by Aaron Hansel
Morning Report: Atlanta
Saturday, February 23, 2013 | 1:05 PM
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PrintThe Georgia dome is buzzing with activity here in Atlanta as the teams and riders prepare themselves for the day’s action. Right now the big news of the day is the debut of GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac. We know Tomac is fast on a 450, he won a moto and took third overall last year at the Monster Energy Cup, but we have yet to see how he’ll stack up against a full field of the world’s fastest 450SX racers.
Other storylines to follow include the return of Jake Weimer, who missed San Diego and Dallas after sustaining broken ribs at A3, Kyle Chisholm will be filling in for the injured Josh Grant with the Toyota/Yamaha JGR team and Andrew Short will make his first start aboard the BTO Sports KTM.
The track, which is made up of normal red Georgia Clay, looks good, and has several features designed to slow the riders down in places. There are also multiple bowl turns that could create some great passing opportunities if multiple ruts form up. The whoops section is only eight whoops long, but they are big, deep and right out of a corner.The dirt, which has been sitting inside the Dome since last week when Monster Jam rolled through town, was tacky enough to stick to the bottom of your shoes during track walk, but as the day wears on it will dry out, and things could get a little slippery. We talked to Dunlop's Bryan Fleck, and he said the track will get dry enough to where most teams will actually run a similar tire setup to last weekend's race in Dallas--and that was as rock-hard and slippery as it gets. Remember the old days of ruts here? Dunlop has narrower front tires they can switch to for that, but they don't expect it to happen.
For updates on the action coming from Atlanta, keep checking back right here at Racer X Online, and follow us on Twitter, @racerxonline.
Davi Millsaps checks out the entrance to the staircase
In untimed practices most guys were going straight down the middle of this sand section
Riders have the option to either pin it around the outside or hit this double right before the finish line jump
Who will cross this line first tonight?
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Of course the track will dry out and get slick.. They all have been forever.. Maybe water the freaking track, ever hear of that??
Dungey with a good start, quickly into the lead..and he's gone!!!!!!
It will be interesting to see how Eli will affect the outcome of tonights racing. Hopefully Georgia's red clay will offer a few more race lines.
Dear Moto Gods, please, please, please give us some good racing with battles etc. Not follow the leader. And all that while keeping it injury free!
slip an slideways,,tomac will be a big suprise..kids got the magic.
i agree water the freaking track
Will J-Law show up?...inquiring moto minds want to know.
1 7 James Stewart Haines City, FL Suzuki RM-Z450 52.239 8 53.705 2 Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing
.2 18 David Millsaps Murrieta, CA Suzuki RM-Z450 52.311 8 52.996 4 Rockstar Energy Drink/Motosport.com/
.3 51 Justin Barcia Pinetta, FL Honda CRF 450 52.629 11 53.415 5 Team Honda Muscle Milk
.4 17 Eli Tomac Cortez, CO Honda CRF 450 52.674 6 54.046 4 GEICO Honda/AMSOIL/Muscle Milk/Planet
.5 10 Justin Brayton Cornelius, NC Yamaha YZ450F 52.867 9 53.759 5 Toyota/JGR/Yamaha
.6 41 Trey Canard Shawnee, OK Honda CRF 450 53.066 7 53.452 3 Team Honda .Muscle Milk
.7 5 Ryan Dungey Belle Plaine, MN KTM 450 SX-F Factory Ed5i3t .082 7 53.239 9 .Red Bull/KTM/Motorex/Dunlop/Foremost/
.8 1 Ryan Villopoto Seattle, WA Kawasaki KX 450F 53.093 9 53.310 10
52 seconds dirt wurkz tries again...
Don't worry as humid as it has been yesterday and today the surface will not give up the moisture. Should be some great action!
@ bd200---Water the track? then some one will want to sue cause they got dirty? The world is filled with idiots!
@CZmark--- Yes I think Tomac will make some noise tonight!
@yzchris76--Good Idea and I hope it happens! You were hard to pass?
@BillC---Reed and RV dont care about practice, Winnig practice only makes you look good and fast and uses to much energy!
hhmmm? Hard pack tire for Atlanta...hhmmm.
@Welker, I dont think moto guys care about getting dirty, I think the owners of the building would b!tch up a storm though..
@ I agree about the practice times.. Stewart is the best practice rider ever, even his mechanic said so once.. RV's Dad once said that Rv is a terrible practice rider, he likes to gauge his speed against other riders, not a clock..
I don't have a clue who will win.Here is my picks.JS7,Reed,RV1,Millsaps,Dungy,Barcia,Tomac,Canard