1. Christian Craig (10/10)
I don’t care what happened in the first two races, that win in the third when he passed Eli Tomac and yarded Haiden Deegan; to me that’s all I needed to see!
2. Haiden Deegan (10/10)
Can I keep throwing out 10s? He made one mistake in the second race and he got a rough start in the first but he looked unbelievable tonight. He was good in Argentina and got a podium in his first race but here he showed the speed that is going to make him a champion. They say, ‘you cannot teach speed, everything else you can fix’ and he had raw speed tonight. He had the crowd on their feet all night.
3. Ken Roczen (8/10)
I can’t keep on with the 10s, and I have to be somewhat critical. I think the way he dealt with the adversity tonight and a couple of bad starts means an 8. He’s not going to be in Sweden but a great night and he got the overall win.
4. Cooper Webb (8/10)
So close to winning the overall. From where he was on the gate – because of his qualifying – it was a result, and he shouldn’t have won a race tonight. We saw what happened when Haiden had the last gate pick and Coop was able to overcome a severe deficit to win and get on the podium, and his racecraft was at an all-time high. Phenomenal night.
5. Eli Tomac (6/10)
This is going to be a rougher grade. The honeymoon period from Vancouver is now over. They know what they need to work on and the KTM struggled in the whoops as they broke down. It got hard and slick and every rider commented after the race how gnarly they were.
6. Joey Savatgy (6/10)
I felt there was more in the tank. Superpole wasn’t a fluke. He qualified fastest and backed-it-up in Superpole. We saw speed in the races but at points tonight he did not link everything together. I think, overall, this will still generate some momentum for Joey.
7. Austin Politelli (6/10)
I’m going to give Politelli a six because he has made some strides and he was faster than the last round. There was a race where he was running in 5th-6th until he had a massive crash – I’ll give him a 10 for surviving that!
8. Gregory Aranda (6/10)
The sleeper. We didn’t know how he’d be with those hardpack conditions. The same guy didn’t show up in the races. That seems to be his thing: he’s this flashy, brilliant, fast guy but we didn’t see it all the way through.
9. Vince Friese (4/10)
Before mentioning Vince I want to give a shout-out to Michael Hicks because the bikes those guys have is cutting-edge, new technology and they are flawless everywhere except the whoops; which were extremely challenging tonight. Vince didn’t have the best night but I want to give a shout to Hicks because it think he showed the potential the Stark has if they can figure out the whoops.
10. Justin Hill (4/10)
Rough night for Justin Hill. He wasn’t quite a factor in the races but it’s a tough ask to do this series. These guys are risking their lives every time on the track and might not be totally comfortable on the bike.
11. Ryan Breece (4/10
There was so much action going-on that it was tough to keep a close watch on everyone that wasn’t in the battle for those top positions.
12. Henry Miller (4/10)
There are things to work on. Tonight provided an incredibly tough track, bike set-up was crucial and the heat was tough as well. To get anything over a four on a night like tonight is a massive ask.
13. Jorge Zaragoza (4/10)
Top fifteen? With the Stark guys, like I said, they are breaking new ground and these electric bikes are not only competing against internal combustion engine motorcycles but also some of the best on the planet. It’s a big ask.
14. Jason Anderson 3/10
Jason is going to get a three and that is based on the rough finishes. In terms of his riding he was ripping; he looked really good and the wheels just came off. He had to leave through the tunnel: I watched him go and he was not stoked. Not the best night for El Hombre and with Craig doing so well there are championship implications.
15. Devin Simonson (3/10)
I’m sure he’s not going to be comfortable with his position tonight – and he probably won’t like a three! – but we’ve got another chance next week in Sweden.
16. Jordi Tixier (3/10)
It’s hard to go back to the team truck afterwards when one guy has had a successful night and you’ve had a rough one.
17. Matt Moss (1/10)
A one for Matt, unfortunately. I was so excited for Mossy. He had some amazing form in the Australian domestic series last weekend but Savatgy slowed through the whoops while he went through full speed and then…that was his night done. A terrible night. I cannot stress enough for fans and viewers who are not from Australia what a great rider and athlete Matt has been for our industry, he deserved more from tonight. I think Matt would give himself a one as well.
