Main image is from the 2020 St. Louis Supercross
After a much-needed weekend off, the series returns to St. Louis for round 13 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross. St. Louis also marks a return to the East Coast 250SX series after Seattle’s West Coast swing. All of these championships are getting a bit stretched but things can change quickly. One loose weekend (think Arlington) could shake things up and change everything we think we know. I don’t expect that, but I also didn’t expect Jett to crash nearly every time he touched the Texas dirt. Point being, don’t let these title chases lull you to sleep because just when we think we can predict the future, fate shows us how silly we can be. Let’s check out the St. Louis track, mmkay?
Dirty Little Secrets
St. Louis’ layout has some creativity to it. The start is in the middle of the track in contrast to normally being on an outside lane. By default, that creates a shorter start but not to an extreme, anyway. The first corner is a long, left 180-degree turn and immediately into a rhythm section along the sideline. There is a pretty straight forward option but it’s not for the timid. Riders will want to triple onto a tabletop coming out of that first corner, step off the tabletop before tripling onto another tabletop and off into the next corner. I think there is a small chance that riders will be able to triple on and then triple off of that first set of jumps. That would potentially set up a quad into the next corner. If you wanna go big, that’s the line. A 3-3-4 would be a full second quicker than any other line.
A long, left 180 brings riders into a slow bridge jump and then immediately into a standard supercross triple. Upon landing, riders will hit a quick 180 back to the left. The next six jumps provide a few options, but I think the most likely is 3-2-1 and to the inside. The alternatives would be 3-3 and to the outside or 2-3-1 and to the inside again. That left carries riders under the bridge and into a fast, sandy, right-hand 180 with a small double on the exit. That double can be trickier than expected as the sand will connect right into the base of the take-off.
The next netted 180 has a bit of camber to it, opening up the possibility of a tight inside line or the more traditional outside berm route. Watch for riders to go 2-2 and cut across the next 90-degree left. A basic step-on step-off is up next but leads directly into the only whoops section on the St. Louis course. Whoops at this venue can develop into blitzers or jumpers, depending on how soft the dirt is coupled with the size, shape, and distance in between each whoop. Being April, the likelihood of them keeping their blitz composure is higher than years where we visit in January or February.
The final corner is a 180 left with the finish line at the exit. Watch for last lap desperation passes in the prior whoops section (think Oakland). A flat 180 right brings riders back onto the start straight for lap two.
Who’s Hot
That Eli Tomac guy is pretty good.
Jason Anderson bounced back with a runner-up spot in Seattle. He’s been better than ever in 2022, he just ran into a better than ever Tomac, too.
Jett Lawrence is coming into St. Louis on the back of three wins in a row.
Cameron McAdoo has been super solid and isn’t getting enough credit for his season.
Who’s Not
Cooper Webb has been fighting through one issue after another since the jump.
Grant Harlan split with his prior team, jumped on a Yamaha to finish out supercross, then promptly crashed himself into the outdoors.
Bold Predictions
Remembering the post-Arlington drama, super-agent Lucas Mirtl snipes his client Jett Lawrence with a tranquilizer dart just before each Triple Crown race.
Bobby Regan hires Jeffrey Herlings to race the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
The clock strikes 4:45 p.m. local time and sees Steve Matthes set his sights on Twitter and the lack of LCQ’s to open the night’s program.
Chad Reed rides double with his son Pace in the KTM Jr. SX Challenge. They set the fastest sector time in the whoops.
My Picks
250
Thee Jett (Jett Lawrence)
Wackers (Cameron McAdoo)
PB44 (Pierce Brown)
450
Eli (Tomac)
JA21 (Jason Anderson)
Mookie Fever (Malcolm Stewart)
