Back to the East Coast we go! The High Point venue is located in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, just outside of Morgantown, West Virginia (yes, I know that is a lot to work through geographically. Just know that the track sits basically on the state line). Operated by the MX Sports crew (and Racer X) as a hometown race, there is a lot of pride taken in this event. The local AMA District 5 and PAMX groups will also turn out in force to support their season’s biggest weekend. I first came to this race in 1995 and it has consistently been great. The only real downside risk is the constant threat of summer rain, but it looks like we are good to go for 2022. This race used to take place on Memorial Day Weekend. We’re now about three weeks later than that for Father’s Day, and moving into June at least somewhat reduces the chance of spring showers.
Dirty Little Secrets
The track itself is a real doozy. Chock full of off-cambered turns and even off-cambered straightaways, High Point Raceway never really lets you feel like both tires are planted. The track weaves across several hillsides and utilizes the elevation well. The downhills were a real eye-opener to this flatlander from Florida. Lots of time can be made and lost by those who can actually accelerate in zones that beg for deceleration. Further, when riders reach the bottom of the downhills, there are often a myriad of ruts to navigate at speed. Braking for those ruts them is not an option if you want to succeed in southern Pennsylvania. Riders need to lean back, ensure the front wheel remains free and light, and somehow find the nerve to upshift.
With many of the High Point corners becoming littered with ruts, maintaining corner momentum is a key factor, too. Novice riders often associate heavy throttle application with efficient cornering. At a track like this one, that’s not necessarily true. Braking less is much more efficient and will result in lower lap times than trying to accelerate with Hell’s fury. Those riders that can find enough balance to stay off the brakes and allow the motorcycle to use its natural momentum to flow through the treacherous ruts will find success. Stop-and-go simply doesn’t work at this track. The ruts are too deep and too long for that approach. Every attempt to maintain a consistent flow will pay dividends and also save a ton of energy to boot. That corner momentum also increases uphill speed, too. Exiting a corner at 20 mph versus 17 mph can equate to real gains when asked to climb the long uphills after a corner. Riders can use that corner momentum to set up a pass further up the racetrack, not unlike Eli Tomac’s attempted passes on Ken Roczen in Colorado. In a nutshell, High Point is a thinking man’s track and can be approached in several different ways. Watch for unorthodox lines from those willing to change their thought process.
Who’s Hot
Ken Roczen got his first win of the season at a track that he has been phenomenal upon. You know that efficient flowing through ruts I was talking about above for High Point? Thunder Valley has ruts, too. Ken is very good when it comes to maintaining speed through the entire corner.
Eli Tomac looks ready to fight for this title. He seems to be working through a few early season bugs on the Yamaha, but his improvement is noticeable.
Chase Sexton still holds that red plate even with a last lap snafu. His speed is very real.
Levi Kitchen snagged his first ever moto win at Thunder Valley. The fact that it seemed so unlikely made it even more impressive.
Jett Lawrence has won all three overalls thus far and gone about it in different ways, too. His resilience is a tough thing to overcome if you want to dethrone him.
Hunter Lawrence snagged a moto win but was a little too far back (again) early in moto one to turn that into an overall.
![Roczen at the Thunder Valley National last weekend.]()
Roczen at the Thunder Valley National last weekend. Align Media ![Roczen at a rutty High Point National in 2021.]()
Roczen at a rutty High Point National in 2021. Mitch Kendra
Who’s Not
After a great qualifying session, Benny Bloss was unable to race Thunder Valley’s motos because of a twisted knee.
Nate Thrasher went down in a heap with Seth Hammaker and may be banged up heading into this weekend.
Michael Mosiman’s riding is not indicated by his results. His troubles seem to know no bounds, from crashing to mechanical gremlins.
Tony Cairoli will likely depart the series after High Point. Bummer for everyone, there.
Bold Predictions
Jason Anderson races High Point with a Jeep brush guard mounted to the front of his Monster Energy Kawasaki.
Steve Matthes creates a crowd sourced fund-raiser for Tony Cairoli to stay in the USA. He raises 3.4 million dollars on Friday alone.
In an interesting move that contradicts mathematical logic, Michael Mosiman revises his goal up to six wins for the season.
Mike Alessi launches a campaign in several countries to land a Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations roster position.
My Picks
250
JL1 (Jett Lawrence)
HL96 (Hunter Lawrence)
JC32 (Justin Cooper)
450
ET3 (Eli Tomac)
CS23 (Chase Sexton)
KR94 (Ken Roczen)
Main image by Mitch Kendra
