Good, Bad and Ugly | 2023 Hangtown

'Good, Bad and Ugly' reflects on miscellaneous points from the second round of the 2023 Pro Motocross series, Hangtown. What would you put under each subheading? Travel to the forum to join the discussion or share ideas on social media (@VitalMX on Twitter and Instagram). For now, however, read on for some thoughts on Haiden Deegan, Aaron Plessinger and Jeremy Martin.

GOOD

Hunter Lawrence was going to be broken down here, then it was going to be Justin Cooper. Finally, I remembered that the Haiden Deegan fanbase would be outraged if there was not a paragraph praising him. Deegan is similar to Jett Lawrence in my mind, as I struggle with things to note. Everything is so great and there are no weaknesses, so what is there to analyze? It is all amazing and not a shock, as he has passed every single "test" with passing colors. The sky is truly the limit.

Can Deegan win the 2023 Pro Motocross crown? Yes, undoubtedly. Bizarrely, it feels like consistency is going to be one of his greatest strengths and could see him overcome RJ Hampshire or even Justin Cooper. Beating Lawrence will be near impossible for anyone, in my humble opinion, but Deegan's as prepared as anyone to give it a go. With the Lawrence brothers out of the equation, could he win the indoor and outdoor titles in 2024? Yes. Absolutely.

BAD

This is not bad, but it is a missed opportunity. Plessinger has four 450MX podiums in thirty-one starts and has never been higher than third. There is no doubt that he is the second-best rider in this series, yet the rankings do not reflect that. '7' is clearly aware of what is possible in 2023 Pro Motocross, so it is understandable why an error like the one that occurred late in the second moto eats away at him so much.

The good news is that Plessinger has re-signed with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and will occupy the second seat once more. It makes perfect sense, as there were little options for him and no better guys that KTM could have stolen (especially because their lead rider is already locked in). I believe that the best is yet to come for him, but I am just not certain where that ceiling lies. Can he become a consistent winner or is third place destined to be his ceiling?

UGLY

Injuries suck. 2023 Pro Motocross is a clear reminder of that fact, no? The 450MX division barely has a pulse and now the 250MX field is beginning to suffer. Losing Jeremy Martin and, potentially, Michael Mosiman is not going to change the dynamic of the division, but those are two riders who desperately needed some sort of good fortune. Again, this sport can be so cruel. Martin will be out for some time and questions must be asked about the likelihood of him calling it a career.

It does feel as though many of us do Martin a disservice when discussing his career. I'm guilty of that, in all honesty, as I was so quick to write him off after the season opener. Glance at his career numbers and it is a distinct reminder of just how much great he is though. Martin has a podium percentage of fifty-four percent outdoors (forty-five podiums in eighty-four starts and twenty of those were victories). Credit where it is due.