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Supercross certainly has convening power. The sight and sound of 22 elite riders on 450 cc race motorcycles in a full-throttle, bar-to-bar drag race for the holeshot brought 60,000 people to their feet at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium Saturday.
I know because I was one of them, attending the next-to-last round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross before the final race at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas tomorrow. I took advantage of my press pass to ask some questions, so here's a quick look at Supercross' future — both the immediate future, when all three classes will be decided this weekend, and an interesting possibility for the longer term future.
Vegas preview: Webb has one hand on the trophy
With seven wins this season, including Saturday in New Jersey, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Cooper Webb almost has the title wrapped up. Only Monster Energy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac has a long-shot chance at stealing the championship from Webb. For that to happen, Tomac must win in Vegas and Webb has to finish worse than 20th.
Coming into the New Jersey race, Webb, Tomac and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Marvin Musquin were all still in contention, though Webb’s 18-point margin, despite two straight wins by Tomac, put Webb in a comfortable position.
The 450 final was SX racing at its best. After Musquin went down early in the race, it became a battle between the two championship contenders and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Zach Osborne, who stepped up to have a stellar night.
In the final laps of the race, with Webb in the lead and Tomac charging to chase him down, the Kawasaki rider went down in the whoops, almost the exact same spot where he'd had a problem early in the race. And just like that his chances for the 2019 450 SX title were likely dashed in the dirt. Webb, Osborne and Tomac finished on the podium in that order.
That leaves Webb, the most consistent rider this year, only needing to finish in the top 20 in Vegas to lock up the title. And if Tomac doesn't win, Webb will be champion even if he doesn't make the main event.
250 East and West
Vegas is a Dave Coombs East/West Showdown round with both regional series competing together. In the West region, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo holds an eight-point lead over Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha's Dylan Ferrandis. Everyone else is mathematically eliminated.
The East region saw plenty of drama in New Jersey. After a dominating start to the season, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Austin Forkner completely tore his ACL in Nashville. Forkner tried to race in New Jersey and made the main, but pulled out in agony after a few laps. He has already had surgery on his knee, will miss the entire Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship outdoor season and come back for Supercross in 2020.
With Forkner out, Geico Honda's Chase Sexton took the win and the points lead, nine ahead of Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha's Justin Cooper going into Vegas.
The longer future of Supercross
Before this weekend, I hadn’t been to a Supercross race since I was a kid, and I was taken aback by the athleticism of the riders and the power and popularity of the sport. By power, I refer less to horsepower and more to the massive turnout and enthusiasm on race day. There’s also the power of the sport to connect emotionally with a stadium crowd — something that just doesn’t come across when watching SX on NBCSN.
In the United States, few non-ball sports events can draw 60,000 multi-generational fans and bring them to goose bumps, cheers, and off their seats the way Supercross does with the feel and sound of horsepower and the finesse of clearing triple jumps. Supercross claims to be “one of the fastest growing motorsports in the world today,” in its stock branding language. One thing that could bring the next stage of growth is women racing with the men.
That's something to watch for, said Supercross Director of Operations David Prader. He noted that the franchise’s Supercross Futures program will have classes for female riders. The series has also put a spotlight on women riders with its #makeup2mud segments shown on Supercross television broadcasts, featuring the stories of women in motocross.
“We’re a merit-based sport, so if they pass everything the guys do, they’ll get their license and come out here and try to qualify,” Prader said of women racers. “There are two amateur girls right now, Hannah Hodges and Jordan Jarvis, who I believe have the speed to compete at this level. They’re probably two or three years away from it.”
We have seen women make breakthroughs in other forms of motorcycle racing, from Ana Carrasco winning the WorldSSP300 championship to become the first woman to win an FIM world title to Shayna Texter winning American Flat Track Singles races here in the United States. Will Supercross be next?
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