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The San Diego press conference has come and gone on a night of racing that most of us will never forget. SOME of us here at Vurbmoto are very thorough and ask the athletes important questions to get the scoop. While others, like Slaw, don’t do anything at all. We had our Canadian correspondent Brad G’Hardt write up a small report on things that stuck out to him post race. Enjoy.
Barcia’s Breakdown
When I asked Justin Barcia about the stark contrast in track conditions from his heat race to the main, he was able to example in great detail how the track transformed throughout the night. “I really liked the track and how the Dirt Wurx crew was able to fix things up,” Barcia said. “We were able to do the jumps and find a flow, which allowed us to find a good pace and race each other pretty decent. The lines were getting better and better throughout the race. Unfortunately, I had that one mistake that forced me not to jump the triple and I gave the position up to Cooper (Webb). That was a bummer, but I kept a consistent pace, and ended up on the podium so I’m happy.” A calculated response from a racer known for pushing a track to its limit. Justin Barcia has evolved into one of the more cerebral racers in the 450 class.
Story Time with Cooper Webb
Just when we thought the 450 podium was done, Cooper Webb clearly wanted to put an exclamation point on his friend Aaron Plessinger’s first premier class victory by taking a moment to share a story. “Hey everyone, I just want to tell a quick story for AP’s (Aaron Plessinger’s) first 450 win,” Webb said. “I remember his first day on supercross back in 2012, I think it was, and all I can say that it was a bit scary. He’s come along way. For those who don’t recall, Plessinger and Webb were 250 class teammates on Star Racing Yamaha. Cooper Webb was hunting down 250 supercross wins with the likes of Joey Savatgy and Tyler Bowers while Aaron was trying to get supercross figured out. Now, they’ve both tasted champaign on the sport’s biggest stage. For the first time in his 450 career, Aaron Plessinger is your 450 Points leader with a 1-point advantage over defending champ Chase Sexton.
The Best Smitty Ever?
In last night’s press conference, I asked Jordon Smith point blank. “Is this that best version on Jordon Smith we’ve ever seen?” His answer was confident and concise “Yes”. Smith went on to explain that the racer he is today is the culmination of over three years of building up strength, ability, and mindfulness on and off the track. Jordon explained how he’s been able to grow by staying healthy and letting the actions of good habits develop him into the racer he’s become. This new and improved version of Jordon Smith has the speed and aggression we’ve come to expect but with an added sense of control, which means trouble for his competitors. Smith now holds an 8-point lead in the points after 3 rounds. After Anaheim 2, the series will be at its halfway point.
Main Image: Octopi Media
