Troy Dog
20-0
If you’ve read this column every week you’ll know that this first paragraph has been dedicated to Jett since around the halfway point of the series. Of course only two motos remain in the quest for the “Perfect Season”, although Chase Sexton is absolutely doing whatever he can to make sure it does not happen. Actually, Budds was the closest the pack came to ending the streak since Ken Roczen’s High Point performance. Plessinger was out front in the first moto and Jett took his time to get to the lead after not starting out front for once. Then, Sexton pushed him all the way to the end in the second moto despite a crash. Ironman is going to be crazy. I say Jettson does it.
250 Moto 1
It seemed like the first 250 moto lasted five hours. The boys raced for 15 minutes, then the red flag came out for Hardy Munoz, then they raced for 15 minutes plus two laps. I hope Munoz is okay.
We actually have a lot to unpack here, but the main points are that Haiden Deegan was checking out before the red flag and then he crashed off of the restart. Throwing his day off in the process. Daxton Bennick was right on the back of Jalek for third at the finish as well, which was very cool to see. It was exciting to watch a 15 minute sprint to the finish for the restart. Social media was also buzzing due to the AMA rule that a full gate restart occurs before the moto is 15 minutes in. So, 15:30 seconds remaining is more than halfway, hence full gate restart.
Anderson & Barcia
They are officially back. Both 450 motos were full of incredible racing up front featuring the factory boys, but Barcia and Anderson were in the mix making passes and battling towards the front all day. Anderson fought through the pack to get up to second in the first moto and ended up third overall on the day. Bacia went 5-4 for fifth overall, which was a big turnaround from Unadilla last weekend. These guys are adding a lot of excitement into these final rounds, which is great for all of us. Ironman is another track that they both should excel at and I expect two more motos like we saw at Budds.
Jalek
Jalek Swoll has been through a lot of injuries the past year or so. Rockstar Husqvarna has continued to support him and you can see why. He’s got incredible speed and for the most part he’s finishing inside of the top ten. Budds was another step in the right direction as Swoll finished third in the first moto and sixth overall on the day. He’s going to be one of the riders who will want to finish the outdoor series off on a high note at Ironman. He’s sitting ninth in 250MX points and 11th in 250SMX points heading into the finale.
Forkner
Forkner needed this. The man who has fallen down seven times has stood up eight and has continued to show his resiliency. An 8-4 day for 4th at Budds put two Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders inside of the top five overall on the day. Team Green only has two motos left in the year to get a win and avoid being shut out of a win for the first time in four decades. Forkner has won at Ironman before. Can he do it again?
Photo Courtesy MX Sports Pro Racing / Align Media
