Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
After a somewhat unexciting points battle all season long in the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Series, Jason Anderson’s problems last weekend in Salt Lake City has created the drama that everyone has been looking for. For 15 rounds of the 2018 series, Jason Anderson was the picture of consistency. From the opening round in Anaheim to Round 15 in Boston, Anderson was doing exactly what he needed to do in order to win his first ever 450 Supercross championship. However, with the pressure mounting, Anderson came off the starting gate rather slow in the SLC main event, then he tip-toed into the tight SLC first turn as if trying extra hard to avoid trouble. Well, as every rider out there knows, most times when you’re trying to avoid trouble, trouble is exactly what you find.
The city where it’s cool to have bad stuff happen.
In a matter of just seconds, Anderson’s Husqvarna got tangled with a few other riders and down he went. In the past, a top rider like Anderson going down in the Turn 1 wouldn’t be that much of an issue. Most times, they pick themselves up, shake off the dirt and proceed with another memorable comeback. For Anderson, this fairy tale ending was not to be in SLC as during his crash another rider’s footpeg busted a bunch of spokes in his front wheel. In full panic mode, Anderson was forced to pull into the mechanics area so his team could change his front wheel (something that is very difficult to do on a Husqvarna when you’re in a hurry). By the time he got back into the race, two laps had already gone by and Anderson was faced with a massive uphill battle to save his four-month old points lead.
Changing a Husqvarna front wheel is never easy, especially when a SX championship is on the line.
By the time the main event was over, Anderson had clawed his way back to 17th place, while his closet rival, Marvin Musquin, rode away with the victory and the 25 big points that went with it. Now, as the series heads into the final round in Las Vegas, Anderson has a 14-point gap over Musquin. If you’re a numbers person, this basically means that if Musquin wins the main event this weekend in Vegas, then Anderson must finish tenth or better to be crowned SX Champion for 2018. Normally, this would be no problem for a rider of Anderson’s calibre as all season long he could find a top ten finish with his eyes closed. But this is Las Vegas, the city of entertainment, the place where bad stuff happens and then no one wants to talk about it. The track this weekend doesn’t look conducive to coming from behind. It’s fast, very fast actually, so that will make it hard to pass on. As we’ve heard so many times in the past, the Vegas roost hurts like hell so following someone is virtually impossible. Musquin has shown us so many times in the past that he’s very good on slippery tracks, and with nothing to lose this weekend, you can almost guarantee that he will holeshot and be gone. This will leave the ball in Anderson’s court to see just how well he can deal with the pressure of having a SX championship on his shoulders.
We’re sure Jason Anderson is looking for more of this in Las Vegas.
All Anderson needs to do is stay out of trouble and ride home with a top ten finish. There is that word again, “Trouble.” In order to avoid it on Saturday evening, Anderson must try not to avoid it. Thankfully, I believe fate is on his side as he’s been the best rider all series long. Jason Anderson deserves to win this championship and I personally hope he does. In a season that has produced so many words about injuries and riders leaving the series, Anderson has been one of the feel-good stories of 2018. Whatever happens this weekend in Las Vegas, all of us watching will be treated to yet another exciting and unforgettable final round of supercross.
