What We Noticed: A1 Press Day
January 05, 2024
Annnnnndddddd.... we are back! Feels amazing to be back at the races / to have supercross back. 8 months since the last SX gate drop... but 5 years since we last covered it as media! So stoked. Anyways... onto what we noticed at Press Day for A1!
- What Offseason?
This seemed to be the theme of the press conference... multiple people mentioned when asked about their offseason that they didn't feel that they even had an offseason. I talked to KTM's Ian Harrison about this (full interview to come) and he mentioned how important it is for the riders to take time off. Suzuki's Larry Brooks mentioned during the conference that everyone felt "tired" and “wasted”; not a good feeling to have for the season opener! Teams and riders will no doubt adjust to the 31-race schedule but it seemed to take a toll on people last year.
- Track is Good but Basic
Don't get me wrong, I actually like the track! But no doubt most riders will be jumping the same rhythms. The long rhythm after the finish line is doable in 3 jumps and a single out: 3-4-4-1; it’s big and fast and I love to see it. A lot of the 450 riders were able to hit that and most of the top 250 riders did it as well. That section will be a separator but more so in the middle of the pack and also towards the end of the race as the track breaks down and the triple out of the corner gets harder.
- Prado Hype
You know there’s hype when media is directing questions about a rider (i.e. Jorge Prado) to other riders! When asked, Roczen mentioned that it’ll be a tough transition from MXGP to SX… and I agree: Prado looked tight and definitely took his time to learn the track during the two sessions he had on it. I’m interested to see how quickly he adapts during the 3 practice sessions tomorrow.
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Smooth 250 Riders
Definitely some sketchy guys (aka Jordon Smith, RJ Hampshire, and a massive case from Talon Hawkins, but some of the 250 guys looked realllllly smooth. Both Julian Beaumer (surprisingly for a rookie) and Maximus Vohland made it looks effortless and jumped all the sections with ease. Vohland was always smooth on the KTM but he looks even better so far on the Kawisaki…
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Hunter Lawrence Crash
Not a good way to start the season… that crash looked bad but luckily he seems totally okay; Hunter was present at the Lawrence bros. fan zone later in the day. We’ve seen this a few times from Hunter… let’s hope he can keep it on 2 wheels tomorrow!
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KTM’s Bike Honesty
Both Ian Harrison (the team manager) and Chase Sexton didn’t shy away from talking about the bike. Unlike most “fake” answers about how rider’s are feeling at the start of the season, Chase and Ian mentioned that they’re still learning the bike and that it’s a “give and take” situation when setting it up. Chase mentioned during the conference that it’s “stressful” to learn a new bike… the honesty is appreciated! Expect them to take some time to iron out the kinks.
The one part of the track that wasn't ridden on today was the whoops. We have a back-to-back whoop section and I love it! Roczen mentioned that the whoops seem pretty mellow but I think that's good for the opening round of the season.
