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MOTOGIRL

FAST THOUGHTS FROM JESSICA LEE


Friday March 7th, 2008
Daytona Supercross Craziness!
Every weekend, we hope to see a very exciting or unpredictable Supercross race. Honestly, I don’t think that the world’s best psychic could have predicted what happened tonight at the Daytona International Speedway. Daytona, FL’s weather forecast called for rain, rain and more rain; all day long. So, what do you get when you mix hours of rain with fresh dirt, the best motocross racers in the country and a night race? One of the most gnarly, muddy supercross races ever.

With the forecast calling for rain you would think that Daytona or AMA officials would decide to cover the track with tarps to prevent as much mud as possible but nope. The track got drenched all day long. By around 6:30 PM they decided to run the race without all of the pre-race ceremonies to get everything going before the conditions got worse. Although, I don’t think it helped much because the rain didn’t stop. By the time for the main event the track looked more like a miniature lake than a supercross track. Having a track cluttered with stalled or stuck bikes and yellow flags makes for a great show but the actual racing is what made it so amazing.

Rookie Trey Canard who has only raced 3 supercross races in his whole professional career performed outstandingly tonight. Taking first in both qualifying and the main event in the Supercross Lights class showed that Canard has more than what it takes to pull great results in the ultra competitive world of pro racing. Canard had almost a full 15 second lead of Ryan Villopoto throughout the whole race. With conditions as bad as they were, most riders rolled over any large jump or rhythm section but not Trey Canard. He hit everything with confidence like the muddy mess didn’t even faze him!

During the Supercross Main so many crazy moments happened that it’s hard to explain. As the night went on the rain became worse and worse. So when it was time for the big guys to line up at the gate the seemingly “normal rain” turned into what I would call a torrential down pour! Chad Reed pulled a great start and led most of the race followed by Kevin Windham (K-Dub). Chad Reed cut corners on the track twice during tonight’s race. I’m surprised the AMA hasn’t already said something about that. During the race Windham’s bike sounded like it was having motor problems; top end problems most likely. His bike finished the race but Reed’s bike stalled out in the last lap. Chad Reed was so angry that he left his bike on the track, walked past every fan or team member and straight into the pits; never taking off his helmet, gloves or anything. At the end of what looked to be like a straight shot for Chad Reed, Kevin Windham won followed by Davi Millsaps!

I guess you could say, wait no I KNOW you could say this race was unpredictable at the least. As a rider, my opinion is that I would hate to have ridden through what these guys did tonight. It did look fun but I can’t even imagine how strenuous it had to have been. I gained so much more respect for the rookie and the veteran tonight! If you missed the race and want to watch it, look for it to broadcast on Speed Channel or look for pictures in the BIkeland Gallery!

Posted by Jessica @ 22:53  -  Permalink  -  0 Comments
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THE AUTHOR


Jessica "Motogirl" Lee is a 34 year old motocross racer and journalist. Born into a family of motorcycle enthusiasts and industry insiders, she has been riding and nurturing a passion for motorcycles from the age of four.

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