Bird Dog
It’s good to be named Cooper
Doesn’t really matter at this point if it’s your first or last name. Both Cooper Webb and Justin Cooper are handling business right now at the right time. As they say in golf, it’s not how you drive, but how you arrive and these dudes will be arriving at the next round with red plates.
For Webb, it came in an unusual manner, which is actually kind of usual for him. He didn’t look great all day. Serviceable, but not great. After getting planted by Chase Sexton he resembled Joe Biden trying to board Air Force 1 while attempting to remount his bike. And when Roczen got the holeshot there was a brief thought that maybe Webb would fade and Tomac would wedge himself between the two to help tighten the championship. But deep down we all knew that wouldn’t happen. Cooper did what he does, which is lurk like a thief in the night and make better second half adjustments than anyone.
The Hits Keep Coming
For Chase Sexton, Marvin Musquin and Jordon Smith, this will be a year they would rather forget, but unfortunately the long lasting inflammation and scars probably won’t let them. Sexton has taken some of the biggest hits of anyone not named Jordon Smith. From wadding out of the sand section while leading, to OJ’ing the rhythm in Daytona chipping his tooth and putting a hole in his lip, to washing the front wheel in the sand section again on Saturday.
Smith went down super hard in his heat and looks like a shoulder injury may keep him sidelined. This is after getting slammed in Orlando and having 20 stitches put in his butt in Daytona. We’re sending him a bottle of Advil and some good mojo, as he’s one of the most naturally talented riders on the gate, but is having trouble staying off the ground over the last few seasons.
All three have title potential, but all three need to dial it in and try to stay off the ground or it will be a short lived careers for all of them. Let’s hope all are able to mend up and keep it on two moving forward.
Kenny Not Getting Dropped May Have Saved Him
Everyone will write the same thing. Cooper has the mental edge on Kenny, but the Bird Dog saw something different. I saw Ken get pissed. Or maybe he was just channeling his inner chi, either way, he didn’t get dropped after getting passed, which is a huge plus for both his mental game and his chances moving forward. Coop looks indestructible right now, but there is still plenty of time for Ken to put himself back in this title hunt.
Hell Yeah, Justin Starling!
Bird Dog LOVES the LCQ. It’s raw, high intensity and passion filled racing at its finest. We’ve known Starling since he was knee high to PW. His old man works for the AMA, his mom used to score amateur races when he was coming up and his entire family is moto as hell. His place on the gate is pretty settled at this point in his career. He’s not going to win main events, but watching him win the LCQ was cool as hell. From start to finish no one had anything for Starling.
Looking Forward!
This season has delivered. All the title chases are tighter than a shrink wrapped pack of hotdogs. From Nichols and Craig fighting for the East title, to Cooper, McAdoo and Lawrence on the West, to Webb and Roczen in the 450 class, as fans we really can’t ask for much more. The track layout in Atlanta will decide a lot. If Roczen want’s a shot at his first 450 SX title, he’ll need to dominate in the dirty, because Utah didn’t treat him well last year. If Coop comes out of Atlanta on top, the title is his.
