Photos by: Chase Yocom
“Cooksey’s Hard Truth” presented by Scott Sports is a weekly editorial written by Chris Cooksey. 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.
After 7 rounds, the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross series has finally taken form. Despite all our preseason facts, previews and guesses, nobody could have predicted how this series would played out.
Starting with Jason Anderson, if you predicted he would have a 36-point lead over Cole Seely with Blake Baggett trailing in third at 40 points out, I would have predicted you to be a liar! Anderson has these guys running scared and for good reason. Get in his way and you will end up on the ground; just ask Marvin Musquin, Alex Ray, Seely or any of the long list of riders he has taken down. When Anderson is behind Seely, you can feel Seely’s fear. As soon as he sees Anderson’s fender, Seely immediately moves out of Anderson’s way. Much like NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt did to his competition, Anderson has them intimidated—except for Weston Peick who is not intimidated by anyone. Watching Anderson pass Peick, it’s clear Anderson is aware of who he can bully and who he can’t. Anderson appears destined to win this Championship, but as this year has proven, it can change in an instant.
Eli Tomac has never been a guy who performs well under pressure, which should not come across as a shock to anyone. With that said, wow! Injured shoulder, wardrobe malfunction, throttle or grip failure and he still has three wins. Talk about an emotional roller coaster. I don’t know why Eli was so slow to get up after his crash in Oakland or why he did not charge to the front afterward. I fall back on my controversial opinion that Tomac is not as mentally strong as his competition.
When I refer to Eli as “mentally weak,” I am not implying on a personal level but judging him at a professional level as a world class Supercross racer. People can say what they want about Tomac, but you can never call him boring. As soon as he appears to be calling it quits and heading for the Outdoor Nationals, he smashes the field. Maybe he has multiple personalities and they switch without warning. One has James Stewart’s speed; another has Josh Hansen’s lack of urgency. Honestly, I have no idea! I don’t think Tomac or his entourage know either.
Marvin Musquin, we all knew, would struggle on tracks with large whoops, but it is unfortunate that his crash in Houston resulted in a dislocated shoulder. Considering the extent of his injury, Marvin has done an excellent job salvaging his season. While it’s unlikely Marvin will be able to catch Anderson for the Championship, he remains only 41 points behind Anderson in the Championship standings. Marvin has put himself in a good spot, and if Anderson does encounter problems, Marvin is there and ready to capitalize. The sport can take things away as fast as it gives them. Take for example the freak injury Justin Barcia suffered this past weekend.
Barcia was experiencing a dream season after being almost completely out of racing. If not for the unfortunate injury to Yamaha Factory Rider Davi Millsaps he would have been a full privateer. Barcia received his opportunity and was taking full advantage of the situation until one mistake cost him his season. Barcia was not able to clear the triple on the first lap of his heat, and when Tyler Bowers tripled, he had nowhere to go, landing on Barcia’s right hand.
This incident was similar to the horrific incident a week earlier when Ben Lamay landed directly on Justin Bogle. The track builders need to stop lining the track with these stupid ass Tuff Blocks. They lock the riders into life threatening situations. They need to add dirt to the side of the track so when a rider can’t triple on the first lap, they can move out of the race line. If this was the case, Barcia could have ridden off the track, lost a spot or two but been able to continue his season. Are they going to wait for someone to die before making a change? This is two factory riders in two weeks, more than a coincidence.
Another preseason favorite Ken Roczen is spending his time much like last year, Instagramming gross pictures of his shattered hand. It’s a little ironic that it was his Instagram beef with Cooper Webb that led to the freak accident that caused this injury. I appreciate Roczen’s transparency, while other teams somehow think it’s a weakness or give the competition an advantage (talking to you, Pro Circuit). Roczen embraces the challenge of showing his injury and facing the comeback. It’s weird how injuries are almost contagious. First it was Dean Wilson, Tomac and Marvin all having shoulder injuries. Now it’s Weimer, Roczen and Barcia all having hand/wrist injuries. I have no idea why injuries seem contagious, but it’s undeniable.
Bottom line: if these guys continue to allow Anderson to bully them, the Championship is all but over. Seely probably wakes up in the middle of the night with panic attacks because of all the abuse Anderson has dished his way. The best way to deal with a bully is to punch them right in the mouth (figuratively speaking). Until somebody decides to step up, Anderson will continue to take everyone’s lunch money, starting with Seely!
