Upon arriving in Boise, I was informed that I would need to lock myself down for a few days to make sure I didn’t catch the coronavirus. So, as I sit typing this, I am on a self-quarantine. I am watching old races, making jokes to myself, and drafting a manifesto. It’s been a chaotic few days, but hopefully everyone stays safe amidst this craziness. I have a lot of moving parts in my world to plan in the next two months but all of that is irrelevant compared to the health and safety of the people around us.

Steve Matthes: It’s been insane for sure, I wrote about it in Racerhead yesterday as well but yeah, I was leaving Thursday afternoon for Indy to do press day and also get in early for the live podcast show we were doing. The whole time on Thursday we were talking about the race being held but with no fans. But, as I was going to the airport, a lot was changing and at one point I found myself waiting to board the plane thinking I should just dip out. A rider had texted me that it was going to be canceled altogether as the governor of Indiana had put out a notice about not having any events over 250 people which, doing the quick math, meant the race couldn’t happen. But there was nothing official yet. I sat down in my seat and heard from another person that the race was cancelled but still, nothing official. I basically found out that it was done as the plane was taking off in Vegas so looks like I was getting a ride to Chicago (my layover) and back. I should’ve faked a heart attack or something while we were taxiing.

On the plane, I made a reservation for the hotel in the O’Hare airport and changed my flight to first thing Friday morning. I landed in Chicago and had to cancel hotels for Indy and we had also decided to cancel the live podcast show as well. Landed back in Vegas Friday morning and just tried to process all that was happening. Completely unprecedented in our sport and I also enjoyed seeing Weege driving up and down the eastern seaboard.

2. Look, no one knows anything for certain besides the next few races being postponed. Do you have any guesses as to what happens for the rest of the championship?

Keefer: Honestly, I think this Coronavirus deal gets worse before it gets better. So, if we do get to run anymore races, I don't see it being more than two. There is talks of double headers, no fans, with fans, who the hell knows. If there will be another round or two, I can see it happening in Vegas where the penultimate round was scheduled to be held. If we do decide on a double header, are we doing it on back-to-back days? That would be really tough on the riders, teams, and Dirt Wurx, so I would think Feld wouldn’t do that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they held a Friday/Sunday type of deal to wrap up the championship. I don't foresee the series making it to SLC unless this virus gets under control by then.   

JT: I do think we get back to racing in April some time. It might be late April, but I am hoping that the situation calms some and there is a sense of normalcy within a month. How Feld executes the final rounds will be a hot topic but it’s in everyone’s interest to go racing if it’s safe to do so.

My best guess would be to do multiple Vegas rounds, possibly more than one per week/weekend. That would lead to the finale in SLC as scheduled. I am not really sure why everyone thinks a double header is so difficult. We have done this at the U.S. Open plenty of times and many of the off-season races in Europe and Australia do this every year. It’s not a new concept and having done this literally dozens of times myself, it’s really not a big deal. Some races in Europe even go three days in a row! That third day is brutal, I will admit that. For a back-to-back race, it makes too much sense to not do in this situation. The teams are there, the track is built, and fans would love to make a whole weekend out of Monster Energy Supercross (my opinion). Feld could sell package deals for both nights (assuming fans are allowed to attend), and it would be a great attraction for people wanting to see history made. I don’t know if we will indeed get 17 rounds completed, but I know Feld is going to do everything humanly possible to finish this series strong.

Matthes: They’re all guesses, right? I do think we get some races in, I would bet highly on that, but I cannot see how we get all 17 rounds in. Unless there’s some sort of unprecedented move where Feld works with MX Sports to move some outdoor races. I know there’s a plan out there for SLC and then six races in Las Vegas (double headers or mid-week races) but not sure that’s going to work either. So yes, we get some races in, but we don’t get all 17.

3. How the heck would a rider/team/trainer manage their time through this?

Keefer: If I was a rider, I would go about my normal routine until Easter break and then start switching to outdoors. I don't think there is a reason to panic and start grinding out 30 plus twos just yet. If I was Aldon [Baker], I would have my guys go through the race routine on Saturday's at the test track just so the guys can stay sharp, right? I would say some of the riders are probably stoked on the time off so they can get a little rest in and maybe heal up some of those aches and pains.

JT: The most important aspect will be to maintain the level riders worked so hard to achieve in the off-season. That means work throughout the week and also replicating a race day workload to get intensity up. Also, I would start putting in outdoor preparation. Testing, riding, and planning are all a great solution to the free time everyone now has. I do believe we will be racing this summer in some fashion, so getting ahead of the outdoor curve could be a silver lining for a very uncertain time.

I don’t think you’ll see many trainers adjusting their plan too much, other than possibly inserting outdoor riding into the mix a bit earlier than scheduled. I could also see them having mock “races” on Saturdays at their test tracks, so they keep the same routine. Most of these training facilities have enough talent to run their own mini race anyway. Athletes love routine so look for trainers to keep things as “business as usual” as possible.

Matthes: I think it’s the same for them as it is for us media guys and that’s just take a breath and relax a bit. The riders also. For the teams, it’s been non-stop since January, so it would be good for everyone to just take a couple days off here and there, work on some outdoor bikes/testing, and generally just wait it out. I would hope at least some teams are doing that because it’s a bit stressful for people (not really for me at all but I understand if you dear reader are a bit flummoxed by all this) to have this virus out there and the last thing you need to do is keep up the high pressure grind of a SX team. As far as the riders, they can’t just slack off totally but go ride a bit in the hills, maybe the hi-dez (Keefer!) and stay sharp without the long days of putting in 20s. I would think we’ll be at it in a month or so, so they’ll stay off the couch eating Cheezies.