Ken Roczen – Red Bull KTM
Grade: A-

It’s hard to argue with a podium result in your very first race in the most competitive motocross championship on the planet, but still, Roczen really let the opening moto slip away by allowing Baggett by on the final lap. He also fell in the second moto and while he was able to recover from it, there’s a chance it cost him a shot at the overall. For that, I’m giving him a minus.

The was little to criticize concerning Roczen’s overall effort. I think he did far better than what some might have expected and the fact that he led most of the opening moto says a lot about his ability. Chalk up his minor mistakes as learning experiences and expect him to be even better moving forward.

Eli Tomac – GEICO Honda
Grade: B

I’d be willing to guess that Tomac wasn’t happy to leave Hangtown the way he did. After a strong ride in the opening moto, misfortune resulted a 10th-place finish in Moto 2, ultimately dropping him to fifth overall.

While he wasn’t quite able to run up front all day, Tomac still looked stronger than he was a year before and it appears as though the growth we’ve seen in Supercross is carrying into the Nationals.

Sometimes bad luck happens and it’s simply a matter of responding to it. Tomac did well to fight back and still sits in good position moving forward. I think he’s a legitimate contender in this championship.

Ivan Tedesco – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
Grade: A

Having not raced in the 250 Class since he won the title back in 2005 -- and not even racing motocross in general for the past two seasons -- I don’t think any expected Tedesco to perform as well as he did at Hangtown. He might have even surprised himself a little bit.

Tedesco’s return to the division could be seen as much as an experiment as something fun and unique to do. There’s no doubt he’s missed racing outdoors and the opportunity at Pro Circuit is genuinely too good to pass up.

Now that he has a strong finish under his belt, you have to look ahead to considering Tedesco a title contender. Nevertheless, he was the biggest surprise in the 250 Class coming out of the opening round and I think he impressed a lot of people with the ride.