David gives his perspective on why he feels Jett is performing so well, while others are struggling to keep up and focusing on the wrong areas for improvement.
“Jett’s neutral riding style, focused on technique, would be consistent on any bike. There’s nothing groundbreaking about his bike itself. Honda has been setting up their bikes to be neutral and balanced for years. Seely, during his time at Factory Honda, had one of the best bikes that anyone could ride comfortably for years.
“The issue now is that his competitors are so off-track with their setups that their bikes are worse than stock. Tomac, with his unique riding style and extreme setup, won’t be able to beat Jett over a 10+ race series if he continues trying to outdo his own best version.
Eli won’t improve by just doing more of the same. A broken clock is right twice a day, so occasionally his setup will work, and he’ll be competitive—like in moto 1 in Texas. Fork changes helped him with the bumps and lack of traction. But we saw in SX how much he struggled with soft dirt and deep ruts.
“The same goes for Chase. Stop using GNCC forks and setting sag at 95mm. Quit using a scoop tire on hardpack just to get a good start. You can’t keep up with someone better than you, using the right tire, even if you start ahead. Deegs can pull it off because he’s far above the rest. Riders should be on a bike that performs well on any type of dirt or terrain.
That’s what Jett and Hunter have, and that’s what Seely had at Honda. To beat Jett at this point, you can’t set up the bike to suit the rider’s preferences
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