3. Vialle’s Defense

Defending 250SX East Champion Tom Vialle has not been bad to start the season, but he has not been great. The Factory Red Bull KTM rider has gone 5-4 to start the year but has not shown the raw speed that makes you think he could straight-up beat Max Anstie in his current form. He has not thrown anything away thus far, but if he wants to defend his title, he needs to show he can run with Anstie, Kitchen, and RJ Hampshire. Daytona could be just the track he needs to turn things around. After all, Daytona is the round where things came together for Vialle as he earned his first career 250SX main event wins in back-to-back weekends at Daytona and Birmingham.

4. Coop Steals Another from Roczen

Detroit was another chapter in the battle of Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb. Roczen got out front early after passing Red Bull KTM’s Aaron Plessinger on lap two. Kenny led for the next 21 laps, but Webb would get around with just three laps to go. We’ve seen this play out countless times with Coop getting the upper hand more times than not. Nonetheless, this was a great ride for Roczen and a great rebound from his disastrous Tampa. It’s only a matter of time before he puts the Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki on the top of the box. Meanwhile, Webb takes his share of the red plate into Arlington and is making a convincing case for being the title favorite.

5. Sexton Controls His Destiny

Being a Chase Sexton fan must be a roller coaster of emotions. There is no denying that Chase has the most raw speed of the current 450 class, but sometimes he leaves you scratching your head. This week in Detroit hit the gate off the start and then proceeded to run into the back of Grant Harlan and go down two straight aways later. Once he got going, Sexton put on a clinic, coming from last to third. He salvaged his night with an impressive ride, but for the second week in a row, found himself making mistakes that a rider of his caliper should not be making. Chase has let Cooper Webb right in this title fight, and he needs to slow Webb’s momentum this weekend in Arlington.

6. There is No 90 Percent Rule Anymore

If there is anything Detroit taught us, it is that the 90 percent red flag rule is no longer. It had been a long-time rule that if a red flag came out after 90 percent of a race was complete, the race would be called. Cameron McAdoo had a big crash late in the 250 main, and the medics radioed more help, which caused for the red flag to come out with just seven seconds left on the clock. Riders and fans alike were caught off guard when they were told to line up for a staggered restart. Turns out, a rule change was made for this year that if there is ANY time left on the clock, there will be a restart. Obviously, this drastically changed the outcome of the race, and we would not be shocked to see this rule looked at again for 2026.

If you missed our full write-up on the rule Saturday night, check it out.

7. Anstie Has Arrived

Max Anstie has come a long way since he returned to the U.S. with HEP Motorsports Suzuki in 2020. Anstie struggled to find success in the 450SX, but he returned to the 250 Class with the Quad lock Honda team for 2023/24’ and his results were enough to get a phone call from Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Bobby Regan. Max has taken full advantage of the new ride and has been the class of the 250SX East field after two rounds. If he can lock into this version of himself for the rest of this series, he will be a supercross champion. His days of being a Lommel specialist are a thing of the past.

8. Malcolm’s Backup Performance

Malcolm Stewart literally had the ride of his life in Tampa last weekend. It is always interesting to see how a rider backs up a first win and Malcolm was solid. Malcolm was fast in qualifying and was able to get fourth in the main. Not a performance that screams title contender, but a definite bump from where he was in the first four rounds. Expect Malcom to be a podium threat for the rest of the season.