What We Noticed: Detroit
February 06, 2024
First indoor stadium! First 250E race! Here’s what we noticed:
- Soft and Grabby Soil
This seemed to be the dominating factor across the race. We’ve seen these soft conditions before (typically for east coast races like Indy for instance) but not so much at Detroit where it’s usually more hard pack. Maybe it was the earlier time of year, or maybe it was a wetter winter than usual, but the soil was SOFT. This led to big ruts and the track breaking down, which in turn led the racing to be somewhat tame; most riders were racing the track instead of each other. In both classes, the guy who got out front first was the guy who finished first. It also led to a lot of sketchy moments… continuing to jump 3 in the rhythms was tricky with the deep ruts. Lots of crashes and big mistakes all day.
- Tomac and Hymas Fades
Both of these guys started in the top 3 and then drastically lost the pace. In Hymas’ case, he only dropped to 4th before crashing, but his lap times drastically increased and noticeably was struggling before this too. As it turns out, Hymas can blame it on a tweaked knee, so perhaps he will be better come Arlington in a few weeks.
On the other hand, no known excuses for Eli. That ride was perhaps the worst we’ve seen from him in his whole career. He was fast at the beginning, but all of sudden lost the pace and was quickly getting caught and passed by riders behind him; very unlike Eli. I have NO idea what could have caused it… arm pump? Injury? Bike problems? The team is very hush hush about it so perhaps we will never know. Regardless, the next race in Glendale will be a chance for Eli to prove it was just a fluke…
- Everyone Expects to Win in 250E
We talked to quite a few of the 250E riders before the race, and the goal for everyone is to win. Unlike most years where this is just “talk” and only a few riders have the potential, I truly feel like up to 6 riders could win any given weekend. Forkner is best ever maybe; Deegan is the favorite; McAdoo can never be counted out; Brown, Anstie, Vialle are drastically improved. Add on some wild-cards like Hammaker, Benick, Hymas, and Swoll… it’ll be an exciting year for 250E! Let’s hope they all stay healthy.
- Triumph Bikes Look Good
It’s kinda funny how Beta is also a new manufacturer but have been completely over-shadowed by the Triumph hype/press. But perhaps it’s well deserved… the Triumph bikes looked awesome! Every moment on the track starting at Press Day and throughout the main looked great; these bikes fit in there with the rest of them. It’s weird not to see a title sponsor yet, but I’ll imagine as the team gathers momentum and results, the sponsors will come.
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Indoor Stadiums are Cool
Simple as that… it’s nice to finally be indoors! There’s something about the smell of race fuel and the soil stepping into an indoor stadium during supercross… maybe it brings me back to AX days growing up? Ford Field is also top notch: big airy venue with an amazing design.
