Moto Metrics: '25 Detroit

February 17, 2025 Arich Knaub

Key Highlights:

Just Getting Started: Webb won this race with consistency. He posted the highest consistency score of the night at 95.4. Not only was he incredibly consistent, but he had room to go faster. His Lap 99 time was nearly two seconds faster than the next best rider.
Red Flag Nightmare: Max Anstie has every right to be frustrated with the race outcome. Even after the restart and his eventual second place, he was clearly the fastest rider. He set the fastest lap time by 0.15 seconds and was averaging nearly a quarter of a second per lap faster than Kitchen.
Never Doubted: Sexton wishes he had this one back. Not only did he set the fastest lap of the night by nearly half a second, but his average lap time was also within spitting distance of the leaders despite starting in dead last.
As Close as it Gets: Webb squeaked out his victory over Roczen by being just 0.09 seconds per lap faster. Roczen even managed to set a faster overall lap time than Webb, but Webb was able to hold onto his speed longer, outpacing Roczen down the stretch
Getting up to Speed: Tom Vialle is quietly getting back up to pace. We just hope it isn't too late already for the defending 250 East champion. He scored the highest consistency of any 250 rider and was one of only three to have a score above 90. The other two were Preston Boespflug and Cullin Park.

450 Analysis:

If you wanted to win the main event at Detroit, there were two things you needed to execute better than anyone else. First, minimize mistakes. This track layout was fast. Second, protect your line. The track was perfect for block passes. That’s exactly how Cooper Webb secured his first SX victory of the 2025 season over Ken Roczen. It’s also what cost Chase Sexton big. In an uncharacteristic mistake for his caliber, he hit the starting gate before the race even began. Then, just moments later, Sexton tipped over again. Remarkably, he would come back to finish third. Webb and Sexton are now tied in points and share the red plate going into the Triple Crown at Arlington.

Track Breakdown:

Note: We believe there was a timing error where riders prematurely activated the timing gate for the whoops, causing approximately a two-second discrepancy in their S5 and S6 times. We have done our best to correct that.

From the track map above, you wouldn’t have guessed that Webb and Roczen were in a heated battle for three-quarters of the race, yet they were. On the map, we highlight which rider had the fastest average sector time throughout the race. Some key takeaways this week: First, Sexton worked on his whoop speed. It was a clear advantage for him during his comeback ride. Second, Webb was in control of the race with Roczen the entire time. We have more data to back that up later.

This track was tight but didn’t lend itself to too many mistakes. Overall, these are some of the highest consistency scores we have seen all season for individual track sectors. This week, the sand proved to be the most difficult sector of the track. This was clear from the TV broadcast as well. The quickest line through the sand oscillated frequently between the inside and the outside. If riders chose wrong, it could cost them time and positions.

SEG	Rider	Average Time	Fastest Time	Consistency Score
1	C. Nichols	8.83	8.59	89.3
2	K. Roczen	6.63	6.42	91.0
3	M. Stewart	5.96	5.80	90.1
4	C. Webb	6.29	6.00	90.0
5	C. Sexton	5.65	5.26	67.8
6	C. Sexton	7.43	7.43	75.6
7	J. Cooper	3.88	3.71	75.4
8	C. Webb	5.20	4.72	45.6

Lap Time Breakdown:

The lap time histogram above shows how lap times were distributed throughout the main event. Our takeaway from this race is that it was fast. The top nine in qualifying were separated by just 1.5 seconds, and nearly every rider was able to consistently hit sub-53-second lap times in the main event. Speed was not the primary key to winning.

The main key to winning was consistency. As a group, the 450 class rebounded from the treacherous conditions in Tampa. Over half the class achieved a consistency score above 90 this week.

Out of the 24 timed laps, Chase Sexton and Ken Roczen set the fastest lap on eight occasions. Webb was right behind with seven. Only Jason Anderson managed to set a fast lap outside of those three, which he did once.

450 Main Event:

RIDER	Average Time	Fastest Time	LAP 99	Consistency
C Webb	49.27	48.43	45.60	95.4
K. Roczen	49.36	48.37	47.16	92.8
C. Sexton	49.67	47.94	47.62	88.4
J. Cooper	50.15	48.94	47.32	89.2
M. Stewart	50.16	48.90	49.79	91.7

Top Performances:

Webb squeaked out his victory over Roczen by being just 0.09 seconds per lap faster. Roczen even managed to set a faster overall lap time than Webb, but Webb was able to maintain his speed longer, outpacing Roczen down the stretch.

Sexton wishes he had this one back. Not only did he set the fastest lap of the night by nearly half a second, but his average lap time was also within striking distance of the leaders despite starting in dead last.

LITPro 10-Lap Consistency Scores:

Webb won this race with consistency. He posted the highest consistency score of the night at 95.4. Simply put, the race came down to who could minimize mistakes the best, and Webb did that flawlessly. Although Roczen posted an impressive 92.8 consistency, when the race came down to a battle of tenths, every point counted.

Lap 99 Analysis:

*Lap 99 takes each riders' best segment time regardless of lap and combines them as a theoretical best lap time.

What may be most shocking is that Webb theoretically had more in the tank. His Lap 99 time was nearly two seconds clear of the next best rider on the track. Perhaps he was just toying with Roczen for as long as possible. He is the king of mind games after.

Head-to-Head:

Below, we highlight lap time advantages between Webb and Sexton—the race we never got. The two were constantly trading best lap times while Webb worked on Roczen and Sexton worked on the rest of the pack. Hopefully, both can get a clean start for some epic battles in the near future.

250 Analysis:

The 250 class was nothing short of controversial. Max Anstie quickly got out front and was leading every lap. At one point, he had over a seven-second lead, but an unfortunate crash by Cameron McAdoo just seconds before time expired caused a red flag situation. Confusion and chaos ensued. A staggered restart erased Anstie’s lead, and Levi Kitchen capitalized, taking the win in the three-lap sprint to the finish. By all measurable metrics, Anstie was clearly the best in Detroit, and Kitchen acknowledged as much on the podium and in the press conference.

Anstie continues to look like a championship threat through the second round of the 250 East division. He set three of the fastest average sector times, while race winner Kitchen didn’t appear once on the map. Peaking on our radar, though, is Chance Hymas. Hymas is slowly getting up to speed after a lengthy ACL recovery, and he managed to be quick both in the sand and flats—two areas that mimic outdoor tracks where he has been lightning-fast. Due to the restart, some of the consistency scores were affected and are denoted with an (*).

SEG	Rider	Average Time	Fastest Time	Consistency Score
1	C. Hymas	9.09	8.13	76.8
2	M. Anstie	6.82	6.59	75.1
3	C. Mumford	5.93	5.67	91.8
4	R. Hampshire	6.35	6.07	79.4
5	M. Anstie	5.77	5.58	*
6	S. Hammaker	7.18	7.09	78.4
7	M. Anstie	3.94	3.82	80.0
8	C. Hymas	5.32	4.90	70.1

Lap Time Breakdown:

The 250 riders continue to show ‘tiers’ of competitiveness, evident in their lap time chart. Frankly, Anstie has speed right now that no one is matching. He alone accounts for nearly all of the first big bar in the chart. Then we have the race-winning threats—Kitchen, Hampshire, Vialle, etc.—who make up the second group of big bars. Then we have everyone else.

The 250 East group also appears to be more consistent than their 250 West peers. Over half of the riders achieved a consistency score above 85, and 75% of riders had lap times under 54 seconds.

Out of the 18 timed laps, Anstie set the fastest lap eight times. He was followed by Kitchen and Hampshire, who each had four. Tom Vialle was the only other rider to set a fast lap, which he did twice.