IN
THE
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CAUSTIC CRISIS:
SAN DIEGO SX LIME FALLOUT
L
ess than a day, and even
hours, after the San Diego
Supercross, February 2, those
who competed started develop-
ing painful sores on their bodies,
and their motorcycles started
showing corrosion-like symp-
tom, all, as it turned out, due to
the drying agent—lime—that was
added to the track.
With the epic amount of rainfall
at the race, Feld Entertainment's
track crew, Dirt Wurx, added a
lime/sand mixture to help dry out
the dirt, but this was before the
heaviest rain hit the area. The
result was caustic, or corrosive,
lime floating in the standing water
all over the track, most notably
on the start straight. Using lime
to dry wet dirt is nothing new in
the sport and has been go-
ing on for decades, but at San
Diego, many of the racers suf-
fered major chemical burns and
some even had to get their eyes
washed out days later. It even
affected Ken Roczen's ability to
ride and train during the week,
as it did with many other riders.
So why hasn't this happened
before?
It's unclear if the particular
type of lime used on the racing
surface has always been quick-
lime or if it was just hydrated lime
this time, but quicklime is a basic
substance that, when combined
with water, can become caustic,
or corrosive. Hydrated lime, on
the other hand, is about one-
quarter water, and it's made
