral Motorsports
staff (and one outsider) and provided you with their answers and
insights.
A little background on the respondents in this series:
Dave Damron (DD): Chaparral Motorsports founder. Racer, team owner,
manufacturer, retailer. Dave has seen it all and done it all on two
wheels.
Travis Snyder (TS): Chaparral Motorsports Offroad Products and
Apparel Manager. Travis is one of our in-house moto racers. A Honda
guy, Travis is either at one of the local tracks or prepping his
bike for his next event.
Mike Medina (MM): Chaparral Motorsports Technical
Advisor/Communications Specialist. When Mike's not at the office
he's in the pits spinning wrenches for the Enticknap brothers, #722
Adam (The Seven Deuce Deuce) and #723 Tyler.
Eric Ellis (EE): Chaparral Motorsports Marketing/Social Media. Eric
is just a Harley guy who likes to watch Supercross.
The Outsider (TO): N/A. The outsider is not a Chaparral employee
but he is an industry veteran with a good perspective on the
inside.
Being that Chaparral Motorsport is part of the Monster Energy|
Yamalube| Yamaha Financial Services|
Yamaha Factory Racing team with two-time Supercross Champion
Chad Reed and two-time 250SX West Region Champion Cooper Webb
(making his debut in the 450 class this season) we focused a few
questions on the their performance. Also, we had the opportunity to
toss Reed and Webb a few questions in between their busy schedules
so you could get some perspective on the races directly from the
riders.
Let's start off with the questions we sent to Reed and Webb
first:
Webb:
Does your intensity or level of excitement increase as you head
into this final race of the Supercross season in Las
Vegas?
CW: Vegas is always an exciting place. It's a
little disappointing not going into Vegas with a shot at the
Championship, but it's still cool to race in that city and in front
of a huge crowd. Without the Championship pressure, though, I don't
think this race will feel any different, intensity-wise, for
me.
Does the travel schedule of racing out west, then back east,
then out west again within three weeks' time affect you mentally
and/or physically?
CW: I personally like the back-and-forth schedule
because it gives me a chance to switch up where I'm training and
living. It doesn't get old riding the same tracks and staying in
the same place all the time. Plus, I get to be in North Carolina on
the East Coast and enjoy my new house in California when I'm on the
West Coast!
Reed:
Does your intensity or level of excitement increase as you head
into this final race of the Supercross season in Las
Vegas?
CR: I'm excited for this last race because it has
been the most disappointing and frustrating season of my career.
Las Vegas has always been one of my favorite rounds, and it fits my
current strengths (hard pack), so I'm all-in to try to finish up
the season with a solid result.
Does the travel schedule of racing out west, then back east,
then out west again within three weeks' time affect you mentally
and/or physically?
CR: The schedule has always been long and
challenging, but I embrace it and enjoy the journey. This is my
15th year doing this, so it just feels like "business as usual.
What We Saw
General questions:
Who had the best night?
DD: It had to be Osborne and Dungey, both of them
road the race they needed to. Tomac gave Dungey an early Christmas
present by falling and losing his concentration for the remainder
of the race.
TS: Roger Decoster. I mean com'on... who wasn't
more stoked than Roger? His Factory Red Bull KTM Team is all
business.
MM: The best
night has to go to the Factory Red Bull KTM team.
Ryan Dungey is that much closer to another premier class
championship and the team went 1-2 for the night with Marvin
Musquin in second place. They're moving some bikes on Monday
morning at your local dealership.
EE: Ryan Dungey. All he had to do Saturday night
is the same thing he does week in and week out, ride consistently
and play it smart. He did just that and everything fell right into
place, you could even say some things just fell into his lap.
TO: Dungey!
Did anyone surprise you?
https://youtu.be/iWTtGwqzNFA
DD: Tomac was a surprise. He never seemed to
settle down and find his rhythm, he over jumped, under jumped, and
just flat didn't seem to be in tune with the track.
TS: Dylan Ferrandis, this kid is the real deal.
There's something about Frenchmen & SX going hand in hand. Let's
see what he's got in the Outdoor Motocross series.
MM: Eli Tomac surprised me with the horrific
performance he displayed in NJ. I did not see this type of a ride
coming from him as many others probably predicted as well. Joey
Savatgy would get the honorable mention as well for the mistake he
made and the eventual penalty he sustained to bring the
championship to a heads up three rider showdown.
EE: The AMA. As trigger happy as they've been with
docking points and fines, I am surprised they didn't do anything
with the Grant/Stewart situation. I like Josh Grant. And I am not
saying either way if what he did was intentional or not, but I
definitely thought that that corner action was going to get a
reaction from the AMA. I'm glad it didn't. #Letemrace
https://youtu.be/hP3p3COIzJQ
TO: Tomac. He wasn't even the same rider from a
week ago.
Who had the toughest night?
DD: It had to be Tomac and Savatgy, both came into
the night leading in points and both left without the points
lead.
TS: The #3 of Eli Tomac. He finally gets to run
the red plate all by himself and he flops over like a dead fish. In
my opinion, he wasn't mentally focused.
https://youtu.be/fQeyJNPsmHE
MM: Eli Tomac did not have the toughest night but
made it tough on himself with the brain farts he was having during
the 450 main event. He has washed his front end before, no big
deal. But all of the errors made trying to cut back through the
field look like a rider in panic mode and he could not hold it
together. He needs a huge gift from the Diesel come Las Vegas which
probably will not happen. It was an impressive series comeback that
I hoped would materialize but New Jersey will probably be the deal
breaker for Monster Energy Kawasaki's championship hopes.
EE: Team Kawasaki.
You know everyone on team green was just salivating at the
possibility of sweeping the 250 and 450 series? At least they still
have a window of opportunity with Savatgy in the 250 East. I'm not
saying the window still isn't open for Tomac to win the
championship but Dungey is definitely looking to close him out, so
Tomac is going to have to bust through. It'll be interesting for
sure.
TO: Tomac.
Predictions for the 250 East Championship?
https://youtu.be/lSPjvgpmYiM
DD: I feel the 250 East will come down to the
rider that doesn't make a mistake and I am leaning towards Jordon
Smith because Osborne and Savatgy have made their fair share of
mistakes thus far this season and so far it appears to me that
Smith seems to ride within his ability but he now has the RED plate
and that red plate has a way of changing a rider.
TS: Thank you Joey Savagty!! This 250 East race is
one for the books. After watching ZachO lay the smack down on
everyone in Jersey, I'm going to have to go with Zach winning the
East Championship. He looked healthy and fast!
MM: If I had to lay some money down at the
sportsbook in the casinos in Vegas, Wacko Osborne would be the
smart bet for the W and the 250E title. My heart is still with Pro
Circuit's Joey Savatgy but I would not be upset at all if Jordon
Smith took the W and the title, this kid is deserving of it.
EE: I'm going to pull for Savatgy in the 250 East
and looking at Justin Hill to take the East/West Showdown.
TO: To Close to call. It's going to be a wild
night in Las Vegas.
Thoughts on Musquin's last lap and the end result?
DD: A much better "Let Brock By" scenario, at
least he jumped a rut to make it look believable. I doubt there
were any "team Orders" but Marvin is a team KTM / Red Bull team
rider and he knows that there is only a KTM/Red Bull and
Monster/Kawasaki rider left that can win the championship, he's
smart enough to know to try and keep it within the family that pays
him.
TS: Ryan Dungey could not have been in any better
of a situation. I've gotta chuckle a little bit at all the social
media post thinking this is such a big deal within the sport. I
hate to break it you ya... this whole "teammate pull over" has been
going on for decades. If only Musquin admitted that he purposely
pulled over for the Champ, I might have a little more respect.
Rather than him lying saying he popped out of the rut. That was
Musquin's race to win, but he knew he wasn't in the championship
race, so he let his TEAMMATE get the extra points that were needed.
#LetBrocBy
MM: Marvin moved out of the way of his teammate so
he could gain maximum points and some breathing room for the final
race in Las Vegas, plain and simple. Not mad about that at all, but
do not play it off as you messed up in the rut on a smooth flat
corner. He looked behind him and saw his teammate there two laps
prior and felt the last lap is where he would let Dungey overtake
him. There probably was a stipulation in the new extended contract
he signed with KTM the same weekend that he agreed to move over for
Dungey if the chance presented itself. LOL.
EE: I've watched it multiple times and I just
don't see anything other than Musquin pulling off to the side.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with allowing your teammate, you
know the guy who actually has a shot at winning the championship,
get every point he can. Just be up front about it and people will
respect that. I know it's wrong, but I'll feel totally opposite if
the Vegas race comes down to Musquin having to make the decision to
pull out or not to give his teammate the overall win. Nobody wants
to see a championship race go down like that and I'm sure Dungey
won't want to win a title that way either.
TO: KTM is spending way too much money and effort
to not have Musquin take a Dive. If I was Musquin I would demand my
1st place bonus money.
What do you think are Tomac's chances and winning the
championship?
[caption id="attachment_62946" align="alignright"
width="300"]
Image Source: Kawasaki USA[/caption]
DD: I think his chances are pretty slim, but it's
not over till it's over. Dungey is solid in his approach and the
red plate hasn't affected his riding any different, if he does lose
it will because of something out of his control.
TS: Very slim. Dungey has to get 4th place or
better in Vegas if Tomac wins. Dungey's worst finish so far this
season, is 4th (which happened three times). Based off the numbers,
I think Dungey is going to be next four-time Champ. But it ain't
over till the fat lady sings... so let's roll the dice in
Vegas!
MM: ET's chances are very slim considering the
Diesel needs to finish 4th or better to clinch the title no matter
what ET does. The Diesel has finished at worst 4th three times this
year and is not likely to finish any worse. But it is Las Vegas and
there is always a chance, everyone brings it to Las Vegas and the
whole field is trying to make a statement and bring some momentum
to the Outdoor season in the future forecast. It would not shock me
to see a new race winner in Las Vegas besides ET3 or RD5.
EE: I'll bet Eli is probably pretty happy the
final race is in Vegas because he is going to need all the luck he
can get. His changes at winning are extremely slim, but there is a
chance. Travis and I were just talking about this. If Tomac were to
win the race, Dungey has to place at least 6th for Tomac
to be able to win the championship in the clear by two points. If
Dungey gets 5th and Tomac wins, they end up in a tie for
points with 357 total and Tomac would win the title because he's
won more races this season. But if Dungey gets 4th and
Tomac wins Vegas, it's a wrap and Dungey gets his fourth 450
Supercross title and probably rides off into the sunset from
racing. Dungey hasn't finished outside of 4th place
since 2014, so the points and odds are absolutely in his favor. But
really how crazy would it be if they tie and Tomac snatches the
Championship from Dungey based on overall wins? That would be
wild!!!!!!
TO: It will take a small miracle for Tomac to
win.
Reed/Webb questions
Thoughts on Reed's night?
DD: Reed rode ok he didn't seem to get a flow
going on the track and was never at the pace needed to win or even
podium.
TS: The Red Fox set up looked good on him.
MM: Reed has one more shot to take a win for the
Yamaha effort and he may be a new race winner for 2017. I am sure
he does not like not being in the mix and will play the spoiler
role come Vegas.
EE: Not too spectacular. I really hope he goes out
with a bang in Vegas and ends on a high note. I want to see him
rebound next season and stun people.
TO: I'm sure he's looking forward to next
year.
Thoughts on Webb's night?
DD:
Webb was about on par with Reed and he never got it going either,
here's hoping that he gets his race face going for the
outdoors.
TS: I'm excited for Hangtown! I think he might
Holeshot one of the two motos.
MM: I am picking Webb to be my dark horse and
light the fireworks in Las Vegas. If he can get a subpar
performance out of Jason Anderson and Marvin Musquin, Webb may take
a win just because it's Las Vegas and it's time to leave everything
on the track.
EE: He held up pretty well in the heat race and
transferred into the main, but the main was no Bueno. Let's hope he
has more LUCK in Vegas.
TO: I'm sure he's looking forward to Outdoors.
