MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES
VOL. 51 ISSUE 18 MAY 6, 2014 P53
wrapping up the 250 West and
East Supercross titles.
The Battle Ground
A sold-out crowd of 35,509 fans
filled Sam Boyd Stadium for the
SX final that featured plenty of
racing over the course of the
evening. They saw two 250
main events, two 450 heats and
semis, one 450 LCQ, the East/
West Shootout and the final 20-
lap 450 main, which capped off
the evening's unique racing for-
mat. (There was even the KTM
Jr. Supercross Challenge that
was mixed in there.)
This year's Vegas track could
be simply described as brutal.
Or maybe even treacherous.
Near 100-degree temperatures
and gusty winds all day had track
crews dealing with a never-ending
battle of dust and dry conditions
on the hard-packed racecourse.
By nightfall, temperatures had
dropped slightly, as did the wind,
but a heavy dose of watering left
the track muddy and slippery, es-
pecially for the first few races of
the evening program. As the track
dried out, many of the turns and
faces of the jumps had become
rutted, the whoops cupped and
uneven, and the surface slick
and unpredictable. It was a track
that demanded the racer's undi-
vided attention…or else.
"The track wasn't terrible but
the whoops were nasty," said
450 contender Ryan Dungey of
the track. "That was the hardest
part. It was so slick you had to roll
the throttle back to get traction."
The track also featured its
usual outside-the-stadium start,
but this time, the racers had to
deal with a seldom used right-
hand first turn, which meant they
would have less access to their
rear brake. The first chance the
fans got to see the riders in ac-
tion was when they entered the
stadium floor spectacularly at 70
mph down Monster Alley.
(Left) At the start of the year,
Justin Bogle could hardly walk,
now he's the 2014 250 East
Supercross Champion.
(Above) Justin Hill capped off
the 2014 250 Supercross season
with an impressive win in the
East/West Shootout.
