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Written By: Anthony Picchione
Supercross is back in the cold, windy, Northeast. Rain Friday led to an interesting track; rutted, slick, and a few mud holes that claimed some victims. I thought the layout was going to provide great options for passing, but ultimately the different lines ended up being enough of a separator for guys to make moves. First time for me in the Press Box on Saturday and boy was there lots to see from up there. I tried to pack as much of it as I could in the words below. Let’s get into all the happenings from the weekend in Foxborough.
Cooper Webb: Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Cooper Webb being in the championship hunt in the closing rounds of the series. I mean seriously, how does this guy do it? It wasn’t long ago that everyone had basically handed the title to Jett. Now here we are, with four rounds to go and Webb has clawed himself all the way back to the top, sharing the red plate with Jett. If I’m Jett, this is the last person I want to duke it out for the title with. Cooper has shown time and time again that he’s a gamer. He loves this. He’s got experience on his side too. Webb, has been here and knows what it’s like for a title to go down to the end. Also, at times , Jett’s had struggles to close these things out. I think back to Hangtown 2021 where Jett had an awful day when J-Coop still had a shot at the title. It’s crazy how much can change in just three rounds. Thanks Coop, for turning what seemed like a runaway championship into an exciting last few rounds.
Haiden Deegan: A few laps in, it looked like it was going to be the battle we had been waiting for. Props to Deegan though, he shut those guys down. Unlike his first win in Arlington where Forkner crashed out, this win had no asterisk. He straight up out-rode Cameron Mcadoo and Tom Vialle. It didn’t look like his day was going to end with a win after qualifying though. The way that Haiden’s day progressed was very Cooper Webb-esque; actually it’s been that way all year. With as much effort and charisma that Danger Boy rides with, you’d think he’d be topping the times in qualifying. Typically though, he’s just a tick off of the top guys. But somehow, someway, he’s able to figure it out when it counts. It might not always end in a win for Deegan, but Saturday night it did and if he wants any shot at the title, he needs to replicate what he did in Foxborough in Nashville next weekend.
Cameron Mcadoo: Gone is the Mcadoo of old; the one who ragdolled up the over-under bridge in Atlanta a few years ago. Allow me to introduce you to a new smoother, safer, more consistent, and humble Cameron. This race was a test for him. When he got into second a few minutes into the race, I was waiting for Cam of old to show up and go balls out (no pun intended) to catch Deegan up ahead. I was worried he was going to override a surprisingly tricky track and possibly crash. But he held steady. Even through some arm pump, Cam rode his laps, realized it was going to be tough to pass Deegan even if he caught him and claimed another podium. Mcadoo has figured out the recipe and it’s going to make it tough for Vialle and Deegs to gain back points. Deegan may have won the battle of Foxborough, but Mcadoo will win the war if he’s able to keep the consistency going that he’s had so far this year. And oh yeah, moving through the field like that on the first few laps was pretty dang impressive.
Jett Lawrence: Watching Jett those first laps was a little spooky. This could be the first time this year that he didn’t look comfortable. It makes sense though. One of Jett’s strong suits is his ability to start and he rarely finds himself outside of the top five on the first lap. Now you put him in fifteenth, riding with guys that he probably doesn’t even know exist, and he’s unsure of what to do. Riding in the back of the pack on the opening lap is carnage for anybody; even more so for Jett who rarely finds himself there. Not to mention what happened with Barcia just a few short weeks ago after a poor start. I doubt starting in the back will become a trend, but the next time he gets a bad start, which will happen, I’d be curious to see if he’s more able to move through those guys on the first lap so as to not lose so much track position early in the race.
Seth Hammaker: Man, something has to give for this kid. He went mud bogging in qualifying, then dropped a wheel and ultimately ended his main early. When I watch Seth nowadays, I often ask myself what the difference is between him now and him when he was winning races his rookie year. I’m sure he’s asking himself the same question. It has to be frustrating knowing that the further he goes into his career, his results aren’t improving as he gains more experience and maturity. With his team holding both the red plates, the expectation for Seth is quickly rising and he’s going to have to find whatever it is he had in his earlier years if he wants to put a smile on Mitch’s face like his Pro Circuit brethren have this year.
Coty Schock: Just wanted to give a quick congratulations to Coty on his new deal. To go from a journey-men privateer to a three year deal is something that we certainly don’t see often. He put his trust in the Club guys and they rewarded him with a long term deal. Riding with the weight of not having a ride for the upcoming year adds a certain level of stress. With this weight lifted, Coty can finally put his head down, grow his relationship with the team and continue to improve both himself and the bike. Outside of that, Coty put in another solid ride Saturday night, and maintained his fifth place in the points heading into the last few rounds. Nice going this year Coty! Excited to see what you can do over the next few years as well.
Justin Hill: Good bounce back for Justin. This year hasn’t been what Hill was looking for. Last year was littered with top tens and before Saturday night Justin’s best finish was fourteenth. Hill looked to have a little more intensity than usual, especially in the last session, and it translated into a solid ride in the main event. Sure, the start helped, but Justin still rode a consistent race, much improved from his other tries this year. Justin is particular about his engine and likes a lot of horsepower. Despite no longer being on a factory engine lease program, Team Tedder seems to have figured out exactly what it is that makes Hill happy out on the track.
Mitchell Harrison: For those that didn’t see, Harrison & Barcia’s lines came together after the finish in qualifying and it put Barcia on the ground. Once Barcia got up, it felt like an eternity that he stood staring at Harrison. I don’t think it was on purpose, but Mitchell should be
