JASON ANDERSON - GRIT 239 450SX

GRIT-239 | 450 SX

Striving to reach the halfway point while in contention for the number one plate was an imminent goal for Kawasaki's Jason Anderson. Throughout a multitude of heat races, and various main events in the 2024 era thus far, the New Mexico native reiterated that he was here to stay. Therefore as he tripled his way through the rutted rhythm lanes of Detroit in Saturday morning, there seemed to be no hesitation with Anderson's drive to win...and the previously noted trait was evident when the former champion jumped past Jett Lawrence to begin his heat race - crafting a summary of jumps together from the moment the bell rang, and forcing the field to oblige to his pace. Anderson would lead through the conclusion of laps one and two, but Lawrence's aspirations couldn't be nullified as the two (respectfully) seemed to run each other wide in a few corners and crowd one another out per se, using the barriers of the racetrack...but Lawrence seemed to cement the final stake in the argument for victory, making a definitive move before the whoops while solidifying his claim on lap three. Anderson's battle was far from over though, as Ken Roczen stalked his rear wheel for what seemed like an eternity...until the final run through the whoops, acted as a platform and means to move forward for the Suzuki athlete. Roczen took the narrowing window and used the space to crowd his front fender into the equation...forcing Jason to jump to the outside of the sand, where he lost the position, and was finalized in third. For the main event, Jason's quest was initiated around a standing of fourth; though he was quickly overtaken by Dylan Ferrandis and Ken Roczen. It was at that point (while running sixth) that he could sense Cooper Webb beginning to pressure him...with the Yamaha rider refusing to abide to the current standing. Eventually, Webb's push would be too much for Anderson to defend - and the North Carolina resident leapt past Jason in the longest of rhythm lanes, after around five minutes had transpired. Now into seventh, it was a process of keeping Aaron Plessinger at bay, where he and the KTM athlete would go back and forth over a series of laps nearing the three-quarter mark of the moto. However, after casing one of the longest combinations in the opening rhythm lane, his momentum immediately deterred to allow Aaron around. Though Jason wasn't going down "without a fight" and immediately countered with a move of his own, making his way back by before the "SX" triple in an urgent stride for points...and all the while, Anderson had made ground on both, Eli Tomac (who was fading) along with Dylan Ferrandis! It was quite the shuffle and acquisition of positions, but on the twenty-third circuit or so, it appeared as if Anderson had been finalized in fifth once and for all...eventually residing here, with a notable run upon the path to an overall championship.

More from GRIT