Supercross: Jason Anderson on probation for rough riding after Tampa incident Kyle Larson already having impact at McLaren with his future Indy 500 teammates

Following the incident with Justin Barcia at the Tampa Monster Energy Supercross race, Jason Anderson was placed on six-month probation by the American Motorcycle Association, lasting until Round 9 of the pro motocross season.

The fine comes after an incident between Anderson and Justin Barica earlier last week when Anderson pushed Barcia into Tuff Blox, causing both riders to crash. The transmission attempt was made on the 6th lap. Anderson finished sixth while Barcia recovered to finish eighth.

A week earlier, Anderson acknowledged his role in the ongoing rivalry with other riders.

“I’m just trying to come forward and do my thing” Anderson said at a post-race press conference after finishing third in the Houston Supercross (at the 8:30 mark).. “It’s my credit for being involved in a lot of the shitty stuff I got into. This is what I have to take responsibility for. I really just want to do my best, try to grow up and avoid it. I will try my best and change this aspect of myself.”

Anderson and Barcia have a history of contact.

Barcia was put on probation last year for a rough ride following an incident in the second round in San Diego when he sent Justin Bogle to the ground. In the following incident, Barcia received a three-point penalty for crashing Anderson in the Indianapolis Supercross race. and he got 10 points for smashing Malcolm Stewart in the season finale in Salt Lake City.

Barcia finished fifth in 2022; Anderson was second, nine points behind Supercross champion Eli Tomac, though it’s worth noting that Tomac had a fairly large lead going into the final round of that season while Anderson won in Salt Lake City.

The story of the conflict continued this year. Anderson sent Barcia to the ground in the San Diego race.

In Tampa, Anderson won the first race. In the preliminary competition, they did not compete against each other, with Barcia finishing fourth in the second heat.

With Tomac in contention for fifth place in the Tampa Main Event, a strong finish would allow Anderson to retake the lead along with winning driver Cooper Webb and second-place Chase Sexton. Instead, Anderson lost ground and is now 20 points behind Tomac as he enters the sixth of 17 rounds in the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross season.

Kyle Larson will try to make his Indy 500 debut next season, but internal (and very informal) lobbying has already taken place at Arrow McLaren Racing for an even earlier IndyCar appearance.

During a meeting with Larson last month at the GM Racing simulator (literally not far from Hendrick Motorsports headquarters), Felix Rosenquist showed Larson some of the nuances of driving an open-cockpit single-seat car, as well as a friendly advertisement.

“It was fun just to show him how he sits behind the wheel,” Rosenquist said recently at an IndyCar pre-season media event. “He actually had to do some jumping in the car and (we) just talked about the race.

“He seemed very interested, especially in the road courses, actually. I tried to convince him to maybe try a traffic course. It would be fun.”

KYLE LARSON ON INDY 500: Answers, an analysis of his 2024 shot at The Double.

No other NTT IndyCar Series races are scheduled for Larson other than the 2024 Indy 500, but it is likely that the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion will enter (if not drive) a race this season.

During a press conference on January 12 regarding the Indy 500-Coca Cola 600 ‘Twin’ attempt, McLaren Racing CEO Zack Brown said Larson would likely run tests through the end of the season and also compete in 2023 IndyCar racing. to get behind the wheel. Debriefing McLaren drivers.

The Aug. 12 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an obvious candidate because Larson will already be at the Brickyard for the next day’s Cup race.

But there are three other IndyCar weekends that aren’t in complete conflict with NASCAR.

The race on May 13th at the IMS Highway will begin three hours after the end of Cup qualifying at Darlington Raceway. The June 18 IndyCar race at Road America is the only weekend in the 2023 Cup schedule. And the World Wide Technology Raceway Gateway on August 27 will take place the day after the NASCAR regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

This gives Larson some opportunities to build relationships with his new IndyCar teammates, but he has already made an impact on the McLaren IndyCar trio of Rosenquist, Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward.

Rossi has a history with Larson.s they went through the go-karts together nearly 20 years ago as geeks from the same region of California.

Kyle Larson and Alexander Rossi karting in May 2005 🤝 Teammates at Indy in May 2024. pic.twitter.com/NVLjHLvu7n

— Nascarman (@nascarman_rr) January 12, 2023

“It’s just a hell of a story, man,” Rossi said. “It’s very, very cool to be able to be a witness, part of who makes the Double. It’s such an amazing thing for any rider to have that kind of opportunity. Obviously, I think he is one of the elite riders on the planet.

“He’s going to come and share his opinion and experience.”

O’Ward met with Larson in the 2021 F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi (where the Mexican tested the McLaren and drove Larson around the track in a McLaren 720S.). Asked about Larson as a teammate, O’Ward said: “It’s terrible. I didn’t know much about it, but I think it’s so cool that he’ll be joining us next year.

“I think he will like it very much. Definitely, it will probably be the fastest thing he has ever done in his life. So I’m sure he’ll love it. He drives so many different cars. He jumps into any opportunity he wants to either experience or enjoy. The guy knows how to drive a racing car. I’m glad to have him as a teammate. I met him two years ago in Abu Dhabi when he was there after he won the NASCAR championship. I was so happy to see him doing so well in his return to NASCAR after a setback a few years ago.

“I’m a big fan of his. I feel like I can speak for the entire team; Everyone is very happy to have him around.”

Larson has been open about believing he can win on his debut, with Rosenquist saying the idea is not fantastic.

“He’s a great talent,” Rosenquist said. “In fact, I heard that many people are already betting on him to win the race. It’s a kind of expectation that he has. I think people sincerely believe that he can do it.

“Again, this is an opportunity to learn from someone from a completely different environment. Already after a short conversation with him, 30 minutes, I felt that I had learned something. It would be great to have him around.”