Cooksey, Straight To The Point: Warning! #2 and #21 Don’t Play Well With Others 4

After the magnificent just-completed Monster Energy Supercross season, how could the opening round of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series not be a disappointment? With rain in the forecast Hangtown seemed destined to be a boring mud race. I know many of you love mud races but I find them tedious. In mud we don’t get to find out who has truly prepared for the season. The also don’t give us an accurate barometer of a rider’s fitness or speed. Fortunately, the Moto Gods split the difference, with a dry moto one and a muddy moto two. Seriously, as fans what have we done to deserve all this great racing?

Coming into the season, most predictions had Ken Roczen with the talent to win outdoors, but his unknown illness was concerning. Much like every race this year, nobody expected Roczen to come out and smash the field, but that’s exactly what he did. In the first moto he looked like the Roczen who dominated the motocross series in 2016, and let’s not forget he crushed two-time and defending champion Eli Tomac in 2016. 

Does this mean Roczen is back? I don’t think he will dominate the field like he did in '16, but I don’t think anyone was disappointed to see the likable German rider finally get an overall victory. He has been innovative at finding ways to almost, but not quite win during the past two seasons. This doesn’t completely remove the 800-pound gorilla off his back, he still needs a Supercross win, but this win turns his 800-pound gorilla into a monkey again. Team HRC Honda has to be relieved with his performance after recently announcing a three-year contract extension for Roczen.

Seeing the always-stylish Jason Anderson was a welcome sight. This is a “what have you done lately?” sport, and since his 2018 Supercross championship Anderson has been invisible. Watching him race past newly-crowned Supercross champion Cooper Webb during the first moto was proof that he is ready to mix it up this summer. Both Webb and Anderson don’t play well with others and we got a taste in the first moto. They raced each other hard, even making contact at one point. Get ready for them both to completely lie whenever asked about how well they are getting along. The Bakers Factory is steadfast at keeping their problems behind closed doors. 

Maybe one of these two bad boys will finally break party line and share their authentic feelings. I can promise you these uber-competitive riders want nothing more than to be the top dog and both would gladly use the other for traction if needed. The days of talking in clichés, secrecy, and pretending everything is perfect should be a thing of the past. In this new social media world, we all know nobody is perfect. The real villains are not the guys who embrace their bad boy images. It’s the fake, cliché-spewing guys who are usually the worst people. The fake things we accepted as authentic in the 90s don’t fly these days. Show me a perfect person and I will show you the bodies buried in their backyard.   

Speaking of authentic personalities, Adam Cianciarulo bounced back from one of the most publicized "chokes" in the sport's history. Seeing Adam suck up his pride after the Las Vegas Supercross took mountains of character. Not only did he acknowledge the failure, he accepted blame, allowing fans and detractors to empathize and revel in his pain. Adam bared his soul and showed us how brutal this sport can be. If he had hidden from Supercross reporter Daniel Blair and gone silent on social media this could have lingered and become a career-defining failure. Instead he steered into it, removing the monkey from his back. He laid the blueprint for everyone that has an embarrassing or controversial moment. Steer into it, take your medicine and everyone moves on. Hide from it and it grows into a career-defining monster.

I can’t wait for round two at Pala Raceway, can Ken Roczen continue his resurgence? Will Eli or Levi** show up? Can Webb, Musquin or Anderson put the Bakers Factory back on top? If you missed round one, pony up and buy the NBC Gold app. It’s money well spent!

Follow me @chriscooksey61 on Instagram and Twitter and @Cookseymedia on Facebook.

Chris Cooksey is life-long motocross enthusiast, racing professionally in arenacross, motocross and supermoto. Chris obtained his degree from Arizona State, majoring in business and communications. After college Chris immersed himself in the business and social media aspects of the industry. Chris enjoys sharing his opinions. Sit back and enjoy the view from his perspective.

**On the Main Event Moto podcast, they describe Eli’s poor performances by implying he has an evil twin named Levi who takes over during his strange performances.