Justin Hill will be trying to defend his title in the west aboard a JGRMX Suzuki – Feature photo by: Ryne Swanberg
“Cooksey’s Hard Truth” presented by Scott Sports is a weekly editorial written by Chris Cooksey. Throughout the year, Chris will be diving in and out of controversial subjects and bringing you his hard truth about the racing and the riders from around the world of Supercross and Motocross.
Alright, I am aware labeling the 250 preview “Dumb A$$” sounds a bit harsh, but I have serious issue with the current east coast/west coast rider selection process. We are less than a week away from the first gate drop at Anaheim 1 and we still do not have a solid list of 250 west coast riders. Pro Circuit and other teams go as far as signing all their riders up for both coasts. The reason teams choose not to announce where their riders will be racing is rooted in an old strategy that the sport has outgrown. I would love to provide a detailed breakdown of riders to watch in the 2018 Western Regional 250SX Championship, but I am still in the dark and not totally sure who will show up at Anaheim 1.
This outdated strategy began with Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart. The two riders were so dominant, competing teams did not want their best rider racing on the same coast. In 1998, Yamaha switched John Dowd to the west coast at the last minute after realizing RC was racing east coast. The decision paid off as Dowd won the 1998 Western Regional 125cc Supercross Championship. After RC moved up to the premier class, Stewart became the guy to avoid as he was unbeatable on a 125. Since Stewart’s advancement to the premier class, there has not been a specific rider teams were trying to avoid. The solution is simple: riders must declare which coast they will be riding 30 days before the season opener. Teams may be concerned with last minute issues, like an injury. In that situation, the team would need to provide proof of the injury, then they would be allowed to switch their lineup. Basically, it is manageable.
Teams are constantly looking for sponsorship dollars, yet they pass on all the preseason hype and coverage. If this simple rule was implemented teams and riders would get more attention leading into the season opener. More attention equals more exposure for potential sponsors; this is a simple dollars and common sense move. The same reason the Super Bowl is played two weeks after the AFC and NFC championship games is to build hype. Shocker, this formula works!
With that said, here are a few riders who will be contending for championships no matter the coast. First is Zach Osborne. He is the reigning 250cc East Coast Champion. Smart money says he will lineup in the east coast. Being the current champion, he gets to run the #1 plate. This is valuable to sponsors and manufacturers and he would not be able to run the plate if he raced on the west coast. Zach won pretty much everything he entered last year, and I fully expect the same as he is riding for the same team (Rockstar Husqvarna) and using the same training program as last year (Baker’s Factory).
Justin Hill (confirmed west coast) is the reigning West Coast Champion and has switched from the powerhouse Pro Circuit Kawasaki team to the JGR Suzuki 250 team. This is JGR’s second year running a 250 program team and their Suzuki 250’s competitiveness has been questioned. There has not been much development on the Suzuki as of late and the bike is widely considered the worst in the class. JGR is known for their endless development resources and should be able to give Justin a competitive bike, but likely not as good as a Pro Circuit Kawasaki. This will be interesting to watch. Can Hill win on a bike most consider outdated? I think the crew at JGR will be able to get the ridiculously talented Justin Hill a bike that can win races, but I don’t expect him to repeat as Champion.
Since I did not pick the reigning champion to win the west coast championship, here is the rider I expect to win: Adam Cianciarulo! He stated on the Pulp MX show he is riding the west coast, and I think this is the year he shows his talent. Last year, Adam won the finale in Vegas and almost ended up the champion after the Osborne and Joey Savatgy drama. Adam ended up finishing 2nd in the 2017 east coast final standings behind Osborne. 2018 will be the year Adam finally realizes his potential and claims his first professional championship, more specifically the West Coast Championship.
My rider pick to watch is Star Yamaha’s rookie Justin Cooper. Justin has taken a nontraditional route to the pro ranks. Instead of being signed to a contract at a very young age and being pulled out of school in order to live at a training facility, Justin attended public school. After dominating the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National in 2017 and winning the Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon award, Justin made a successful Pro debut during the outdoor nationals. Justin was consistently battling inside the top 10 during the three rounds he raced. Word is he has adapted very well to supercross and should be a contender. I do not know for sure which coast he is riding, but I would guess west coast.
I am going to wrap up my 250 preview here in protest. I would gladly break down contenders on each coast if that information was available. Hopefully changes are in the near future, but until then, I will be anxiously awaiting the 250 practice at Anaheim 1 when we find out for sure who is riding where.
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