Vurbwes Chilidog
It’s crazy to think that we’re officially through 8 rounds of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. It has proven to be one of many different headlines, and by most accounts its true colors are really shining; we knew this year would be tough for a multitude of reasons, but maybe we’re finding out it’s much more difficult than we were let on. This many races getting packed into this short amount of time leaves absolutely no room for error – bike, body, brain, or otherwise – as was evident for the 250 East Series, and even within a lap of the 250 West Series we saw three championship contenders out. Factor in the 450s and I’d bet the attrition rate is higher than we’ve ever seen before. Captain Obvious here, but a typical schedule leaves you with (some) time to heal, recover, test, get your brain right, but 2021, man, just keeps throwing the punches and we’re learning only the strongest of the strong are going to survive.
So here’s a few thoughts and Chiliservations after the chaotic night Orlando 2 had in store:
The Webbinator is Back
As soon as Cooper Webb crossed the finish line last night, it brought back some Moto Spy editing memories from 2019. We’d just built Coop a little throwback IG piece to celebrate his first win on his new KTM, and, to much surprise, he went on to win again the following weekend in Oakland. Everyone knows what happened from there. Cooper’s confidence skyrocketed, his mental game launched into the stratosphere, and he knew how to work the entire field mentally and physically from that point forward… and that landed him the 2019 championship. If it weren’t for an infallible Tomac in 2020, it arguably would’ve landed him the #1 last year in Salt Lake City as well.
I mentioned this on Twitter last night, and here’s a few good takes:
I can see him winning it again. Mentally he’s got them all covered
— PatStott. (@patstottdesigns) February 21, 2021
Wasn’t Webb something like 21pts back of Ken 3-4 rounds ago? He’s piling the pressure on for sure
— The Borden Asylum_Official (@BordenThe) February 21, 2021
Seems to be a 2 man race now. Coop has definitely proven he has the mental edge over ken in the past. This is going to be good.
— Michael Main (@TheMikeMain) February 21, 2021
Cooper came into O2 13 points behind Roczen, and he left with that deficit more than halved. He now sits 6 points behind Kenny. I’m a dad now, so I’m working on my language, so I’m just going to throw out a, “Holy smokes!”
Roczen is still a new Roczen
Yes, Cooper is gaining momentum, but if 2021 has proven anything it’s that new Dad Strength Kenny can and is going to continue putting himself in the best position possible, except during last night’s start. Despite having to work his way through the pack from Disney World (I actually typed Land, but the dad in me realized it was wrong), he salvaged a fourth. That’s called damage control and keeping a level head. With the pressure now mounting to an all-time high, Roczen has to continue being that new Roczen. Webb seemingly thrives in this scenario, so we’ve got 7 rounds left to see how Dad Stength plays out. Hopefully those endless nights of Griffin crying will play into the tunnel vision Ken needs to have. This thing is far from done, and as fans of the sport I think we’ll all be on the edge of our seats.
AC’s Title Hopes Go Bye Bye
Adam Ciancualo’s title hopes are officially done and dusted, Bird Dog. But I was with you, dude. I love me some AC, and I especially want to see him get that elusive win that just keeeeeps escaping him. Last night could’ve been that night, but apparently they didn’t touch the whoops all damn day and it bit AC. On the 14th lap, AC went down while battling with Marvin Musquin for second and was unable to remount. As far as I can tell, there’s no word on AC’s condition. What I do know is he slipped from a very quiet 4th in the championship to 8th.
Add Tomac to the List of Ain’t Happenin’
Tomac is probably out of this thing. I would never count this dude out, but he’s 31 points behind in third place now. Yes, crap happens (see those dad words?! I’m improving) but if I were a betting man, which I am, I’m not putting my money on lady luck taking out BOTH Ken and Coop. I’d say it’s reasonably unlikely even one of them falters. Therefore, I’m saying it; I officially don’t think Eli is winning the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Dang, this 250 Class!
The 250 class harnesses an absolute INSANE amount of talent. There were people saying a few weeks back that both coasts should be combined, but can you freakin’ imagine that? Oh, by golly! During the “West Coast” at Orlando last night alone I couldn’t count the depth of the field. The thought of adding in a completely healthy East Coast crew would be mind boggling. I can’t say that I’m a fan of that combining idea, but I will say I severely miss the three east/west shootouts this season.
Nonethless, it wasn’t fun for any of us to see three championship contenders hit the ground within two laps of the main event last night. Hoping the best for Jeremy Martin, Alex Martin, and Jordon Smith.
Is Justin Cooper in a league of his own? It certainly looked that way last night as he led wire-to-wire, but let’s remember back to Houston 1 when Christian Craig did the same thing. This crew now has a very advantageous 2-week break, and I wouldn’t doubt there will be a lot of “homework” being done. I’d expect West Coast round 2 at… Daytona… to turn even more heads in the 250 class.
