Now THAT is the stuff I like!
If these two guys are going to keep delivering, I’m going to keep talking about them. The 21 of Jason Anderson and the 3 of Eli Tomac put on one heck of a show in the heat race this past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway and man, I couldn’t get enough.
We were back to the fast, open-style track that only a Speedway can provide for chapter 14 of this year’s Supercross series. What a season it’s been! I’m not sure too many people had these 2 guys picked as the favourites coming in purely based on the previous year’s results. Yes, they’re both past champions, but their 2021 results did not put them in the conversation for championship contenders for ‘22. Personally, I don’t think either of these guys have gone this fast on a supercross track, ever.
You already know I love all that there is to love about Daytona, so naturally, this relatively new venue in Atlanta draws a specific interest of mine. You just can’t replicate the style of track they’re able to build at these Speedways anywhere else. Each location that holds a Supercross event is generally a baseball or football stadium. Baseball stadiums offer a more squared, or round-ish floor plan, think Anahiem, whereas a football stadium offers a much larger space that’s rectangular shaped, think Glendale (Phoenix) or the amazing Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Each style has its benefits and drawbacks, and obviously is sufficient to get the job done. But when we take it outside and lay a track in the infield of a Nascar Speedway, the design possibilities are exponentially greater. Add in that Georgia red clay and you’ve got me hook, line, and sinker.
Unfortunately, much like Motocross, when we are outside the chances of Mother Nature attending the party are pretty damn good and sure enough, she showed up in Atlanta. But fortunately, the Dirt Wurx crew are well aware of her antics and were prepared for her little visit. In the early morning hours, there was deep standing water on the track, so the crew did what they do best and went to work. After skipping the first practice sessions and allowing a little time to dry out, the course was a little muddy, but in incredible condition considering how it looked just hours before. Could it have been better had Momma N not showed her face? Absolutely, but, by the time the 450 heat races came, the track was amazing.
As a rider, you know there are days when you get to your favourite track and the dirt is just perfect, usually from ol’ Mother Nature stopping by the day before. Those days are rare because several things must align for that to happen. The right amount of rain, sun, wind, temperature, hell even daylight all play a factor in mixing up that perfect batch of chocolate cake we all want to ride on. Now, I don’t think this was the very best chocolate cake, or perhaps red velvet cake anyone has ever made, but the red clay in Atlanta was kinda like your girlfriend’s Mom’s baking – not the best, but you smile and eat it anyway.
This unique blend of weather created a race track that turned out to be just what we wanted. The tight turns rutted up, but nothing crazy like we’ve seen previously, and those flat open turns, absolutely made my night. Specifically, the flat left turn before the whoop section that Anderson passed Eli back in. Oh man, I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. We just don’t get to see that very often in Supercross racing. At the time of this heat race, most of the dirt allowed the guys to use the whole track and go wherever they wanted or needed. Usually, they are locked into a line, and initially, that line may be the fastest, but as it gets chewed up, it will become slower and slower. When the track doesn’t rut up as quickly, like here this weekend, it allows the riders to be more aggressive, and as we saw, squeeze all they can out of their 450cc machines.
The dirt in that corner allowed Anderson to have complete trust in his tires, his machine, and his ability. That right there was the edge, or the limit, or whatever you want to call it, but it was amazing. Raw, pure power being delivered to the rear wheel and chewing that red velvet as he clawed his way through that turn and had enough drive going into the whoops to make the pass stick. One of the most difficult parts of riding a 450 is controlling wheel spin and not leaning over too far to slide out. What Jason was able to do there was, in my opinion, the ultimate of everything – perfect turn execution, trusting everything, walking that very, very thin line of control, and like I’ve been blabbing about lately, the dude just straight up WANTED IT!
What those guys did together for a few laps was just a little reminder of the small things that make me love and have an exceptional appreciation for the sport at this level. I have a bit of a different perspective than most when I watch the races, but I think we can all agree that that little show they put on was something special. I think Tomac was faster overall and perhaps if he didn’t get tossed sideways from that little berm coming out of the over-under bridge, we may have gotten more. Speaking of that – MY GOODNESS. The guy rag-dolled himself without even crashing, and before he was done and had himself gathered up, he was pulling a tear-off and lining up the jump out of the next turn! If you don’t appreciate the skill from these guys yet, you’ve got to feel a little something for those two performances.
I really liked what Jason had to say in his interview after the heat race. Making things difficult on Eli might be a day late and a dollar short due to the points situation but if Eli is going to put up the fight, it’s clear as day that Anderson is going to give him all he can handle. You’ve got to give kudos to Eli as well, he doesn’t even need to race anyone, he could circulate the course and mail this whole thing in, but the guy can wrap up his second Supercross championship a couple of rounds early. When they asked Eli about this in his interview after the main, he was very clear that that is on his mind, and I think it’s safe to say he is using that as motivation to keep racing hard. In the main, he was managing the race and maintaining his pace behind Cooper in third until he felt some pressure from Sexton. Then it was like a light switched on, and it was hard to miss the urgency to get by Webb. He did just that and took what the race gave him and cruised in for a second-place finish, minimizing the points loss.
Maybe I’m just craving some outdoor grit, but those few moments from the ATL got me fired up. I’m excited to see how the rest of these races play out. I feel pretty comfortable in saying the points leaders in each class will become champions, barring any major catastrophe. But, as it proved once again, racing is awesome. Whether it’s just the battle or the whole war, I love this stuff!
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