Cycle News

SUPERCROSS ROUND 8 / FEBRUARY 23, 2019 FORD FIELD / DETROIT, MICHIGAN P52 MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS And in the 250SX East, it's still the Austin Forkner show, as the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki Team rider became the first racer to sweep a Triple Crown event since the format was introduced in 2017. 450SX After two rounds of lackluster (for him) results, Tomac looked like a new man in Detroit, set- ting fast time in practice, then flat-out dominating the first two 450SX main events of the night's Triple Crown format. In the first main event, Tomac started poorly, but still man- aged to slice and dice his way through the field to take the lead from Justin Brayton (Mo- toconcepts/Smartop/Bullfrog Spas Honda) in the closing laps to take the win, while Brayton hung on for second and Chad Reed (JGR/Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) grabbed a solid third place. Behind Reed came Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC KTM), Roczen and Webb, who struggled in prac- really," Tomac said. "Last week, all I did was go backwards, so it was a struggle, but we actually went to California this week, did some work, got comfier [more comfortable], and it paid off. It was nice to see the testing and that stuff pay off." This is similar to what happened with Tomac in 2017 before he went on a tear. SUGAR RUSH Austin Forkner was seen downing Pixy Stix between main events in Detroit. Apparently, his trainer/nu- tritionist believed the tight schedule required boosts of sugar for each race and figured the best way to get it was by downing what is essentially raw sugar. And it seemed to work out, as Forkner was even more dominant in Detroit than he was at either of the first two rounds, which he also won. ETERNAL YOUTH Chad Reed was indeed "racy" all night in Detroit and ended up grab- bing a podium finish. Reed will be turning 37 in a couple weeks, and Detroit marked his 245th career premier-class main-event start, 160th top-five finish, and 132nd podium. He indicated that this may be his final year, but he's still hoping to take Justin Brayton's current record for be- ing the oldest racer ever to have won a 450SX main event and then have one more farewell season in 2020. "The one thing that is really frustrat- ing is you're wired one way, and that never changes," Reed said. "The last few years, and even now, I'm already thinking of what we can do better in the areas that I feel that I struggle, and how we can implement that into bike settings and directions, so that I can be the best that I can be. So, I guess that's just how it is. For me, it's always been that way; I'm a thinker, and I love testing, unfortunately [laughs]. But it's a relief, for sure; a massive relief just for me to finally be up on the podium. But JB's [Justin Brayton] got the record that I really want [the oldest racer to win a 450SX main event]. We kind of had a Vet National in the first race this week- end, and that was fun, but I've got some steps to go." Ultimately, Reed said the thing that keeps him going is fear of not being able to do the things that most people hate: training and traveling. "Working hard—it doesn't change," Reed said. "The grind. Ev- eryone always asks me, 'What keeps you coming back?' For me, it's the ev- eryday grind, and the traveling. I wish we were like MotoGP and I got to pack a passport every weekend and we got to travel the world. For me, I've been traveling the world since I was 11 years old, and I just love it. And the thought of not doing it freaks me out! This is possibly my last year, but that scares me saying that. It really does. I'd like to come back one more year and at least get that opportunity to say bye and thank you, kind of like tonight." KIDS THESE DAYS When Chad Reed won his first premier-class main event in Janu- ary of 2003, points leader Cooper Webb was seven years old. In fact, Webb competed in the KTM Junior Supercross Challenge in Atlanta back in 2003. Reed finished second that night behind Ricky Carmichael. That same year, Joey Savatgy competed in the KTM Junior Supercross Chal- lenge in San Diego, where Reed won the second main event of his career. Briefly... The flu might've gotten the best of Ken Roczen.

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