Brainstorm | Indy SX #2 Round 5

Brainstorm | Indy SX #2 Round 5

By Billy Rainford

Sometimes, I think everything has been said about the racing by the time we are able to get around to writing about it. However, we never used to let that stop our old friend Jeff McConkey from doing his ‘McThoughts‘ column the day following a Supercross. So, with our dearly departed friend in mind, here’s my version called ‘Brainstorm‘ where I’ll go over the top riders from both mains like Jeff used to.

250 East Main

1. #64 Colt Nichols YAM – I’ve been saying this is Colt’s year since round 1. We’re now 5 rounds in and he seems to have separated himself from his teammate and everyone else. He just seems like the solid and reliable choice to take the title this season. We are also having a blast joking about the fact that with his stubble and his cross earring that he reminds us of the late George Michael of Wham! fame. Colt “Careless Whisper” Nichols.
2. #29 Christian Craig YAM – Christian has impeccable style and looked like he was going to finally take a championship. Well, he seems to be just a step off the pace of his teammate but should cruise to 2nd pretty easily.
3. #42 Michael Mosiman GasGas – It looked like last night was going to be his night. He was looking great out front until #604 Max Miller crashed in front of him and Michael slammed him hard. He lost the lead there and said he couldn’t really find his mojo for the rest of the race.
4. #30 Jo Shimoda KAW – Jo started outside the top after going down in the first turn. He was dead last. The pace in the class drops off pretty quickly and Jo was able to make it all the way up to 4th place. He’s holding down the fort for the OC Team and was also the last rider to not be lapped. Wow.
5. #76 Grant Harlan HON – Grant came up through the amateur ranks with quite a bit of momentum. He’s fast and should be doing well, but I think even he must be a little surprised at taking a 5th in a main this season after a couple twists of fate put him up there.

Notes:

The weirdest thing that happened was that #49 Mitchell Oldenburg had a motor go on him in his heat, putting him over the bars hard and out of the race. Fortunately, he was none the worse for wear and the crew managed to get a new motor mounted in a short period of time.

Word is that the AMA thought they’d brought a new bike and frame down to the line for the LCQ and Mitchell wasn’t allowed to race.

When the Main started, he was allowed to line up in the back row. When #18 Jett Lawrence (won the LCQ) didn’t line up (crashed hard a couple times and his shoulder was too sore), Mitchell pushed his bike to the gate in his spot.

Since Mitchell hadn’t raced the LCQ you’d think the rider who finished 5th in the LCQ, #637 Bobby Piazza, should have been the alternate to line up. That’s not what happened.

And to add insult to injury, Mitchell was unable to finish the race after pulling into the mechanics area while up in 4th place.

And then Colt Nichols didn’t receive a white flag and the race went straight to the checkered flag one lap early. Colt looking over at the flagger would be a great photo that I haven’t seen posted anywhere yet.

Weird night for 250 East action.

450 Main

1. #94 Ken Roczen HON – Rumours of Kenny’s demise have been greatly over-exaggerated. Roczen is looking like a man who can’t be beaten out there. He made quick work of Barcia and then held off the charge from the defending champion the entire race. He never looks out of control and this added confidence means he will be difficult to beat.
2. #51 Justin Barcia GasGas – Am I the only on e who was surprised Eli couldn’t get around him? I was impressed by his tenacity and unwillingness to roll over for the big #1. The guy is mentally tough when it comes to track position. I didn’t think he had it in him to win another main this season, but he just may make me eat those words.
3. #1 Eli Tomac KAW – Eli was back in the pack after another poor start. We knew he’d be able to pass a lot of riders, but you just never know which Eli is going to show up. He got onto Barcia’s rear wheel but just couldn’t find a place to pass and when he went off the main line to try he would end up losing ground and have to remount an attack. This series is by no means over, though.
4. #2 Cooper Webb KTM – Cooper was outside the top 10 when this one got going. He’s another rider who is going to give it everything he’s got the entire 20+2. He made pass after pass and made his way up to 4th place, which is damn good in this field.
5. #7 Aaron Plessinger YAM – Aaron said he was going to turn some heads this season and that performance turned mine. He’s shown speed this season on the 450, but he hasn’t really been able to do all that well. He was on the front pack for this entire main and maybe this is the shot in the arm he needs to be there every week? We’ll see what he can do for an encore in a couple days. Perhaps his demise was also over-played?

Notes:

#15 Dean Wilson was unable to line up after breaking his bike toe and tweaking his knee during practice last week. Also missing from the evening was #21 Jason Anderson who managed to dislocate a finger earlier in the day. With #24 RJ Hampshire also out, #16 Zach Osborne was the only Rockstar Husqvarna out there.

We’re back at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this Saturday, so who do you pick for podium in this crazy 450 class?