Last weekend's main events at MetLife Stadium were run under some of the muddiest, wettest conditions we have ever seen in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, or any supercross race, for that matter. The lightning came just before the start of the 250 SX main event, and then the rain followed shortly while the stadium was being temporarily cleared due to safety concerns. When the starting gate finally did drop, it came down with an epic splash, as the floor of MetLife Stadium was practically filled up with water! The races were shortened, and somehow both mains managed to not only be completed, but they were quite entertaining as well. Congratulations to Firepower Honda's Max Anstie on his first-ever win, as well as another main event win for Red Bull/TLD GasGas veteran Justin Barcia (who had just signed a contract extension for two more seasons).
We've done lists on "Extreme Weather Races" before but we thought we would update it by adding the MetLife main events to it, and also make this List about supercross races only, and not outdoor nationals (Millville '06), the Motocross of Nations (Unadilla '87, Foxhills '98) and even Loretta Lynn's (1985 and '95).
2005 Anaheim Supercross: Remember the "Perfect Storm" opening round? Ricky Carmichael was coming back from missing '04 SX with a knee injury, James Stewart was moving up to the 250 class, Jeremy McGrath was coming out of retirement, Travis Pastrana was still dabbling in racing (when he was healthy enough) and Chad Reed was the defending champion. But all of that pretty much went out the window when a weather phenomonon called "El Nino" swamped Anaheim's Angels Stadium. A real storm dampened the perfect storm, and Factory Connection Honda's Kevin Windham won it. Mike LaRocco was second and RC third.
2008 Daytona Supercross: Another absolutely epic rainstorm, but this time at Daytona International Speedway. Chad Reed had it in the bag too, but then just two turns from the finish line, just before the soggy conclusion of what was already a shortened main event, his Yamaha's engine let go. The mud was so deep Reed could not get it out of the hole he had sunk in, and his night ended on a mud-splatted haybale. Kevin Windham once again showed off the mud-riding skills he developed while growing up racing in the Louisiana Bayou, though he did get a lucky break in Reed's misfortune. Team Honda's Davi Millsaps was second, and Michigan privateer Jacob Marsack finished to give the Red Riders a sweep of the podium in the 450 SX main event. (And Antonio Balbi was fifth and Heath Voss sixth, both on Hondas--and the 250 class was won by rookie Trey Canard on a CRF250.) There have been other muddy Daytona SX races, but nothing close to as bad as '08.
1998 Tampa SX: The rain again waited until the very end of the evening at what used to be called Houlihan Stadium, which was the perfect time for Washington state's Larry Ward, an accomplished mud rider. The win would be only his second premier-class SX win ever, the previous coming eight years earlier. He was also on a Suzuki RM250 that rainy night, giving the brand their first podium of that season. And "Big Bird" also got the second-ever Racer X Magazine cover out of it, shot by Chris Hultner just before the rain hit! The 125 class winner? Split-Fire/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Ricky Carmichael, showing the first sign that he wasn't as bad a mudder rider has people had previously thought.
2006 San Francisco SX: Fans finally got another mud battle between Carmichael and Stewart and this time they lapped everyone else in the field--including third-place Nick Wey on his MDK Honda. And it was Stewart at the end out front, for his fourth win in the first six rounds. The winner of the Lites class was Nathan Ramsey on the Red Bull KTM SX-F 250 (these days, Nate is the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Team Manager.) Tennessee’s Ramsey was good in the mud. He also won the Lites class in the Anaheim ’05 mudder the previous year!
2003 FIM World Supercross in Seville, Spain: This was the muddiest race I've ever personally seen. It rained in Spain for days before the race, and continued for days afterwards. There was literally no practice, barely a heat race, and then a shortened main event, just eight laps, that was ultimately won by Suzuki rider Daryl Hurley of New Zealand, over Grant Langston and Tyler Evans. (It should be noted that many of the top AMA supercross racers didn’t race the two FIM World rounds in Spain and Holland, so Reed, Windham, David Vuillemin, Ezra Lusk, etc. were not in the results. Neither was Ricky Carmichael, who was out with that knee injury.)
1982-'83 Atlanta Supercross: Here's how we explained these two races in that previous List: "The old open air Fulton County Stadium hosted some crazy races, usually a combination of mud and extreme cold. But it was exceptionally bad in 1982, and somehow even worse in 1983! Bob Hannah won the ’82 race, allowing every fan to sound like a genius for coming with 'A Hurricane struck' after the race. In ’83, Hannah crashed in the first turn, and Mark Barnett took the win. As Cycle News explained it in the ’83 event coverage, 'Ruts were deeper than a philosopher’s textbook.' Ironically, one of those ruts trapped the Little Professor, David Bailey, who nearly blew his ’83 title chances getting stuck out there."
1998 Charlotte Supercross: John Dowd's one and only AMA 250 Supercross win came in the same season that would see him win the 125 West Region title. It came at Charlotte Motor Speedway on a very dark and muddy night (and once again RC won the 125 class, proving his mud-doubters wrong).
1995 Dallas Supercross: Yes, when there's a mud race, New England mud heroes Dowd or John Henry are headed to the front. In '95 Henry won his first 250 (premiere class) supercross on a very muddy night in Dallas. The racing was down to a walking pace at times, but Henry was still jumping the triple! Jeremy McGrath went down early but came all the way back for second. Third? Dowd, of course.
1977 Dallas Supercross: This race was so muddy that it took an hour for winner Bob Hannah to complete the 20 laps--they didn't shorten races back then! It was so bad that the stadium and the Dallas Cowboys would not allow SX to return for seven years. Here's an article for last month's Racer X Magazine about this all-time mudder...
The April 2023 Issue of Racer X Illustrated
One Race, One Page
2019 San Diego SX: The race was a mudder all right, but it would gain added notoriety as "lime gate" after a drying agent was mixed it at the wrong time. Here's what the main event looked like:
2010 Salt Lake City SX: Yet another Kevin Windham mud-race win! Actually, this one even featured some snow! Here's Kellen Brauer's take on how it happened with his of his patented Race eXaminations: K-Dub's 18th and final AMA Supercross win.
1980 Toronto Supercross: Finally, according to Bevo Forti, the Czar of Motocross, comes the muddiest race he's ever seen: The 1980 Toronto SX, which was supposed to be a doubleheader as well, but it rained so hard on the invitational race that at one point no bikes were even moving on the track--everyone was stuck! Yamaha rider Donnie Cantaloupi ended up winning after Canada's own Ross "Rollerball" Pederson fried his clutch. Only four riders made it across the finish line: Cantaloupi, Yamaha superstar Broc Glover, Can-Am rider Jean Bourrett, and fellow Canadian Dennis James. And according to Cycle News, Cantaloupi lapped even Glover! If this had been an AMA Supercross, we'd still be talking about it.
What did we miss? Let us know below in the comments!
