Swizcorner: Seattle
This season is moving right along. Fifteen rounds are now in the books and Seattle was typical with its damp conditions, plastic covered track, abbreviated program and of course, ruts.
Most riders are not down with these types of conditions in the Supercross series. They train, ride and prepare their machines for the standard indoor track. When a track presents itself in opposition to this status quo, it throws everything off. All their preparation of bike and body is thrown askew. Much like PulpMX is the monkey wrench of moto-coverage, a rutted, greasy, sloppy (yet somehow tacky) track is also the monkey wrench of race-prep.
As a fan of intriguing racing, I love tracks like this which have the riders up to their arm pits in a mad scramble to see who can overcome these unpredictable conditions. If you are a fan who pulls for a particular number plate, these conditions will give you fits, just as it does your rider. For instance, if you are one Cory Moser, you aren’t “super-pumped” when you see these conditions, as Andrew Short is well known for being a rider who thrives when his program is running like clockwork and there are no monkey wrenches in sight. There was a race when Andrew looked to be poised to trounce this theory though. Remember San Diego 2010? Andrew was well on his way to victory on a track surface resembling Seattle 2013 and just like that, he landed off the side of a triple and broke his foot. The theory lived on.