Word on the straight-away is that Bam-Bam gassed his GasGas past the downside of the triple and was doing a quad that no one else was doing during press day. Will he get quad-certified whiskey-throttle during the heat races and finals and continue sending it? Will others follow suit/airtime? Or, will the track crew be quad downers and alter the track so it can't be done? Will ₿locKade do his own beer-drinking quad during the main event? Maybe even drink a Quintuple of Belgian Quads? Here's the Pre-Race Report for Houston Race 1.

250 Pre-Race & Championship Predictions

I think this race, and the championship, are going to be a battle between two riders: Jett Lawrence and Austin Forkner. They both have a lot of drive, talent, and speed. They also aren't afraid to ride on the edge, especially Forkner - who's had more than his fair share of crashes.

Not only does Forkner crash during the races, he pushes it really hard in practice and it's not surprising to see wild crashes prior to gate drop from him. However, Jett probably had the most viral crash from last year: a high-speed post-whoops nose wheelie-to-slam(into the face of the take-off).

I've also heard/seen that Jett has improved quite a bit, and he's no longer a rookie and will be ready from race one. I'm predicting Jett to take the championship this year. I think they'll both take a bunch of wins with Jett edging him out. I wouldn't be surprised if they take most of the wins with a few other race winners thrown in. Beyond that, unless Austin tones down his riding style, I could also see him not making it through the season without some DNFs and possibly sustaining another injury that keeps him off the race-track. I hope I'm wrong.

While I have Jett taking the championship, I'm predicting that Austin takes Houston 1. While I feel good about these 2 championship picks, and would put money on them if possible, I really have no clue about the 450 class...and that's a good thing if you're a fan. If you're a 450 contender on the starting gate, you're probably thinking to yourself: WTF, how are there so many throttle-twisting warriors?

450 Championship Predictions

I'm not even going to make a championship prediction prior to race one, I can't do it. The only thing I'm confident about betting on is crypto. That being said, the feel-good story for me would be Roczen taking the championship. The German that many American fans forget is even German (I've looked for videos of him speaking German w/o much luck) because he's got a neutral American accent and acts/looks like he's from San Diego, it would be cool to see him take the championship this year.

He's had a few rough injuries and if he can figure out his fatigue issues, he's in the mix for sure. That being said, it'd be a tall order for him (or anyone) this year because the field is stacked with fast riders on fast bikes.

10 450 Contendors?

Since the Ryan's dominated the 2010's, there are only 3 former 450 champs on the gate this year. That being said, I think there are 10 contenders this year. Let's break down who they are...like a factory mechanic breaks down a bike-with precision.

Zac Osbourne

Zac is fresh off claiming the 2020 MX title and you know he wants to pair it up w/ an SX title. He grabbed a win late last year, generally gets good starts, and never gives up. If his season gets off to a good start, look out for this experienced vet who's hungry like he's a rookie.

Chase Sexton

This is Chase's second year on the big bike and he's got that smooth style where it doesn't look like he's going fast when he's alone on the track. When he's near people, he's often flying past them...or pulling away.

Wouldn't be surprised if at some point in the season him and his teammate are battling for the win on the final lap. Although he's a Taylor Swift fan, I'm not holding that against him. Would consider him more of a long-shot to take it in his second year but wouldn't be surprised to see a top-5 year end point total.

Jason Anderson

Jason "The Man" Anderson is looking to rebound in 2021 after going win-less last year. One of a handful of guys to get a sub 45 sec. qualifying time for Houston 1, he's left the Baker Factory but has still got that Baker-Factory speed.

I seem him getting podiums and at least one race win this year. One of the 3 former 450 champs on the gate this year, the 2018 champ is hoping for some big things in 2021.

Musquin & Ferrandis

Musquin had a top-4 qualifying time and is looking to make waves/roost people this year. He's hungry, fast, and experienced. It's either very motivating or discouraging to see your teammates/practice partners claim all these championships in recent years (Anderson/Webb/Osbourne).

My second choice for a feel-good story would be Musquin getting the championship after a lot of close calls in both MX and SX. He's had some injuries and is a veteran that still seems driven. I might even get a little teary-eyed myself if I see him and his wife Mathilde tearfully embrace after claiming a title after all these years of chasing one. Bonne chance.

Ferrandis was a man on a mission last year in the 250's. Can he hop on a 450 and have immediate results? It's not an easy ask, but I believe he can. That being said, some question the handling of Yamaha 450 (while at the same time lamenting that their 250 is too powerful and real).

Unlike Roczen, no one will mistake Ferrandis as an American as his accent is nearly as bad as my French accent. If he can handle the big blue bike that others have struggled with (Barcia/Webb/etc), I wouldn't be surprised to see podiums and even some race wins.

I have a premonition that their could be some rough passes between Dylan and Bam-Bam this year. I could see Bam-Bam sending him over the berm or Dylan taking out his front wheel. I'll be laser-focused on the screen (w/ a beer in my hand) anytime those two are near each other on the track (Did you hear me race producers? Keep the camera on them when they're near each other!).

Cooper Webb

The 2019 champ didn't have any post-championship hangover and looked strong in 2020. He grabbed almost a handful of wins and would have been in the championship mix even more if not for a big crash and DNF. I see him to continue where he left off. However, I could see him getting even less wins and still becoming the champion given how deep the field is (a la Mr. Consistent Ryan Dungey).

Ken Roczen & Adam Cianciarulo

I paired the two French riders together, so I figured I'd pair up these two good friends. They may end up battling for the championship this year. They'd battled for the past several years for best personality in the sport with each of them claiming a couple championships.

Ken also collected nearly a handful of wins last year. He still has that speed and those great racing instincts. He just had issues w/ stamina and fading late in the race. Many believe it has something to do w/ his injuries as stamina was never an issue for him in the past. He took off the outdoor season to try to get this sorted. Did it work? We'll find out after Houston 1.

When Adam isn't flying around the race track, he's shanking 3-wood drives in the gator-infested swamps of Florida. One of the funniest (and most honest) riders on the circuit, he's got a lot of fans. Like Ken, he's had his fair share of injuries (although most would say Ken's injuries were far more serious). He's got the speed and is still hungry, I expect to see him get a win this year...and wouldn't be surprised to see him battling for the championship.

Bam-Bam Barcia

Is the practice-quadding a sign of things to come? Barcia is on a new bike and rumor is he's got his mojo back. He got a win last year and it'll be interesting to see if he's much improved on this new ride. Other riders will be wary of getting the Bam-Bam treatment in the corners. He's a dark-horse candidate for the championship that no one wants to mess with.

Tomac

Eli finally got his first 450 SX championship last year. After having some bad luck and a few really bad races that hurt him in previous title hunts, he put it together for his first championship. For how many race wins he has, you think he'd have a few extra championships by now. One of the quietest riders on the circuit, he let's his riding do the talking. Let's see if he can go back-to-back. Considering he went back-to-back-to-back in MX, I wouldn't be surpised.

450 Houston 1 Predictions:

Here are my fantasy picks:

• 1) Tomac

• 2) Musquin

• 3) Cianciarulo

• 4) Barcia

• 5) Anderson

How did I come up with these choices? I don't know, a little combination of intuition, past results, qualifying lap times, complex algorithms, and a belief in myself. Honestly, while these results wouldn't surprise me, none of them being in the top 5 would surprise me either.

I'll make my top-3 championship predictions prior to the series leaving the lone-star state. I'm so excited about this stacked field in 2021. The only way it could get better is if they had packed stadiums. Keep your elbows up, take off your front brakes, and twist that throttle...the gate is about to...drop...on...the 2021...Supercross Series.