In April 2015, we thought Andy Bowyer had written his last Rev Up column for Racer X, as he was moving to Feld as host of Race Day Live! and digital marketing specialist. Well, Bowyer is back! Yes, he still holds his job at Feld, but with the series so close, he offered this week to write one more Rev Up column. Enjoy!
We are upon exciting times in the land of Monster Energy Supercross. For the initiated, the sensation of the current events has all of us in a manic state. For those of us with blisters on our hands and tie-downs in the back of our trucks and smelly helmet liners, this is the ultimate time. There is a buzz in the air that we can feel in every sense. Three races to go and so much to look forward to.
The storylines around Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac are the perfect juxtaposition. For Dungey, he is the white knight of consistency with three titles on his mantle. He has faced adversity by way of first turn troubles and a spontaneous rivalry with Chad Reed. The statistics empower Dungey, and the defending champion hasn’t finished worse than fourth place in over two seasons. Dungey has been rattled and is devoid of the speed he carried in 2016, but he has what it takes to defend his crown.
Enter the wolf. Eli Tomac wants the championship he has dreamed about since he was a young boy winning championships on 85cc machines. His hunger is evident in his charge. It doesn’t matter if his lead is two seconds or 12 seconds; he stays hard on the gas. His five-race winning streak brought him to Dungey and his gutsy runner-up performance in Seattle placed the coveted red plates on his machine.
We have a tie at the top of Monster Energy Supercross. The two championship contenders have polarizing and extremely loyal fan bases and you can feel their energy in every social media post they make. Which brings us back to the epicenter of this article.
I’m talking about that feeling of dirt pelting your hands and chest during a moto. That excitement you feel when you are driving to the track and you see your front number plate in the rear view mirror. The moment you pull your goggles onto your helmet when you are sitting behind the starting gate. They are all sensations that translate into the excitement we feel as our heroes battle for this championship.
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The love we feel for our trade is unconditional, but when things ramp up at the top of the sport it sends a lightning rod into the souls of every man, woman, and child that has been behind a set of handlebars. We have waited for this feeling for a long time, which makes it all the more powerful. There are three rounds to race and too many variables to count. At the core, we have a man-to-man fight for the title. Every lap and every position counts.
So, embrace this moment. Think about all of the amazing times you have spent on a dirt bike and let this title fight feed your love of the races.
Three races to go. Time to finish the game.