Dirty Little Secrets
This will be the first time we have ever raced two Atlanta rounds in a series. Normally, I would expect the first round to be a bit soft and rutty and the second round to be significantly drier and more of a hard-packed surface. This year, however, the first round was uncharacteristically dry. It was possibly the driest I have ever seen it, competing with 2005. I’m not sure what led to the lack of moisture, whether it was weather, storage conditions, or even an intentional effort to harden it up. In any case, it definitely wasn't good for the racing and will only be worse after sitting inside for a week.
As for the track map, it’s drastically different than last week, which is good. I was a little disappointed with Atlanta 1 being so similar to Dallas, but that won’t be the case for Atlanta 2. This week is really tight and really busy, and should have a fairly long lap time. The track wraps around itself a few times and has a multitude of short straightaways with small rhythm sections. My one concern is that with so many tight turns, it makes passing very difficult. There’s no space to get alongside someone and make the prototypical supercross block pass. I would certainly like to see more 180-degree turns, but with a track with so many turns, it becomes difficult to execute.
One area I wish was a bit different was the whoop section. It has a flat-turn right-hand turn before it, and if a rider guards the inside, it will be nearly impossible to pass. The following turn is also a right-hand turn, allowing a rider to guard inside to inside. The rider attempting the pass won't be able to gain enough momentum coming out of a flat, slippery turn to go around the outside and not be blocked in the following turn. If the following turn was a left-hander, the following rider could attempt to blitz around the outside and then be aligned on the inside. Alas, that's not the case.
Who's Hot
Chad Reed won his first race of the season last weekend. He hadn't been anywhere near the lead since Oakland and many doubted that he would get a win in 2015. He is brimming with confidence now, so it will be interesting to see what he can do moving forward.
Ryan Dungey strengthened his points lead, pushing it to 25 points over Trey Canard and 31 over Ken Roczen. He was catching Reed late in the main event but didn't have enough to claim his second win in a row. Still, though, he has been on the podium week in and week out with no signs of slowing down.
Weston Peick jumped out to a great start in his first real main event back from injury. He ran second for several laps before easing the pace due to his time off. He will be a serious factor once he is back at 100 percent strength. His improvement as a supercross rider is the most impressive in recent memory. Where is his ceiling?
Jeremy Martin absolutely blazed the 250 main event. He passed all of the contenders and let it be known that he is to be taken seriously in supercross. It was a surprising ride, but maybe it shouldn't have been. After all, he is the defending Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champion and won the final round last season.
Cole Seely had another strong, if not quiet ride, to fourth. He has been sneaky good, and if he can ever snag another main event holeshot, a win might not be that far fetched.
Who's Not
Ken Roczen had a rough, rough day in Atlanta. His crash in practice was one of the scariest I’ve seen in a while and honestly could have been much worse if not for his elite bike handling skills. When he hit that wall, I fully expected to have just witnessed the end of his 2015 season. He rebounded only to have another spectacular get-off in the main event. He needs to turn this ship around quickly if he wants back in this title chase.
Eli Tomac had a similar weekend to Roczen, crashing a few times in practice and then suffering a huge one in the main event. He has hit the deck consistently as of late, keeping him out of contention. He is insanely fast when upright, but bad starts in the main events and mishaps are overshadowing his skills. It seems that Tomac needs traction to fully utilize his speed advantage and traction has been sorely missing at the races lately.
Poor Davi Millsaps crashed about every time he was on the track this weekend. It couldn't come at a worse time for Davi as he can barely walk with so many big crashes of late. This year has been disastrous for the rider many thought would contend for this title. His riding isn't the problem; it's just a wrong place at the wrong time scenario that seems to be plaguing him week in and week out.
Jason Anderson just hasn't been the same guy that we saw at the first two races. I keep putting him on this list but I am on the fence about it. He isn't riding all that terribly and is battling for top five in the series. He’s just not as good as he was six weeks ago. I am content to waffle on this endlessly.
Bold Predictions
Ken Roczen crashes big but this time hits the Toyota truck placed in the concourse. Dodge, one of the team title sponsors, considers this a great PR move and utilizes the Roczen kamikaze on the Toyota in their ad campaigns for years to come. Ricky Carmichael was less impressed and told Kenny that a real man would have center-punched a boat.
Ryan Dungey wins Atlanta 2, once again showing his prowess when traction is at a premium.
Chad Reed, after winning another supercross just before his 33rd birthday, signs a huge multi-year deal with AARP. He dyes his hair gray in a marketing ploy to kick off the partnership. AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins is thrilled about the new deal: "We had no idea that someone so old could still win a motor-cross event. Chad epitomizes our target market, and his new snowy top look will send shock waves throughout the retired community." Reed's agency is rumored to be in talks with Centrum Silver and LifeAlert on blockbuster deals.
For the second week in a row, a change is made to the racecourse during the night's racing. This time, however, all of the jumps are removed and just a bunch of turns remain. The first ever Atlanta SX Flat Track Hybrid is introduced and promptly discontinued because it would be a horrible idea. Just like removing a double-jump without allowing riders to see it.
Marvin Musquin bounces back to win his second supercross of the season.
My Picks
450
- Ryan Dungey
- Trey Canard
- Chad Reed
250
- Marvin Musquin
- Jeremy Martin
- Justin Bogle
