Dirty Little Secrets

Glen Helen is a monster. All of the major teams test here for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship because it’s in their backyard. They usually rent the facility a time or two and then follow up with endless Thursdays at their open practices. The track resembles a war zone more than SoCal sometimes, with crater-like holes littering the racecourse. Make no mistake, on race day this will be one of the roughest circuits that the riders face all season. The sandy base changes as the day grows long, bumps ever evolving.

It’s still a race that many riders look forward to, however, as they can sleep in their own beds before and after the event. They have done millions of laps at Glen Helen and that brings comfort. The biggest difference is in the atmosphere and vibe compared to a normal practice/test day. All of the pressures of racing will be present on Saturday, a far cry from a random Thursday in April.

The track itself is always a big test in both rider courage and machine durability. The willingness to accelerate down a hill with waist-high bumps is not easily acquired. Also, the jumps at Glen Helen are notoriously big and death defying. In past years there have been jumps pushing the limit of modern motorcycles. I’ve personally had broken wheels and blown engines while witnessing weird failures such as Andrew Short and Justin Barcia’s broken chains in 2014. If it’s going to happen, it seems that Glen Helen is the place.

The start this weekend is the longest in the series and possibly worldwide. It’s the only start of the season that allows the bikes to reach maximum speed. Riders will be in fifth gear and hanging off the back of their bikes, hoping to eek out any extra horsepower. Coming into the “Talladega” first turn, it can get a bit scary with forty riders all moving that fast in unison. Add an overzealous flagger armed with a garden hose and things escalate quickly. It’s always interesting to me to see who has the engine bragging rights because they’ll be leading the charge into turn one at Glen Helen. It’s the ultimate moment of truth if you’re looking for raw power.

In the first round, we saw both new developments and continuation from last summer. Eli Tomac’s second moto served notice that he may be the man to beat. It was one of the most impressive rides I’ve ever witnessed. His aggression and ability to simply push harder when the track deteriorated was jaw dropping. Surely Ryan Dungey will have something to add moving forward, but I feel confident in saying no one on earth would have beaten Tomac in that moto. Glen Helen was the site of Dungey’s incredible last-lap pass on defending champ Ken Roczen, so watch for a bounce back from the mighty Minnesotan.

In the 250 Class, Jeremy Martin showed why he arrived with a red number plate and left Hangtown with that honor intact. Marvin Musquin was great as well, winning the first moto handily and proving that supercross was just the beginning of his 2015 assault. Musquin and Martin are poised for a summer-long showdown that we simply didn’t have last year. Add in an ailing Cooper Webb and an improving Adam Cianciarulo, and we could have a full on war in the coming weeks. The 250 Class has the potential to be a barn burner every week.