'Good, Bad and Ugly' reflects on miscellaneous points from the eighth round of the 2023 Pro Motocross series, Washougal. What would you put under each subheading? Travel to the forum to join the discussion or share ideas on social media (@VitalMX on Twitter and Instagram). For now, however, read on for some thoughts on Jason Anderson, Jed Beaton and Austin Forkner.

GOOD

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Jason Anderson has had a difficult season, to say the least, as 2023 Monster Energy Supercross was just miserable for him and his return to Pro Motocross was far from smooth. '21' has turned a corner over the last two weekends and is starting to some crucial momentum as the SuperMotocross World Championship beckons. Not to mention the off-season, in which he'll be tasked with fine tuning that new 'green' machine. Confidence will be a massive part of ensuring that process is as seamless as possible, so this recent swing is going to be beneficial in more ways than one.

Back to the present day though, Washougal was an important rebound after a difficult Millville. A third in moto, which is still a season-best result, was followed by an unavoidable fall on lap one of moto two. One would presume that was a punch in the gut in more ways than one. "When it rains it pours" leaps to mind and Washougal was a crucial way to avoid falling back down that rabbit hole. It was obvious that such a mindset consumed him indoors and halted any progression. Now, could he win a couple of briefcases of cash come SMX?

BAD

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Jed Beaton was a rather welcome addition to the Pro Motocross series. International flavor in the form of Anton Gole or Jose Butron is cool, sure, but Beaton is a moto winner and just over twelve months removed from being a factory rider. Although he has been rebuilding in his native Australia, he aspires to claw his way back to the top of the sport and compete for podiums. This is not, and was never meant to be, some sort of bucket list exercise like it is for the others. This tale takes an unfortunate turn, as poor luck ruined his wildcard outing.

Beaton is a lot better than what he showed in what was a last-minute decision – he was testing in Southern California and figured that racing against the best was an opportunity far too good to be missed. An issue with the throttle cable (it got caught in the tube and housing, so jammed) forced him to retire from moto two prematurely and that was it. The end of an American adventure. Now, he needs to focus on completing the job in Australia's national scene and securing a Grand Prix deal for next year. This is a star that belongs on the world stage.

UGLY

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People around the world grimaced when Austin Forkner crashed at the start of the first moto. It was eerily like the Anaheim 1 fall that destroyed his knee, as well as his term, but he could return to his feet on this occasion and then fought as hard as possible to finish out the race. It was probably inadvisable – his Fox Racing jersey was torn and so a bloody body was clear for all to see. Forkner refused to be knocked down again and that grit was an indication that he will do everything in his power to return to the level that he should be at.

Would it be a surprise for Forkner to be a championship contender come the SuperMotocross portion of the schedule? Not at all. Recency bias is everything in sport – "you are only as good as your last race" – and so the potential that he harnesses is overlooked by many. '55' has the skillset to be the strongest in both 250SX and 250MX. All he needs is a base to build off and, by finishing moto one this past weekend, he took a step to establishing that. It is a process that can be interrupted so easily, but perhaps lady luck will smile on Forkner on this occasion.