Ricky Carmichael emphasized that the track design used Tuesday was a lot faster than Saturday's design. So I pulled out my calculator... the fastest lap time I could find (Roczen 46.6 sec) equated to 27.2 mph. I don't know what the comparable number from Saturday was, but Tuesday's races were still typical Supercross... 1st and 2nd gear point-and-squirt, with a dearth of cornering speed and emphasis on shortest line through every corner. Such is the essential character of the sport of Supercross.
I much prefer MX racing to SX. It's more flowing and it's faster, but still plenty of "big air." The racing is just better outdoors, IMO.
But having said that, I enjoy SX racing for its intense head-to-head competition in a contest of skill. The current 450 field is deeper and stronger than we've seen in years. And the show benefits from a very compact schedule that starts in the dead of winter, when there is little racing to be found. Also, SX is the Big Prize to those who race dirt bikes... the championship that everyone wants above all other championships... so that adds spice to the competition. (SX is like the Daytona 500 in Nascar. Even those of us who dislike the nature of the racing cannot deny that the Daytona 500 is a very prestigious event with career-altering consequences.)
250 East: Colt Nichols ran away from his Yamaha teammate and everyone else. Jett Lawrence crashed out of his heat. He came back to win the LCQ but was obviously hurting (shoulder). He did not start the 250 main. Nichols is +11 points over Craig after 5 of 9 rounds and looks like the clear favorite.
450: Kenny Roczen dominated, looking fast and smooth and totally in control. Barcia rode well to hold on to second place throughout. Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb got away in 10th and 11th, then moved forward to finish 3rd and 4th. However, Tomac looked much stronger than Webb. Eli sliced through the field to reach Barcia, hounding him for 2nd place but never could make the pass. Webb had a lot more difficulty advancing.
Roczen leads the points by 13 over Webb and 14 over Tomac. At this early moment, the battle looks to be between red and green, not orange. But there are 12 rounds remaining, so the relative form of the players could change. After Roczen's injuries over the last few years, how could anyone root against him on a personal level? And Eli would be a very worthy repeat champion no doubt. If my boy Webb is going to have a shot at his second title, he needs to find another gear... but there is a long way to go.
