2019 Las Vegas Supercross | Race Preview
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2019 LAS VEGAS SUPERCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE
Hard to believe it’s time for the final round of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Series. The past sixteen rounds have gone by in a blur and on Saturday night, all three championships will be decided and awarded. Cooper Webb seemingly has a hand on the 450 class trophy, thanks to an 18-point advantage over Eli Tomac, but who knows what could happen over the course of the race day? We’re certain the Red Bull KTM rider and team will not breathe a sigh of relief until every knob on Webb’s rear tire is burned away. As for the 250 class, Adam Cianciarulo holds an eight-point edge over Dylan Ferrandis in what might be his final chance for the West Coast regional title, while second-year SX racer Chase Sexton is just ahead of Justin Cooper following Austin Forkner’s season-ending injury. Here are a few things that have our attention heading into this last stop…
THE TRACK
The Yamaha track preview is always a great asset to learn the track, but we all know that things play out differently when bikes get out there, and that seemed to be the case when we watched Friday’s press session. Here are a few things to watch out for…
The first turn of the track resembles the Arlington course from last year, with a fast run into a hard 90-degree left turn. This track is loaded with 45-degree turns, which we all know can reduce passing opportunities. And with three titles on the line, that’s a shame, because it could lead to single-file racing.
There are a number of jump combinations to the first long rhythm lane on the track, including a big quad that only a few might do. Whatever string of jumps a rider picks, they will need to grease the section every lap because it runs the length of the venue and could cost a rider a lot of time.
Sam Boyd Stadium’s one open end zone has been used for decades, so of course, there’s a high-speed run and large single outside of the fan’s sight in this year’s track design. This is the first time in a very long time that the track as exited out the west side of the building and entered in the east, a direction change that doesn’t mean much except that riders won’t be able to dab their rear brake while going through the sweeper turn. Gone from this year’s track design is the high-speed single into the stadium, and in its place is a long rhythm lane that feeds into a sand turn.
We’re surprised to see the sand turn made it to the final track design, mostly because of rider criticism of the material this year and it often becomes a single-file section. Its placement directly in front of the finish line opens up the chances for anything to happen, but really, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was a non-factor.
Back-to-back whoop sections will be a challenge, mostly because the hard-packed desert turn will ultimately turn into slick, blue-groove sets and will become even more tricky. The first pad comes right after the finish line, so riders will have to set up while in the air and then hit the first roller in the right position. A hairpin right-hand turn is all the separates the two sections, and this is one of the few places that a rider can execute a forceful pass without much effort.
THE COMPETITION
Since Webb, Cianciarulo, and Sexton know that they have a slight buffer to work with and still win their titles, we don’t expect to see any of them going too wild to get into the lead. All three know that finishing close to their competitors is all that’s necessary, so that means a new winner could come out on top for a race win. Zach Osborne looked particularly quick on the track, as he was one of the few to break out that quad combination, and after his rider in East Rutherford a win isn’t out of the question. As for Marvin Musquin or Ken Roczen, now would be a perfect time for them to end their season on some sort of high note.
A LOOK BACK
Dunlop’s Broc Glover spent some time with Jim Holley and discussed the track conditions and what’ll take from a tire to get traction. This is always an interesting segment. Although this year’s Las Vegas track is different than years past, there are still a lot of similarities and we know you want to watch old footage. Hit play on some of the clips below and get excited…
