I feel we have to eat our words — despite plenty of speed to run at the front, as discussed in an earlier MD article, and despite the fact he looked mature enough to stay in the 250 class in the opening round, Suzuki’s Travis Pastrana wasn’t ready this year.
In round 2 of the series at San Diego, Pastrana made the same types of mistakes Kawasaki’s Ricky Carmichael made when he first moved up to 250 Supercross. He was impatient and overanxious – refusing to move up from a poor start or a crash while riding under control. This led to more crashes, of course.
I think the problem is that Pastrana, like Carmichael, is so used to winning (or at least battling for a podium spot), that he rides out of control when faced with a mid-pack finish. This will be solved for Pastrana, like it has been for Carmichael, with more experience on the 250, and more maturity.
