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The Arlington press conference has come and gone. SOME of us here at Vurbmoto are very thorough and ask the athletes important questions to get the scoop. While others, like Slaw, don’t do anything at all. We had our Canadian correspondent Brad G’Hardt write up a small report on things that stuck out to him post race. Enjoy.
Deegan Doubles Down
Following an energy packed post-race interview, members of the media were curious to know if Haiden Deegan’s perspective on how his first win unfolded had changed at all. Based off what Deegan said in his post-race interview, Haiden suggested that he had begun to pressure Austin Forkner and how he unfortunately had a devastating crash before Haiden really got a chance to fight for the win. In a way, the race came to Haiden as he was able to capitalize on a catastrophic mistake from Forkner. In the Press Conference Deegan stated that he believed he was ready to battle Forkner to the finish. Suggesting he had the speed to catch and pass Forkner in the closing stages of the 250 main, had Forkner not gone down. It is interesting how Haiden speaks on his goals and the future of his career. Instead of hoping to accomplish this or that, Haiden’s language is different in both verbiage and tonality. These “I am” statements seem to have changed his mind set from “I hope to do” to “I’m going to do”. That is powerful.
Tomac Confirms Beast Mode
There is much speculation if Eli Tomac is aware of much conversation surrounding him and the series in general. Holding up in his Cortez, Colorado fortress of solitude, it’s fair to assume that Eli is able to tune out the overwhelming majority of chatter, but something got through. Someone lit a fire within the multi-time AMA champion who does not like being called old. When Eli Tomac flips a switch, his body changes to a picture of aggression and we in the media call it Beast Mode. When asked if that is what we witnessed, Tomac was as candid as he was in his post-race interview confirming that he was in Beast Mode. For Tomac to speak this way gives the feeling that he has more of that to come.
Wind in Webb’s Sails
Following a day where Webb seemed to struggle, the tides changed when the gate dropped for the 450 main. Sometimes all you need is a good start and Cooper Webb put himself in a position to benefit from a mistake from Jett Lawrence. Webb actually seemed to be more worried about picking up his pace late in the race to ensure he didn’t lose a position to teammate Eli Tomac. In that moment, he saw Jett Lawrence’s number 18 Honda HRC machine down at the end of a long rhythm lane. These are the kinds of breaks that add supreme confidence to a two-time 450 Supercross champion like Cooper Webb. That being said, Webb did mention that next week’s race in Daytona is “Eli’s House” which doesn’t mean Webb wont fight for the win, but he certainly has a ton of respect for how well Tomac has raced there in the past.
Main Image: Octopi Media
