After two rain affected rounds, the Aussie Super X finally stayed dry, providing the fans with some really good racing. All three scheduled main events took place, before the scores were added up for the overall positions, and if you thought the championship was tight before, it's even closer now.
Just as it looked like Matt Moss might break away from the pack, a 10th place finish in race three meant he came 4th overall. Brendan Harrison took full advantage of this and won the overall, closing the gap at the top to three points going into the fourth round at Maitland, NSW this weekend.
That's nothing compared to how close things are in the Open class though as the top three are separated by just two points with Tye Simmonds leading on 60 points, Daniel McCoy second on 59 points and Jay Marmont third on 58. Marmont closed right in on the leaders after winning the last round with Simmonds and McCoy only able to come third and fourth respectively. With two rounds left, this really will go down to the wire...
In Europe, one of the biggest supercross series' is kicking off today in Germany as the ADAC SX takes place in Stuttgart over the weekend. With racing both tonight and tomorrow night, this is a truly international event, with enough prize money on stake to tempt a large number of Americans over. Mike Alessi is the biggest name riding this round but also there will be Jason Thomas, Robert Kiniry, Ben Evans, Cole Siebler, Matt Goerke, Vince Friese, AJ Cantanzaro and that's just the SX1 class. In the SX2 class Austin Howell, Kyle Goerke and Kyle Engle are all trying to fly the American flag in four round series.
The racing is always good though and the crowds really get into the action in these small venues that usually have ~30 second lap times. One small mistake really does cost you in races like this so it's important to get good starts and get out front quickly.
Meanwhile, back in America, the amateur nationals calendar is about to kick-off as the 2011 edition of the Winter Olympics takes place down at Gatorback in Florida. The event known as Mini O's starts the 2012 season as riders change classes after Loretta Lynn's. It's one of the most well-attended events because not only does it provide the usual motocross racing, it also has a supercross track setup as well. This breaks the week into two halves and gives the riders an early chance to test themselves on a proper supercross track.
As the first race of season, it really is important for the riders to come out swinging and lay down a marker for the rest of the year, and nowhere is this more important than the A class. For these riders, it could be their final year in the amateur scene and their results in these races will decide what level of support they get when they make the transition into the pro ranks. Win events like this and Loretta's and you could be under a factory awning come A1 2013. Perform badly and you'll be joining the privateer camp, travelling to as many races as you can afford. This year is that important.
