With the exception of being sick in San Diego and taking 13th, Jason Anderson has had a great start to the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. With a pair of thirds at A1 and A2, he sits sixth in points, though surely, he would be further up if it were not for a 13th at the second round.
Andersons day at Anaheim 2 started off great with a fourth in qualifying and then a heat race win over Jett Lawrence. In the main event Anderson again found himself in the lead with Lawrence hot on his heals. Most fans were expecting some of the same antics they saw last year, riding a wide bike, brake checking, maybe even a helmet tug or two afterwards. However, whether it be because of the slick track conditions, the fact they were racing for lead, or maybe the riders have just let bygones be bygones, but the two rivals raced each other clean. Anderson led for eight laps before Lawrence, and eventually Ken Roczen, passed him.
At the post-race press conference Anderson spoke on his battle with Jett:
“Yeah, it was good. Like I said, I even told Jett after the race, I was like, I'll talk crap off the track, but when we're in those battles, I think it's, it's really cool, I'm gonna keep it real, you know. He always has raced me really well and yeah, he got the better of me, but it was fun racing and being able to do that upfront is cool for all of us.”
It seems even Jett had fun battling as he said, “I love racing when it's close and Jason's really good at defending, you know, like, going like across and staying low on the berm where I couldn't do anything. Like, it's fun racing and it's learning for me.”
Anderson explained from his perspective what it is like to try and keep someone like Jett behind him, “Yeah, I think it's always tough when you're leading because you're trying to figure out what they're doing behind you, but to be honest, I think the best thing you could do is just try and hear where they're louder, and then try and figure out, try and look. But it's really tough because you kind of wanna stay in your line that is working and, and especially [a line] that is comfortable because that rain really made the track super slick. I knew I was really good in the whoops, and I just tried to just keep doing my thing. And for me, being as sick as I was last weekend, and then this week, it's crazy, kind of feels like it's still lingering, but happy to be strong for the most of the main and lead some laps and it's a step in the right direction."
Third place in the main event for a 31-year one year old, who is still feeling a bit under the weather is pretty impressive. The real question here might be, what keeps him, and some of the other riders who are 30 plus, going at this point?
“To be honest, I think we all just really enjoy what we do. I'm pretty sure all of us have gone through a hump to where we're kind of bitter at what we do just because it's tough, it's really tough. But I think now we're all at the age to where, not driving to the track on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, going to the races, you know, 30 weekends a year. It's what we've done for so long, so I think we're just passionate about what we do.”
It's passion for the sport that helps Anderson still land podiums at almost 32 years of age. It's that same passion that creates rivalries like the one he has with Jett Lawrence. It's that same passion again that makes fans of supercross keep coming back to watch. Will Anderson’s passion help him get a win in 2025? With two strong rides already this year, it's looking very possible.
