FXR Racing Presents Andy White’s Mid-Week Report

The wild, wild west is wrapped up for the next six weeks and all the teams shift to the first round of the east coast series in Atlanta. Now we get to see a new crop of Lites riders battle for podiums and I am really looking forward to seeing some new future superstars fight for the win. Taking a quick look back at the Dallas Supercross, I was excited to see the top four Western Lites guys out in the lead in the final. I thought to myself, “I hope no one gets dirty.” Just as I was thinking that, Savatgy cart wheels in the whoops. I don’t think Joey ran into him but it was pretty close. Smart move on Craig’s side to take the line away from him. I was surprised to see Craig pull that kind of a lead on Webb. Around lap 10 you could see Webb’s endurance really kick in and he kept the pace and eventually caught Craig to make an easy pass for the win. I am sure Webb is pretty relaxed going into the six week break with a good lead on Savagty. I had hoped Cole Thompson’s confidence from the last supercross would have helped him with a better result in Dallas. I guess it doesn’t help when you end up going down on the first lap. Jimmy Decotis and Cole touched and Cole got the worst of it. Of all riders to hit, too. Jimmy and Cole will be lining up for 10 rounds this coming summer, that’s if Jimmy signs the contract that the MX101 boys dropped off last week for him to sign. I sure hope Decotis comes back up to Canada. With his recent results and confidence from the last few months will equal some really good racing.

Cole Thompson had another top 10 finish in his sights last weekend in Dallas. However, a late race run in with Jimmy Decotis push him back and out of the top 15. Photo by Frank Hoppen

Finally, a different winner in the 450 class in Dallas. I wasn’t sure Ken would be able to make the pass on the Champ, but he did and held it straight to the end. Let’s hope Roczen can keep the pressure on for the balance of the series. I liked how Dungey kept pushing him for the entire race. At one point I thought Ryan was going to make the pass but the track was not an easy one to make clean passes on at the speed those guys were running. Solis night for Jason Anderson. This guy has been in the top five pretty well the whole series. I like the statistics they pulled on his starts so far with his average start position approximately 9th per race. Remember Jason finishes in the top 5 each weekend. Just imagine if he was starting in the top 3. Honda’s factory rider Cole Seely had another good race. He rode solid and made no real mistakes to finish 4th for the night. One rider that was making passes all night long was Marvin Musquin on his factory KTM 450. His start was not that great as he was laying down on the dirt just off the start. He went from dead last to finishing 6th. That’s a lot of passing on a track that was not that easy to pass on. I heard Marvin comment that the track was super technical and we all know that’s what Marvin likes. I am sure we will see Marvin on the box really soon. Chad Reed was off the pace with a 12th overall. Andrew Short looks like he is getting back into the groove with a 13th. Sounds like this is the last year we will see Short. He announced that he will retire after the 2016 season. I think you will see him as a full-on test rider for the KTM factory. I was really happy to see Alex Ray make the final for the second time this year. Alex had a killer holeshot in the semi but missed out qualifying by a few spots. He came back and transferred from the LCQ and then in the final. Alex had an okay start until his rad hose split wide open. He was not a happy camper but he made the final and got some TV time!

It’s been exactly one year since Chad Reed’s last SX win. Can the Yamaha rider and fan favourite do it again this weekend in Atlanta? Photo by Frank Hoppen

I am looking forward to the Atlanta Supercross this coming weekend. It sounds like the factory Suzuki truck will finally be there with James Stewart. I hope James can put it together and have a decent night of racing. It would be such a shame to lose this talented rider. James has to be one of the most naturally gifted riders ever. He has the talent and speed to win most weekends. The larger question is, does he have the heart and the conditioning to win. In the Lites class we will see some new faces, Malcolm Stewart on the Geico Honda, and Justin Hill on the TLD KTM. I hope the racing is as good as the west has been and all of us on the right coast can enjoy watching without staying up until the wee hours to get through it. See you at the races.