2021 Arlington One Supercross | Monday Kickstart

hydraulic clutch seems to require two things from factory teams: carbon protection on the master cylinder to prevent the reservoir or lines from being damaged by rocks and roost...

And a pneumatic fluid bleeder to purge the system and get air bubbles out of the lines.

There are plenty of small details to check out on the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki KX250 race bikes as the team mechanics have plenty of final touches to go with the aftermarket parts, including an application of silicone material around the countershaft sprocket bolt and a bright red plate that helps identify the master link on the chain.

Handsfree job: wind a rubber band around the front brake lever and the throttle grip to build pressure in a freshly built front brake line.

Mechanics aren't the only ones with tools. Brian Barnhart has a small storage locker on the side of the Monster Energy Kawasaki rig that holds a slew of rags, buffers, brushes, polishes, and chemicals. Big B is looking for a wax sponsor.

"That's it, boy. Get in there nice and deep like." Gold star if you know the movie reference.

Yep, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha has a secondary start button in place on their bikes. The backup part is connected to one of the spars on the aluminum frame, behind the radiator shroud, and well out of harm's way. We might be wrong, but we can't remember seeing a top-tier rider resort to using the hidden fire button on their bikes at a race.

Random parts in the pits: ProTaper handlebars-grips-donuts and a 3D printed guard around the ignition button on Dylan Ferrandis' Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha.

A re-routed hydraulic clutch line on Justin Brayton's Muc-Off Honda.

A "ram air" carbon fiber cover from Nihilo Concepts on Dominque Thury's CLUB MX Yamaha.

Here are a few differences we can spot on the Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F race bikes. Cooper Webb prefers the feeling of an engine hanger with a small hole in the middle, which gives the still chassis some additional flex characteristics, a traditional spring shock by WP, and slightly taller titanium footpegs from Nihilo.

Marvin Musquin opts for the solid style engine hanger, which is a little more rigid and is one of two riders that is still running the latest version of WP's air shock. Look closely, and you can see the carbon fiber covers on the top of his radiator, which protects it from being damaged by his boots. It's also worth noting that KTM has run data acquisition equipment on both bikes a lot this season, including a spool and wire on the fork and a rod and plunger on the shock, during the practice and even the races.

The Arlington soil is hard to figure out. A mixture of red clay and sand, some spots of the track seem soft, loose, and loaded with traction, while others are hard and slippery. It will be interesting to see how the soil develops over the course of the week; will it stay lush and or will it dry out? That'll all depend on the climate control setting at AT&T Stadium and how much Dirt Wurx waters during the rebuild.

Texas Boys. Jake and Ty Masterpool have had their share of ups and downs in their rookie season of Supercross, but the brothers are getting better with every session on the track. Ty got the full SX experience by getting fourth place in the 250 LCQ and 18th in the 250 Main Event, while Jake just missed making the fast 40 cut in Timed Qualifying by just 0.210 seconds.

Teammate style check: Jalek Swoll...

Stilez Robertson.

We noticed lots of suspension talk during Friday's media riding session. This was especially important for rookies like Jarret Frye.

Standing Room Only

Nitty-gritty. We'd suspect the dirt specs and sand shown here were once roost thrown by rear tires on the downside of the wall jumps.

Big Poppa. Benny Bloss and his wife, Hailey, had their first child between Daytona and Arlington. Bloss drove back home to Oklahoma City after the race was over for some more family time. Bloss had a tough Main Event, as he was buried in the pack early, fought back to 14th place, but DNF'd when the bike had an issue; he said something got stuck in the sprocket during the last few laps.

Cedric Soubeyras will complete the West Coast region with the Motul/AJE Motorsports/GASGAS racing team. The French rider started the season as an independent effort on a Husqvarna, so it should be an easy transition to the GASGAS; he brought his suspension with him...

And his girlfriend, Sophia, to join him on the starting line and in the signal area.

The Champ is here. Kyle Peters put in a 20-0 season on the way to his second consecutive Kicker Arenacross Championship, a massive feat for the Phoenix Honda rider, and is ready to ride the momentum into the 250 West Coast region. Peters was in the thick of things early, went down, and posted a twelfth-place finish in the 250 Main Event. Despite missing a round, he is 11th overall in the championship.

You have to give Jordon Smith credit for going for it. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider is by far the most beaten-down rider in the field but he's still trying to score results for the PC team.

Team issue pants for the CLUBMX/FXR/Jeffrey Homes/ATVs & More/IAMACOMEBACK crew.

How do you make it easier for your rider to see the pit board in a busy signal area? Make it a different shape than everyone else. Here's the rounded marker board that Nuclear Blast/Rockwell/Team Solitare/Yamaha came up with.

Well-worn grips on Justin Brayton's bike. Think of it as a sign of consistent riding; no crashes, no rips, no need for a replacement.

Pre-ride stretch. Should we push for an O'Neal X DW15 X lululemon collab?

Malcolm Stewart got a special delivery from the Gaerne factory in Italy. The boot company came up with a custom blue-white-lime green SG12 that paired with the SEVEN MX gear and SCOTT goggles.

If SG12s aren't your thing, Fox Racing had a similar palette on some Instinct kicks for Ken Roczen.

Saturday night's result might have been the final blow to Eli Tomac's title defense. With an eighth-place finish in the Main Event, he is now down 33-points to Cooper Webb in the standings, a number that's not impossible but unlikely to recover from. Tomac has stated repeatedly that his entire night can be decided by a start, and he seems to be okay with the results, so there doesn't seem to be a crisis under the Monster Energy Kawasaki tent.

Double-stuffed seat.

Justin Cooper's riding style is interesting to watch. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider is very efficient, doesn't move around too much on the bike, and locks "locked-in" when on a fast lap.

30+ Style With Martin Davalos

Ryan Surratt doing it for the 951. The Team PRMX rider has made the last two Main Events in the 250 West Coast region and put in 18-20 finishes.

Ramy Alves need some medical attention after a crash at Daytona but was okay to race at Arlington One. With Carson Brown and Martin Castelo now on the sidelines with injury, the fill-in is now the only rider under the JMC Motorsports Husqvarna rig. He finished the 250 Main Event in 13th place.

Hey, that was a solid day for Joey Savatgy. The Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM rider has made progress in recent weeks, something you can see in the results and that can be credited to a move to the 83 Compound and a new house in Clermont, Florida. Savatgy led for a little bit in 450 Heat Race Two and ended the sprint in second place, then motored on to a season-best seventh-place score.

Cooper Webb spent a lot of time in the work area this weekend sorting out the Red Bull KTM's suspension setup with mechanic Carlos Rivera. After the race Webb told us that the base setting he and the team have is something he strays from, never more than a click or two. " In the press riding and the practice, we just kind of tried things just to see what it does. So, nothing major," he explained. "It's more just trial and error to just see, depending on track conditions how it's going to be... I do things just to kind of prep for later in the day knowing that the track is going to change and stuff like that."

We're very interested to see the upcoming video feature on Jalek Swoll. The Florida racer has been part of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing program for years, first as an amateur and now as a pro, but he's nearing the end of his current contract. Swoll's life away from racing hasn't exactly been a fairytale, something few people know, and this feature will dive into it for the first time. Swoll has been solid this year and with 4-8-6 finishes, is sixth overall.

Perfect use of a tinted lens indoors.

Opening ceremonies at AT&T Stadium. Despite the recent decisions at the state level, there will be no changes in social distancing policies during the Arlington rounds. The venue and county still have restrictions in place and have the final say on-site, and the pod seating layout will stay in place. It doesn't matter to us; racing is going on, and Feld makes each event feel like a real SX.

If you want to get tickets to a race, you still have chances for Atlanta and Salt Lake City.

Battles in the small-bore class. The West Coast region is loaded with talent, many on factory equipment and others on well-managed independent programs.

Dean Wilson aced both starts in at Arlington. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider exited the first turn at the front of the field in the Heat Race and Main Event, held his own in the running order, and ended the night in ninth, his best reason so far and second top-10 in a row. Notice how Wilson's holeshot device is still locked down, even after everyone else's disengaged. Didn't seem to bother him.

European Delegation

Jason Anderson was on the move at Arlington One. Known for being a little aggressive, Anderson bumped his way forward all night (something Malcolm Stewart and Dylan Ferrandis can attest to), took the 450 Heat Race One win, and finished on the podium for the first time this season. Anderson's 15-8-8-7-6-8-5-7-3 scorecard is modest, and with the lack of points scored by Musquin-Ferrandis-Osborne-Cianciarulo lately, he's hopped to seventh overall in the championship.

Did you see our Checking In With interview with Aaron Plessinger? It's always good to chat with AP and during our 10-minute convo, he explained how the familiar surroundings at Star Racing have helped him feel comfortable and contribute to the improvements to the YZ450F. He backed up the Daytona podium with a win in 450 Heat Race Two and a fifth-place finish in the 450 Main Event. AP is now tied at 152 points with teammate Stewart for fifth place in the standings. Hit the homepage or our YouTube to see the video.

One last thing on AP: it's a contract year. Plessinger's future on a factory team was in question over the last two years, but these recent results will most certainly be a bargaining tool for him to use when it's time to re-up or sign elsewhere.

We don't think Marvin Musquin will be on the starting line Tuesday. The Red Bull KTM rider took a hard slam in 450 Heat Race Two (moments after this frame) when he nose-picked an on-off section. Musquin looked to be unconscious for a bit, went through the motions to regain his composure, exited the track, and went to the Alpinestars Mobile Medical unit before being directed to a local hospital for further evaluation. Everything seems to be okay for Musquin, which considering the slam, is a relief.

This is basically a scene from Mad Max. Cade Clason rocketed out in the gate in the 450 LCQ and led the pack of determined riders for nearly the entire race. We wondered what happened in the last few laps, as Clason came under attack in the final laps and eventually lost the race to Scott Champion, but it turns out he got a flat tire in the last two laps and was doing all he could to keep the bike under control on the track.

Scott Champion's LCQ win came out of nowhere. Based in Texas these days, the Arlington round is a home race for the Yamaha privateer, and he put in a hard charge to go from third to first on the final lap. Champion finished 21st in his first Main Event of the season.

The starting blocks that Baghouse made for the Lawrence brothers disappeared recently, so Team Honda HRC improvised and put together a few wood pieces for Hunter to use at Arlington One. It's hard to say what's a more useless ill-gotten good: the factory KYB shock off the YZ450F ARay had or metal steps that were custom-built for the popular racers.

Fresh paint

Seth Hammaker was flawless from start to finish. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki got out of the gate well in 250 Heat Race One, which you can see here, and backed it up with another holeshot in the 250 Main Event.

Fast early laps are one thing; holding it together for the full duration of the race is another.

Hammaker could make the battle for top-five overall interesting in the next few days.

Alex Martin was a few laps and an expired engine away from a sixth-place finish. The Manluk/Rock River Yamaha/Merge Racing rider said that he could feel the powerplant going out in the final moments of the race, did what he could to keep it going, and ended up in 14th place.

Hunter Lawrence is making plenty of progress this year. The Team Honda HRC rider has figured out lots of things in his program, including a serious health issue that was finally pinned down during the offseason and was unshakeable at Arlington One. Lawrence ended the night in second place, the first podium of his US SX career.

From this angle, it looks like Justin Cooper and Cameron McAdoo narrowly avoided a close call in the 250 Main Event. Cooper did give up a little time after this and was going for the move on McAdoo when he went down.

Another title fight featuring riders with very different styles and personalities but that respect each other. We don't see this getting too dirty or personal; it'll be a heads-up battle to the end.

No one loves you like your mother can.

This might seem extreme, but trust us when we say it's warm on the track at AT&T Stadium and riders were soaked after the 20-minute moto. Vince Friese and Cooper Webb both made cuts to the jerseys for additional cooling airflow.

Privateer power. Kevin Moranz beat a lot of factory bikes to the first turn in the 450 Main Event, an impressive feat for a rider on a modestly modified bike and in his very first feature race.

Rubbing is racing.

Dylan Ferrandis was quick all day in Arlington but didn't get the final result to show for it. The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider was fourth overall in Timed Qualifying, was part of the four-rider freight train at the front in 450 Heat Race One, started second in the 450 Main Event, and was fifth until a run-in with Jason Anderson. The somersault crash (and maybe Scott Champion riding over the front of the bike) was enough for Ferrandis to call it a night. He will be back for Arlington Two.

Feet on the pegs, standing up, in a shallow rut, coming out of a turn and up the face of a jump. This is why they're paid the big bucks.

Ken Roczen was just a touch off all night. That crash in 450 Heat Race One was unusual for the Team Honda HRC rider, and it led to a poor gate pick in the Main Event, a tough start, and some laps deep in the pack. That Roczen rallied back to a fourth-place finish is okay, and perhaps a little overlooked, but now he's down seven-points to Webb in the standings. Seven-points? Like, the Houston seven points? We're not saying he should or shouldn't have been docked at H2; just pointing out how tense Tuesday would be if he and Webb were tied at the top.

We're pretty sure Justin Barcia will win another race this season. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider ran a solid second at Arlington One, as he didn't gain time on Webb anywhere but stayed clear of everyone else during the Main Event.

Cooper Webb is in control. The Red Bull KTM rider has been building momentum in recent rounds, poking at Roczen however he can along the way with on-track moves or post-race comments. Webb will openly tell you that he feeds off of this sort of drama ("I love that shit") and we anticipate more of it will come over the next few days.

Hardware

What will Tuesday bring? Thanks for reading Kickstart.