AMA SUPERCROSS 2022

[motogrady]

The season starts this weekend.  
Here's a few items of interest and opinion.  

KTM and their top guy, Cooper Webb won it all in 2021. Unlike a few other venues, and riders, he is expected to forgo his usual #2 and run the #1 plate. Word has he has changed trainers, and the bike and chassis are different.  Besides that, he's still single with no kids. No health issues. Confident to being what some would call cocky. And backed by if not the strongest, certainly one of the best factory teams in the game.  

The big story, Greens number 1 guy, Eli Tomac, moving over to Yamaha blue. No health issues, at the peak of his career, a past Champion, will run his #3 plate this year.  Will the
change in teams, the relatively new wife and kids, the reverse motor and general different feel the Yamaha gives, hurt him?  One thinks, together, they will. There's a lot to chew for Tomac this go round.

Ken Roczen, Honda's Great white hope, #94, it has to be showtime for him.
He's got it all.  Talent, and he's Big Reds top guy.  A bike, well, it's a factory Honda.  
The baggage.....Ken has been hurt, really hurt, a few times since he moved up into the 450 ranks. That he's even still in it is amazing.  He also has a kinda new wife and kid.  
He should have won it last year, but seemed to run out of stamina in the last half of the season.  A super nice guy, some would say too nice, it would be real good to see him grab the brass ring.  But, with Webb in it, and a few young guys coming on strong, #94 has his work cut out for him.

 Frenchman Marvin Musquin, Husquvarnas Zack Osborne, Dylan Ferrandis and the factory GasGas rider Justin Barcia are all dark horses this season.  

Here's a preview of what's to come.......

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_OqLsrYvCxE

[oldironnow]

Thanks for the great round-up!

[motogrady]

It’s mentioned quite a bit the reverse motor
thing.  Yamaha is the only bike that uses it.
Its not new, really.
I think it was Kevin Cameron that stated everything but the expansion chamber for 2 strokes was already tried by the mid 1920s.  

Interesting link on that design…….

https://motocrossactionmag.com/amp/mxas-history-of-reverse-cylinder-engine-designs/

[motogrady]

NBC Sports’ 2022 Supercross race action begins with the season opener from Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., live on Saturday, Jan. 8, at 10 p.m. ET on CNBC, marking a return to the state where the series has begun the season 24 of the past 25 years

[motogrady]

oldironnow wrote

Thanks for the great round-up!

Thanks Oldiron.  Probally won't put all of em up, enough to keep us kinda in the loop.

They run most of the rounds like AMA dirttrack.  2 heat races, then a last chance qualifier,
then the main event.  Series points are awarded same as Motogp for the main event

They do run a few in the Triple Crown Format.
The way it was done way back in the early 70s.  
Qualifiers, then 3 motos.  Total the score of each guy in each Moto, highest score wins 1st overall, with following places awarded as to how the points dwindle.  Ties are broken by best finish in the last Moto. It's overall points that are awarded to guys series points for the day, for that event.

Triple Crown events, to do good for the day you usually gotta finish all 3 races, and finish well.  Consistency is the name of the game here.

The 450s run all 17 events, the 250s are split into 2 regions, East and West.

[oldironnow]

That Triple Crown format sounds like an interesting pressure cooker.

[motogrady]

oldironnow wrote

That Triple Crown format sounds like an interesting pressure cooker.

ya.  Some of the bigger teams don't really like the triple crown.  It's real easy to win a Moto, feeling good, do pretty good in the 2nd race, and blow the 3rd with a dnf or back pack finish.   And finish with practally no series points for the day.  

They'd rather squeak into the main, a rider has a few chances to make the main thru a heat race, or the last chance qualifier, and just concentrate on that series points paying main event.  

[motogrady]

Rd.1

https://youtu.be/5hzXtCTykWA

[oldironnow]

But I'm diggin' that Triple Crown format - it feels very WSBK with two races per day.

[motogrady]

The Schedule for 2022

[motogrady]

The 250s are broken up into 2 regions.  East and West. Originally, when the 250s were called The Lites, the intent was to make it easier for the young guys who were trying to break into the sport.  Less traveling.

But alas, both regions have factory teams now, with some of the top guys, along with a few veterans included in them.

This weekend......Oakland Rd 1 450 Results.  

[motogrady]

Rd. 2 Results.  The Honda guy's run into each other, bout ruining Big Reds night.
Webb, nothing spectacular,  Tomac surprising strong, and Justin Barcia, on the GasGas, after 2 events, leads the series👍.

[oldironnow]

A coworker said she was going north to catch this round.
I hope it gets her back into dirt bikes!

Anderson seems to be the master of the Kawasakis.

[motogrady]

Team green gives Tomacs bike to Anderson and poof......

https://youtu.be/yHsqk6jLSu8

[motogrady]

 

450 Standings after round 2

1. Justin Barcia 42
2. Jason Anderson 39
3. Cooper Webb 39
4. Aaron Plessinger 37
5. Ken Roczen 36
6. Eli Tomac 36
7. Marvin Musquin 34
8. Malcolm Stewart 34
9. Chase Sexton 32
10. Joey Savatgy 27
11. Dylan Ferrandis 24
12. Dean Wilson 24
13. Adam Cianciarulo 23
14. Max Anstie 17
15. Shane McElrath 14
16. Brandon Hartranft 13
17. Justin Brayton 10
18. Mitchell Oldenburg 8
19. Alex Martin 6
20. Justin Starling 6

[grado]

Round 3 coming up. San Diego.

There will be some different paint schemes this weekend.  Once a year they run a military
appreciation round, and this is the one.   Justin Barcia, top rider for GasGas, current points leader, runs the red plate this round.  Rumors still float around, of Triumph entering the dirt bike scene.  It's out there they will have a full, in house, factory Supercross and MotoCross team for the 2023 season.  Sightings have been reported at a few small Motocross tracks in the UK, the factory testing the prototype, but as of yet, not one picture has slipped out.  Electric water pumps are making their way into the coolant systems on some of the 450s this year.  Supposedly, less drag on the motor, with the ability to be controlled electronically, for optimum performance, ups the tech on the bikes yet a bit more.

Small company GasGas, with the renagade Barcia on it, leads the big 4 factories.

Ain't that cool!

[oldironnow]

Just a guess from last summer.





https://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-news/could-triumph-s-new-enduro-and-mx-bikes-look-like-this-ar192525.html


.

[motogrady]

oldironnow wrote

Just a guess from last summer.





https://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-news/could-triumph-s-new-enduro-and-mx-bikes-look-like-this-ar192525.html


.

That does look good.    

For what it's worth.
I've seen a post or 2 from guys that live over there.  The bike 6 months ago was all flat black, with what appeared to be a Suzuki RMZ 450 motor, in a custom, or prototype frame and chassis.

[motogrady]

Round 3.  

Tomac gotta be bumming on Anderson passing him on his old bike.

https://youtu.be/6Nmq2Z0I2vM

[motogrady]

Series Points Standings after Rd. 3.

1. Eli Tomac 59
2. Chase Sexton 58
3. Cooper Webb 58
4. Justin Barcia 56
5. Jason Anderson 54
6. Aaron Plessinger 54
7. Ken Roczen 52
8. Malcolm Stewart 52
9. Marvin Musquin 47
10. Dylan Ferrandis  45
11. Dean Wilson 33
12. Max Anstie 28
13. Joey Savatgy 27
14. Shane McElrath 24
15. Adam Cianciarulo 23
16. Justin Brayton 22
17. Brandon Hartranft 21
18. Mitchell Oldenburg 15
19. Kyle Chisholm 11
20. Alex Martin 9