The only track that can give RedBud all it wants and more is the host for Round 6 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Spring Creek Motocross Park (aka Millville) is a track that nearly everyone adores. The dirt is an amazing combination of clay and sand while the elevation adds a level of difficulty that some tracks simply don’t have. There’s not much to dislike about this track, really, and that’s a hard thing to find amongst pro riders.
The Spring Creek whoops are likely the most famous section of this course and also one that has seen many different variations. They’ve been tall and slow, fast and small, both groomed and left to their own devices. How they are approached is dictated by which of those variations we arrive to as well. In any case, those that can find a way to skim across the tops of each whoop at high speed will reap rewards. It’s a high risk/high reward game though, as it requires incredible commitment. The cost of getting it wrong can be disastrous, ruining a moto or worse. Still, it’s where riders look to make passes and go into this race knowing critical time will be gained or lost here.
A more recent addition to Spring Creek is in the form of Mount Martin. Riders climb all the way to the top, only to make a U-turn and descend at incredible speed. Courage and conducive suspension settings are mandatory for good sector times here but make no mistake, this section is not for the timid. Most amateur riders would be more than content to simply coast down this steep grade. Elite pros will turn their throttle to the stops as they begin their descent. There might not be a more drastic motocross comparison between a novice rider and the best of the best than the speed differential in a section like this. The trust in one’s skill, their suspension, and their brakes is never more tested than this downhill (Glen Helen would also be in this convo).
My favorite part of the Spring Creek event is the soil. The aforementioned mix of sand and clay creates a level of traction trust that most tracks can’t match. It’s a track that rewards aggression. Riders can push the limit and rely on the epic dirt composition to hold firm. The top of the racetrack is more clay based, while the bottom sections are sandier (makes sense as the loose dirt and sediment settles at the bottom of hills). In both cases, traction is some of the best you’ll find all summer long.
Spring Creek might not have the pageantry and hype that RedBud brings, but purely talking about the track itself, I can’t think of anywhere that can top it. It has a bit of everything you’d want and none of the things you wouldn’t.
- Motocross
Spring Creek
Saturday, July 15- QualifyingLiveJuly 15 - 3:00 PM UTC
- 250 Class Moto 1LiveJuly 15 - 6:00 PM UTC
- 450 Class Moto 1LiveJuly 15 - 7:00 PM UTC
- 250 Class Moto 2LiveJuly 15 - 8:15 PM UTC
- 450 Class Moto 2LiveJuly 15 - 9:15 PM UTC
- Next Day Re-AirJuly 16 - 4:00 PM UTC
- Monday Re-AirJuly 17 - 6:00 AM UTC
Who’s Hot
There’s this guy Jett Lawrence. He rides for Honda HRC. He’s 12-0. He’s pretty good.
Chase Sexton is regaining form, and with it, his confidence.
Garrett Marchbanks put in a top five overall at The Wick.
Jose Butron was an absolute animal late in the motos. His fitness was a revelation.
Tom Vialle has arrived. His win served notice that he is figuring things out stateside. Don’t be surprised if he is a podium mainstay from here.
Haiden Deegan didn’t have his best day, but it was good enough to take the red plate.
Justin Cooper’s 2-2 brought him back into championship conversations. If he had not missed High Point, this season looks very different.
Jo Shimoda got himself a moto win after head-scratching struggles thus far.
Who’s Not
Hunter Lawrence is facing adversity on all fronts. If he wins this title, he will have unquestionably earned every ounce of it.
Cooper Webb departed the series as he split ties with Red Bull KTM. See you in Charlotte, Coop.
Jason Anderson is fighting hard to regain his fitness after his Nashville injury. These second motos are a testament to his willingness to suffer.
Bold Predictions
Haiden Deegan slowly rolls the parade lap draped in an American flag while "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival blares over the Spring Creek speakers.
Honda HRC spends most of the week trying to remember where they put their white number plate backgrounds for Hunter. They already threw the Jett ones in the garbage can.
Much like JJ Watt isolating in Wisconsin or Rocky Balboa training in Siberia circa 1985, Cooper Webb heads to the Appalachians for a month of torturous preparation.
My Picks
250
Hunter Lawrence
Justin Cooper
RJ Hampshire
