Welcome to Gearhead Operations Weekly Supercross observations! MotoSport has made a huge mistake and given the Gearheads a space to give our opinion on the Supercross series. My name is Ryan Roberts and will be launching this space and reporting on the Super Duper Moto Super Cross MX series (or whatever they are calling the SMX series).
Seeing as this week was Daytona, I felt it was a great week to start this column. Daytona is always unique in that it is truly a combination of Supercross and Motocross track. So many odd things happen at Daytona and it is usually the race where you can legitimately say "anything can happen" without embellishing reality. This would also by a glimpse into what the SMX playoff racing could look like come the end of the year.
Ricky Carmichael designs the Daytona track and he actually copied last years track. I recall him saying at one point that he wanted to have riders race the same track so they could compare how they improved on the track from one year to the next, and I guess this was the lucky year.
Practice was hot for the riders with temps in the low 90's, considering they just came from Dallas where the temps were in the 30's, I was there and it was miserable. This was of course the 250 Hunter series (or east series, but considering there are only two real riders in the 250 class we will call the series the Hunter or Jett series) but a couple of riders I was watching that haven't really performed were Jack Chambers and Michael Mossiman. I am convinced that Mossiman is now the fastest slow guy that I have ever seen in Supercross. He wasn't going to win the series last year but he was in races challenging to win, but this year in a somewhat depleted field he is hanging out in the ranks of the privateer posse. Jack Chambers who is trained by the legen----wait for it----dary Zach Osbourne but hasn't made a main this year. Chambers qualified 14th and ended up 17th in the first main that he competed in this year so this was a definite bright spot for him on the year and hopefully he can turn it around this year. Maybe Chambers is going to bring it when outdoors comes around?
Mossiman had a good ride going but then had the weirdest most Mossiman crash in the heat race and I can't even describe what it was but Gas Gas race manager probably wants to rip his hair out every week now. Mossiman followed up his crash in the heat with a crash in the main and finished 21st. Maybe he needs a change of scenery ala Tomac?
The 250 main was Hunter take the lead on the first lap and that is the end. Poor HRC didn't even get much exposure since Hunter wasn't on camera very much. It also seemed like Hunter could easily click it up another gear if he was pushed. He basically maintained a 6 second lead the entire race. Tom Viale had a good start but crashed out, hope he is good. RIP to Nate Thrashers visor. Great podium by Haiden Deegan also, you could hear the sixteen-year-old girls screaming when he was going down the start straight.
450 class is also down to 2.5 guys. I say 2.5 because Chase Sexton is an enigma wrapped inside a mystery. I fully intended on writing that he was the fastest guy in the race today, because he truly has been the fastest guy in every race but couldn't keep it on two wheels. This race though, has was the third fastest guy and he also developed the worst enemy that you can in Justin Barcia. Great ride by Barcia in this race too. I felt like Chase thought that there was no way in he** that he was going to allow Barcia to get in front of him because no one wants to try and pass the Honey Badger. Webb made one crucial mistake and that was all it took for Tomac to take the lead and Webb could never get close enough to show him a wheel the rest of the race and Tomac takes his 7th Daytona and increased his points lead to 5 for the series.
In honor of Daytona the Motosport Gear Head product of the week is the Michelin Starcross 5 Sand rear tire. Call or chat in with one of us to get a discount on the tire!
