10. Sexton’s Speed is Back:
Chase Sexton doesn’t give you the pre-season clichés. If he’s struggling, he’ll tell you. So, when he says he’s feeling good you have to believe it. This year he indeed said things would be better, and he proved it with big gaps en route to winning his heat and the main. Sexton's goal is to match his 2023 speed with more consistency, and he pretty much had that exact combo at Anaheim. He’s going to be good. Good enough to get his title back?
9. And Eli is Back, Too:
There were only a few fans in the stands for Saturday afternoon qualifying, but they were a vocal bunch with much to cheer for. If you’re looking for competition for Jett Lawrence this year, Tomac and Sexton provided hope, as the trio traded fast laps back and forth throughout the day, culminating in a furious final few minutes as they topped each other over and over. When Tomac leaped to the top of the board one final time, the fans erupted, and they even cheered when Lawrence came through one more time and did not yank the top spot away. This was all proof that Eli is better in 2025 than he was in 2024, and nothing about the night show disproved it. Yeah, he crashed while leading but everyone will make mistakes through the season. He can get those points back. Eli’s qualifying showed he’s fast again, and his last-to-fifth charge showed he’s strong. Look out, people!
8. The Kids Are Alright:
Year two in professional supercross for Julien Beaumer and Ryder DiFrancesco, and both were better than at any supercross last year, proven by career-best results for both (runner up for JuJu, fourth for Ryder D). Both have talked of being stronger both physically and mentally this year, Difrancesco says he’s put on over 15 pounds of muscle lately as his body matures, and Beaumer talked about clearing the mental hurdles of pushing through the pain and enjoying the suffer. Talent is not short for either of these young riders at 18 (JuJu) and 19 (Ryder D) years old, they just needed to get tougher. Looks like it’s happening.
7. Super Start Shimoda:
“Slow starter” has been the label on Jo Shimoda for years, both in the races and for each season. “Shimoda Truthers” explain that Jo only performs when he’s out of the points chase, and the pressure is off. Well, pressure doesn’t get much higher than Anaheim 1, and this year Jo clapped back by winning the very first race of the year and doing it with a holeshot. Starting the race and starting the season fast? New year, new Jo.
6. Honda HRC Progressive Progression:
Preseason chatter said the supercross transition for the new 2025 CRF450R wasn’t going as smoothy as it was for Pro Motocross and SMX. Honda HRC Progressive has a lot of newness to work through, and the Lawrence brother’s busy off-season didn’t give them as much testing time as wanted, either. It showed at Anaheim, as Hunter and Jett weren’t as brilliant to start 2025 as they were at the end of 2024. Poor starts for both is just as big a story. The boys were absolutely lethal off the line last year, but the magic wasn’t there on Saturday. That’s a short sample size on a very unique start straight, and it’s just one race, overall. But it’s clear that the Lawrence/Honda gang has some work to do.
5. That’s Why They Run The Races:
Of course, Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan get the most hype coming into the races, to the point where a lot of people are already bench racing about what it will be like when they get to race each other. But storylines don’t always go to plan, and at Anaheim neither even ended up on the podium. Deegan was fast and strong, but he didn’t get a start and got caught in the resultant mess. His last-to-fifth charge showed he’s still got it, but also showed anything can happen.
4. Triumph is for Real:
Triumph factory racing’s debut in 2024 wasn’t a disaster, but Jordon Smith’s podium to start 2025 might be the loudest statement yet for the brand. It’s not just that it’s the first-ever Monster Energy AMA Supercross podium for the team. Smith has moved from the mighty Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team, and the switch to Triumph didn’t look like a drop off. That means a lot.
3. Prado’s Gonna Fight:
What’s the strategy for Jorge Prado’s first full season in supercross? On Saturday morning I spoke with his Crew Chief Oscar Wirdeman and Kawasaki racing boss Bruce Stjernstrom. Bruce says 450 supercross is a long-term plan for Jorge, with a focus on race wins and title contention as much as three years down the road. Wirdeman said even if Jorge gets beat by every other factory rider at Anaheim, they will be fine with it. Just don’t crash, get hurt and miss the chance to get experience. So how would Jorge play it? Actually, he fought! His customary great starts made the trip from Europe, and when he was challenged, he didn’t roll over. Unfortunately, he did also crash in the whoops. The end result was a 14th after spending the first half of the race in the top five.
2. A1’s gonna get someone:
The annual #deepfield for the first race of the year means the margins of even making the main are small, and often a big name gets caught out and doesn’t make the cut. This year’s victim is Dylan Ferrandis. He was riding well on his Phoenix Racing Honda but landed on a tuff block in his heat race and crashed out of a transfer spot. In the LCQ he was in position to make it again but typical LCQ warfare with an aggressive Ryan Breece put Dylan back on the ground, and that was the end for him.
1. Webb’s Gonna Webb:
You know how he does it. Cooper Webb didn’t draw any attention. His speed in qualifying was merely okay, he didn’t do anything spectacular at any point, but in the main he was quietly in the mix, made a few moves late as the track broke down, and scored solid points with a fourth. There will be so much talk about Sexton and Tomac going fast and Jett Lawrence having his struggles, and very little chatter about Webb. But when you look at the standings and Webb is right in the thick of it, is that a surprise at all?
