McThoughts – St. Louis SX|250 East
By Jeff McConkey
The 250 East has been anything but predictable this season. Going into St. Louis we had yet to see a repeat winner. One week someone steps up, only to falter the next race. As a fan it’s great, and it’s been great racing every round. The sand section was very tricky for most and may have changed the outcome of this championship battle. Let’s take a look at the results and see my thoughts.
250 East
1st Jeremy Martin: If I told you after last week that Jeremy Martin would be our first repeat winner in 250 East action, you’d think I was crazy. Martin got an amazing start and never looked back. He rode flawless and nobody was going to beat him. It is a longshot, but he is still in this championship fight.
#6 Jeremy Martin.
2nd Aaron Plessinger: I don’t want to jinx Aaron, but I did call him for the East Championship before the season started. He got a good start and looked great out there. I just wish he’d lose the blue boots once in a while.
3rd Shane McElrath: When this guy is completely healed, he’s going to be a beast on either coast. Great ride for Shane.
#30 Shane McElrath.
4th RJ Hampshire: RJ had his best ride of the season, and he actually had to come from around 17th off of the start. He put his head down and worked hard for this result. He should be walking away with some much needed confidence.
5th Gannon Audette: Gannon is making Mitch Payton look like a genius. His starts have been incredible and he’s just oozing confidence. That’s a very dangerous combo. I’m glad to see Gannon running with the opportunity.
#61 Gannon Audette.
6th Anthony Rodriguez: You walk before you run, and you sometimes need to slow down to go faster. ‘A-Rod’ looks to be backing it down a tad and it’s working. Another very solid ride for Anthony.
7th Alex Frye: After a rough couple of weeks, it’s nice to see Frye bounce back with a very respectable finish.
#128 Alex Frye.
8th Malcolm Stewart: When it rains, it pours. But, as bad as St. Louis was for ‘Mookie,’ it could have been a lot worse. He retains his red plate as points leader, but just barely. Watch for Stewart to come into Boston pissed off and looking for a win and nothing else.
9th Tyler Bowers: I’m not sure what’s up with Tyler lately? He looks good out there, then it just falls apart halfway through the mains.
#53 Tyler Bowers.
10th Paul Coates: Another solid finish for Coates…but I never really saw him or looked for him out there.
Biggest Stud: Jeremy Martin is my stud. He did everything right out there.
Biggest Dud: Poor Malcolm Stewart had a dud night. Let’s hope he bounces back and gets himself this championship.
#50 Malcolm Stewart.
Biggest Surprise: Malcolm Stewart is also my surprise. I never expected him to make that many mistakes in one race.
Thanks for reading, see you next week.
