Last year’s 250SX East Region opener, Detroit feels a little more “East Coast” right? The dirt, the weather, the dome… Tampa is great and delivered but this feels like what the East Coast is all about. A rare day race awaits a tumultuous series that has seen just about everything. For those of you that predicted Malcolm Stewart winning Tampa, you’re a liar. What an awesome outcome to a crazy day and night. Detroit has a tough act to follow. Let’s see what the track has to offer.
The start is longer than we have seen for a bit, but we are going into another right hander. With not being as tight of a hairpin, maybe we can avoid some of the first corner drama, though. The first rhythm section will see riders get to the step on-step off as quickly as possible via wheel tap or simply going 1-2 out of the first corner.
A left-hand bowl berm leads into the only whoops in Detroit and watch for these to offer a rhythm opportunity by main event time. An immediate right hand bowl berm sets up for a triple right out of the corner (this is a spot where Ken Roczen benefits from getting a factory transmission this year, with better gear ratios for these scenarios) and into a standard supercross triple.
A long, right hand sand corner leads to an angled double and into the finish line. This last corner will likely be very one-lined so if riders don’t make the pass exiting the whoops, it’s goodnight, Irene for several more corners.
The corner after the finish will likely have an inside-outside option. The inside will be a flat corner that will be tough to get drive from while the outside will have a berm to slingshot from. How tacky the dirt is this weekend could determine which line is used more. This could also present a passing opportunity regardless of which line the lead rider takes. Going inside will set up a slingshot to the next 180 (block pass) and going outside could offer a block pass exiting the initial corner but this would be high risk/high reward as that outside rider is going to be coming off that berm with a head of steam right into a rider drifting into their line.
The next rhythm section will likely begin with an inside line and rolling over the first single. Riders will then step over the next tabletop and go 3-3 or 3-2-1 to the inside. Some riders prefer to go 3-2-1 here to protect the inside and guard against that move that saw Jason Anderson get passed several times early in the Tampa main event. Same setup, same uncertainty for this section.
The next rhythm will be an attempt to get to the downside of the tabletop and then triple into the corner. Exiting the next bowl berm, riders will want to triple out of the corner and single into the next left hand bowl berm.
This bowl berm is going to be a big block pass/take-out move corner, so that's why I drew out some passing lines above. The berm is far from the inside of the corner so anyone with bad intentions could cut across this inside and do some damage. It would be intentional and heavy, but possible. Just watch for a last-ditch effort here. The single into the corner is the catalyst as the lead rider will single to the outside while the following rider can lean hard left off the single and create a direct angle for contact when the lead rider pivots at the apex. This is also exacerbated as the lead rider will want to turn sharply to get back to his right in the next section and carry momentum into the next section. With the desired line of the lead rider opening the door for the following rider to make a pass, this could create chaos.
Next up is the first corner and onto lap two.
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- Night Show (Sunday Encore)February 16 - 2:00 PM
Who’s Hot
Malcolm Stewart won the first 450 main event of his career and had people on their feet. If you weren’t racing against him, you were cheering for him. It was that simple.
Cooper Webb was not happy with lappers, but he has to be encouraged by his riding and points positioning. He is in a good spot to challenge for his third 450 SX title.
Jason Anderson got his third podium in five rounds and sits third in points. It’s hard to believe those things are true with how bad the other two rounds were but here we are. He’s capable of winning races.
Max Anstie executed his game plan to perfection on Saturday. He avoided the chaos and just did his thing. That doesn’t mean he will be able to repeat it but man, that was a strong opener.
Cameron McAdoo is a tough dude. He tore his ACL a week before Tampa and could barely walk at the press conference. His third-place finish was a testament to the mind-over-matter grit this sport demands.
Chance Hymas was not prepared for this East Region opener. He knew it, Honda HRC knew it, and he still went out and got solid points, anyway. He was far better than I expected.
Who’s Not
Eli Tomac broke his leg in a qualifying mistake. That’s two heavy injuries (2023 and 2025) without even crashing! Amazing that he was able to race on Saturday. Bummer for everyone involved but let’s hope he can be back to 100% by late May.
Ken Roczen got lucky to not leave Tampa injured. Sure, the points took a big hit but that could have been much, much worse.
Chase Sexton made a mistake that likely kept him staring at the ceiling this week. He’s still the points leader and controls his own destiny. All is not lost and honestly, in a big picture situation, he’s in a much better position than he’s been for most of the season.
Many riders were injured in Tampa, and a few will miss extended time (Cade Clason, Nick Romano, Pierce Brown, Tomac).
Bold Predictions
In an effort to reduce injuries, the AMA introduces a new rule that requires wheels-on-the-ground at all times, in every race.
With the field decimated, the factory teams recall all recently retired stars. Cianciarulo, Brayton, Villopoto, Dungey, Musquin, Osborne, and more all return for Detroit.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s HR department requires all personnel to participate in group therapy after a tough week. Bobby Regan immediately fires the HR department.
Fate takes its shirt off when seeing back-to-back right hand first corners after the loss of several riders in recent weeks.
My Picks
250
450
